Kerry names Martin Indyk to shepherd Mideast talks

Secretary of State John Kerry stands with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk at the State Department in Washington, Monday, July 29, 2013, as he announces that he Indyk will shepherd the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Secretary of State John Kerry stands with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk at the State Department in Washington, Monday, July 29, 2013, as he announces that he Indyk will shepherd the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

FILE - In this April 11, 2005 file photo, Martin Indyk speaks in Doha, Qatar. U.S. officials say Secretary of State John Kerry will name former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk to shepherd Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that begin Monday in Washington. (AP Photo, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday appointed a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, to shepherd Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, just hours before senior negotiators from the two sides sit down together for the first time in years.

Urging the parties to reach "reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues," Kerry acknowledged that the path ahead would be long and difficult. But he said Indyk had the respect and confidence of all involved and that his vast experience in Middle East diplomacy could only help what will surely be a protracted process.

"I think reasonable compromises have to be a keystone of all of this effort," Kerry told reporters as he announced Indyk's new position at the State Department. The appointment came a day after the department said the Israelis and Palestinians had accepted Kerry's invitation to resume direct talks on Monday evening. The initial negotiations, mostly over procedure, are expected to continue on Tuesday.

"I know the negotiations are going to be tough, but I also know that the consequences of not trying could be worse," Kerry said.

Indyk, who will be the administration's special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, "knows what has worked and he knows what hasn't worked, and he knows how important it is to get this right," Kerry said. "Ambassador Indyk is realistic. He understands that Israeli-Palestinian peace will not come easily and it will not happen overnight."

"But he also understands that there is now a path forward and we must follow that path with urgency," Kerry said. "He understands that to ensure that lives are not needlessly lost, we have to ensure that opportunities are not needlessly lost."

Indyk, 62, will take a leave of absence from his current job as vice president and foreign policy director at the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank to take up what he called the "daunting and humbling challenge" of trying to forge a peace deal that has eluded successive U.S. administration.

He thanked President Barack Obama and Kerry for "entrusting me with the mission of helping you take this breakthrough and turn it into a full-fledged Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement."

"It is a daunting and humbling challenge, but one that I cannot desist from," Indyk said.

Indyk served as former President Bill Clinton's ambassador to Israel and was a key part of the failed 2000 Camp David peace talks. He was also a special assistant to Clinton and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council from 1993 to 1995. And, he served as assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs in the State Department from 1997 to 2000.

In his new job, Indyk replaces David Hale, who had served as a place holder in the post until last month. Hale had succeeded former Sen. George Mitchell as the Obama administration's first special Mideast envoy. Mitchell resigned in 2011 following two years of fruitless and frustrating attempts to get the Israelis and Palestinians to engage in serious negotiations.

Indyk's appointment has been carefully choreographed to come just hours before senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators sit down for a working dinner hosted by Kerry.

Kerry spent much of his first six months as America's top diplomat in frenetic diplomacy trying to get the two sides to agree to resume peace talks that broke down in 2008. An attempt to restart them in 2010 failed after a single day.

Since February, Kerry has made six trips to the region shuttling between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to try to cajole them into returning to negotiations.

Kerry announced on July 19 in Amman, Jordan, that the two sides had reached a basis for returning to the table, but stressed that it still had to be formalized. On Sunday, the State Department announced that the two sides had accepted invitations from Kerry to come to Washington "to formally resume direct final status negotiations."

That followed a decision by Israel's Cabinet to free 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners, a longstanding demand of Abbas.

Abbas has been reluctant to negotiate with Netanyahu, fearing the hard-line Israeli leader will reject what the Palestinians consider minimal territorial demands. The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967, but have accepted the principle of limited land swaps to allow Israel to annex some of the dozens of settlements it has built on war-won lands.

Abbas had repeatedly said he will only go to talks if Israel either freezes settlement building or recognizes the 1967 lines as a starting point for drawing the border of a state of Palestine.

Israel has made no such concessions, at least publicly, and the details of the framework for the talks brokered by Kerry remain shrouded in mystery.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-07-29-US-Mideast-Talks-Kerry/id-2b5af69c210a4387bdbebd79495d30bb

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Twitter CEO commits NCAA violation with tweet

By Tom Fornelli | College Football Writer

July 29, 2013 12:54 PM ET

Just about every secondary NCAA violation is stupid, but sometimes those stupid violations are awesome. This is one of those times.

The CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo, also happens to be a Michigan booster, and he also happened to commit a minor NCAA violation on the social media platform he runs.

@WiltonSpeight @GeorgeCampbell0 amazing! #goblue

? dick costolo (@dickc) July 29, 2013

That's Costolo responding to a tweet from Michigan 2014 commit Wilton Speight to recent 2015 commit George Campbell. It's a harmless tweet, but it's also an NCAA violation.

According to one of the roughly billion rules the NCAA has, a booster is not allowed to contact a recruit until after the recruit has signed his letter of intent with the school. Not in person, not on the phone and not on social media.

Whoops.

As for what is likely to happen following this incident, my guess would be nothing. It's not a major violation by any means, but it is an extremely ironic violation.

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'); handlers.failure(); } else{ removeLfError(); handlers.success(); } }; function updateAuthorLinks(){ $('.fyre-comment-username').each(function() { $(this).click(function() { window.location.href = $(this).attr('href'); }); }); $('.fyre-comment-author').each(function() { $(this).click(function() { window.location.href = $(this).attr('href'); }); }); } function updateOneLineComments(){ //console.log("Checking Comments"); $(".fyre-comment-wrapper").each(function() { if ($(this).find(".fyre-comment").css('display') != 'none'){ var commentText = $(this).find(".fyre-comment").html(); if (commentText != null){ var loopCtr = 0; // for IE8 while ( (commentText.indexOf("

",' '); loopCtr++; } //console.log(commentText); $(this).find(".fyre-comment").css('display','none'); $(this).find(".fyre-comment-head").append(commentText); } // end check for blank text } //console.log("Checking Height"); cntHeight = $(this).find(".fyre-comment-head").height(); if (cntHeight > 0){ //console.log("Setting Height"); cntHeight = -1 * ((cntHeight / 2) + 12); $(this).find(".fyre-flag-link").css('top',cntHeight); } }); } function change_profile_link(){ $(".fyre .fyre-box-list .fyre-edit-profile-link a").attr("href",'#'); $(".fyre .fyre-box-list .fyre-edit-profile-link a").attr("alt",''); $('.fyre .fyre-box-list .fyre-edit-profile-link a').click(function() { return false; }); $('.fyre .fyre-box-list .fyre-edit-profile-link').remove(); $(".fyre .fyre-comment-head .fyre-comment-username").attr("href",'#'); $(".fyre .fyre-comment-head .fyre-comment-username").attr("target",''); $(".fyre .fyre-comment-head .fyre-comment-username").attr("alt",''); $('.fyre .fyre-comment-head .fyre-comment-username').click(function() { return false; }); $('.fyre .fyre-comment-head').each(function() { var alltxt = $(this).html(); var nickname = $(this).find('.fyre-comment-username').html(); if (!(nickname == null)){ alltxt = "

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cbssportsline/cfb_news/~3/dyieHCViKDQ/twitter-ceo-commits-ncaa-violation-on-twitter

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Sri Lanka v South Africa

We see you have Google Chrome installed. Try out Cricinfo's free extension: show me no thanks South Africa tour of Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI: Sri Lanka v South Africa at Pallekele, Jul 26, 2013

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/635655.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

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How Butler's Bulldogs became the face of a university

When the news broke that Butler University head coach Brad Stevens was departing Indianapolis for the Boston Celtics' head coaching job, there were two tweets that stood alone in the flurry of activity.

?You?re welcome, Bill Simmons,? tweeted Butler Blue II, the mascot emeritus of Stevens? former university.

Moments later:

?You owe me one, Leprechaun.? -- this from the current furry face of the university, Butler Blue III, otherwise known as Trip.

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PHOTO GALLERY: See some of the best images of Blue II and Blue III

They technically can't speak, but they have spoken.

They?ve spoken during two Final Four appearances, on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," and about joining two new conferences in two years.

Somehow, without opposable thumbs or a grasp of the English language, Blue II and Trip lead the conversation about Butler University in a way no else has.

And it?s all because Michael Kaltenmark, Butler's director of web marketing, has given them a voice.

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Kaltennmark was an undergraduate student at Butler when the university adopted its first official live mascot in 2000?an English bulldog named Blue that was cared for by a Butler staffer and alumna, Keili Walker.

But Butler Blue I?s reign was a trial run of sorts for the university, and while most people on campus knew of the dog, her appearances were few and far between.

When Walker moved to Washington State in 2004, Blue I made the trip with her owner, leaving Butler to figure out its next move.

Enter Kaltenmark, who stayed on staff following his graduation and was then working as the assistant director of annual giving. With a bare-bones plan in mind, Kaltenmark approached the university about getting another live mascot and was soon given the green light to proceed.

?It was sort of a handshake agreement and that was it,? he said. ?There was no contract, no guidelines?it was very ?figure it out.? ?

Kaltenmark returned to Butler with a 7-week-old bulldog puppy, no guarantees of success, limited expectations and no idea on what he was about to embark.

But he had a plan brewing in the crevices of his marketing mind.

He wanted the dog, named Butler Blue II or Blue for short, to be the face of the university.

?In my mind, I?m thinking that this dog needs to be very visible and present all the time. We need to run with it. This is something that most universities don?t have," he said.

?I didn?t really ask anybody. I just ran with it.?

??

Kaltenmark did a lot of running in those first few months?to puppy classes, to hospitals, to bar mitzvahs, to block parties, to pretty much anywhere Blue II?s presence was requested.

As he quickly learned, having a bulldog puppy was exhausting by itself, let alone having one whose presence was so widely requested all over the Indianapolis metropolitan area.

He documented every aspect of their adventures and interactions on Flickr, which allowed Blue II?s growing fan base to follow the pup as he snuffed and snorted his way around the Butler community.

There are 13,000 photos of Blue II to date, ranging from him snuggling with Kaltenmark?s son, whom the dog refers to as ?Master Everett,? to him brushing paws with Georgetown Jack in the nation?s capital.

With the evolution of social media, so, too, came Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for both Blue II and little brother Trip.

Blue II Social Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Blue III Social Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Every picture is a moment?a vignette in a life of the nation?s most famous bulldogs?but also a glimpse into the culture of the university itself.

?It gives Butler more of a warm, fuzzy kind of feel,? Kaltenmark said. ?When people think about Butler, they don?t just think about a place with buildings and professors in Indianapolis."

They can?t speak, but they?re the face of the university, wrinkly snouts and all.

Just ask Brad Stevens.

??

One afternoon, as he was leaving behind his office in Hinkle Fieldhouse, Stevens noticed a mother and a daughter wandering the empty venue.

They approached Stevens, flagging him down.

As the sunlight filtering through the vaulted windows of Hinkle illuminated Stevens, a brief look of recognition crossed the mother?s face.

?You look familiar,? the woman told Stevens. ?Anyway, do you know where I can find Blue??

??

It?s not hard to find a Blue?whether it?s II or III?in Indianapolis.

Wherever Kaltenmark goes, the two are sure to follow, tongues wagging, from sun up to sun down.

?It never ends because they?re with me all the time,? Kaltenmark said of his job as full-time pup-wrangler. ?We?re rarely apart.?

They tool around every day in the Blue Mobile, a custom-outfitted van bearing their faces that was gifted to Kaltenmark by a local Ford dealer.

They have their own parking spot on campus.

Kaltenmark?s office also is Blue II and Trip?s office, complete with dog toys and blankets and various canine paraphernalia strewn everywhere marking their shared domain.

Students filter in and out, offering the dogs belly rubs or treats.

At his desk, Kaltenmark filters through appearance requests in addition to his normal duties while the centerpieces of those requests snore on the floor next to him.

He might occasionally stop to snap a picture of Blue II or Trip doing something silly to share with the dogs? thousands of Twitter followers.

?The dogs are successful online because we typically respond to people and are conversational,? he explained. ?Having character and personality that shines though?that?s one of the best parts about it.?

??

On March 9, 2013, Blue II officially handed over the mascot duties to Trip by way of a halftime ?Changing of the Collar? ceremony.

It was the final home game of Butler?s 2013 season?Blue II?s ninth season with the team.

Blue II received a standing ovation by the sold-out crowd at Hinkle, but the well wishes were echoed nationwide on Twitter as the two dogs amassed a total of 2,000 mentions from March 9-10.

It didn?t take long for Trip to catapult into Internet stardom.

Four months later, he starred in a Rocky-esque montage chronicling his and the rest of Butler?s athletic teams' training for their admittance into the Big East Conference.

Within hours, the video of the stout bulldog?s exploits chasing balls and traipsing around campus went viral and was mentioned by virtually every big-name sports outlet in the United States.

What most people don?t know was that the video almost didn?t make it past the cutting room floor.

The student producer in charge of filming and editing the video, sophomore Tim Valentine, had originally set the two-minute video to the ?Rocky? theme song.

Unfortunately for Butler, the song is protected by copyright laws.

The unanimous decision was that the second version featuring the rights-free music paled in comparison, but would be released anyway.

?We?re kinda down on it, but we still put it out there anyway because it?s cute and we worked hard on it,? Kaltenmark explained. ?So to watch it go viral in spite of that really opened our eyes.?

??

For as long as there has been Brad Stevens behind the bench, there has been Blue II on the sidelines.

One is in Boston, embarking on a new journey. The other grudgingly accepts the terms of retirement, hanging his head in sadness as his protege leaves for an appearance.

But they will always share that moment in the hallways of Hinkle.

Stevens returned from New Orleans in the dead of night after his team knocked off No. 2 seed Florida.

As the coach gathered his luggage from the undercarriage of the bus, Blue II sat waiting.

Despite his exhaustion and the media circus awaiting comment, Stevens leaned down to pet Blue II.

?I got you another road trip,? he told the dog.

Now it?s Trip?s turn to experience these moments. And as long as Kaltenmark is there to document his travels, it?ll be our turn, too.

Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-07-24/butler-bulldogs-blue-2-blue-3-blue-ii-blue-iii-trip-brad-stevens

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AFP: 19 NPA rebels surrender to military every month

About 19 members of the New People?s Army based in Mindanao surrender to authorities monthly, most of them youngsters, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Eastern Mindanao Command revealed on Thursday.

?Nagbabalik-loob sila kasi ?yung promise sa kanila ay hindi nangyayari,? Capt. Severino David, spokesperson at Eastern Mindanao Command, told GMA News Online in a phone interview.

He noted that those who surrendered had been lured to join the rebel group by promises of a better life. ?Ang promise sa kanila gaganda ang kabuhayan nila sa barrio at bibigyan ng livelihood. Sumasali rin sila dahil sa poverty.?

Those who surrender are usually aged 18 to 22 and minors when they were recruited, serving for an average of three years before surrendering to the authorities.

Once they surrender, former rebels undergo debriefing and seminars, David noted.

In a separate statement, the Eastern Mindanao Command disclosed that 132 NPA rebels have surrendered since January, averaging about 19 surrenders per month. The Eastern Mindanao Command covers Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN, and Caraga Region.

The latest surrender in the region was reported on July 22, when four NPA rebels turned themselves in to government troops. They were identified as Digo Antian, alias Ruben, 23; Jun Jun Calimpit, alias Ryan, 25; Robert Antian, alias Lupoy, 18; and Jhen (his alias), 15. All of them had been operating in Bukidnon.

Antian and Jhen supposedly joined the NPA at the age of 16 and 13 years old, respectively.

?NPA capitalized [on] their desire to become soldiers when they were assured that they [could] hold a gun even without finishing school,? the statement read.

The rebels also handed over three high-powered firearms with assorted ammunitions and magazines.? These firearms will be remunerated for about P50,000 each.

?Binibili ng gobyerno yung mga baril kasi magagamit din naman namin ?yan. Yun na rin ang nagiging panimula nila sa livelihood,? the Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson said.

According to Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, recruiting the youth to join the insurgent group is a violation of the 1998 Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

?Exploiting the youth?s innocence to become criminals is even tantamount to violation of RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) which provides children with special protection against exploitation,? he said in the same statement.

Last Tuesday, a 12-year-old NPA rebel in Quezon province surrendered to the police.

However, the United Nations report noted that it is not just armed rebel groups that recruit minors but also the Philippine military. The report, entitled "Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 22 Situations of Concern," cited two young boys who were recruited by the military to help find a rebel camp in Mindanao. ? BM, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/319160/news/nation/afp-19-npa-rebels-surrender-to-military-every-month

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Ex-CIA official to address government-wary hackers

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON (Reuters) - A former CIA official and a retired Air Force general will address next week's Def Con hacking convention, which for the first time asked federal officials to steer clear because of anger over alleged government spying.

Joseph DeTrani, a long-time CIA official who served as a U.S. envoy in talks with North Korea regarding its nuclear activities, will open the hackers' conference on August 2 with a speech about weapons of mass destruction and cyber technology. Former Air Force General Robert Elder, who created one of the U.S. military's first cyber units, will speak the following day.

Def Con founder Jeff Moss said the two had been invited long before his July 11 request that federal officials stay away from the convention to defuse tensions over the U.S. mass surveillance programs leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Moss said that having former U.S. officials at the conference could be useful to the hacking community because they are uniquely placed to help explain the government's position on the surveillance programs.

"Being former, not current, they might be able to speak more freely and offer a more nuanced perspective," said Moss, who is known in hacking circles as The Dark Tangent.

"They would probably offer more credible perspective that people are not going to just dismiss out of hand and say ?Of course you are going to say that. That's your job,'" he said in an interview.

Def Con - short for Defense Condition, in military speak - has since 1992 been bringing together people with a common interest in software, computer architecture, and any high-tech system that can be hacked. It typically attracts a small contingent of officials from the CIA, NSA, FBI, and military among hackers, researchers, security workers, activists and others. The conference this year is expected to draw 15,000 people.

DeTrani told Reuters that after his speech he will address surveillance programs, if asked.

"Everything I've heard about these programs is that they were authorized with oversight. From what I know Americans were not spied upon," he said. "Hopefully nobody throws marshmallows at me and says ?You wacko, go back to North Korea.'"

DeTrani stepped down as a senior advisor to the Director of National Intelligence in May 2012, ending more than three decades in government, the bulk of the time at the CIA.

His speech will be followed by several panels led by critics of government surveillance. The American Civil Liberties Union is holding a Friday afternoon session on "NSA surveillance and more." Representatives of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that has filed lawsuits against the NSA over surveillance programs, will review "the year in digital civil liberties."

Elder, who is currently an engineering professor at George Mason University, plans to talk about applying lessons from military operations to protecting computer networks.

He said that while he knows nothing more about the Snowden case than what he has read in the paper, he expects the issue will come up. "I expect there to be some tension," he said.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-cia-official-address-government-wary-hackers-183659716.html

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iPhone could be susceptible to SIM card attack

At this year's Black Hat USA security conference cryptographer and security researcher Karsten Nohl will be presenting his findings on SIM card insecurities. While Nohl's research revealed that about one-quarter of the tested SIM cards were vulnerable to an attack that exploits an outdated encryption standard, it's unclear at this point exactly who should be worried.

Nohl isn't revealing the full details until his talk on August 3rd, but when asked specifically about iPhones, he told iMore:

No devices can be ruled out.

Of course, that doesn't provide a lot of clarity as to who should worry. Since the exploit is dependent on the SIM cards in use, not the device, the vulnerabilities that Nohl identified depend on carrier and which SIM cards they provide, not necessarily the devices they're put in.

The good news is that Nohl has already shared his findings with the GSM Association, who then passed the findings on to cellular network operators and SIM card manufacturers who could be vulnerable. The exploit relies on an old encryption algorithm, DES, still used on some SIM cards. Carriers who haven't done so already will need to update to Triple DES or AES, newer, more secure standards that is not susceptible to the same attack.

For now, people should try not to worry, as there are no signs that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild. Once Nohl gives his presentation we should know more about which users might be affected and hopefully carriers are already in the process of updating any outdated SIMs they might have.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/8Hz0kFb-Yfc/story01.htm

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Gas rig on fire in Gulf of Mexico

Updated: Wednesday, July 24 2013, 08:46 AM EDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? An out-of-control natural gas well off the
Louisiana coast caught fire late Tuesday, hours after 44 workers were
safely evacuated from the drilling rig following a mid-morning blowout, a
federal agency confirmed.

No injuries were reported as a result
of the fire, Eileen Angelico, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement, told The Associated Press.

She said it
wasn't known what caused the gas to ignite. It also wasn't clear early
Wednesday how and when crews would attempt to extinguish the blaze. BSEE
said earlier Tuesday that a firefighting vessel with water and foam
capabilities had been dispatched to the scene.

Wild Well Control
Inc. was hired to try to bring the well under control. Angelico said
Wild Well personnel approached the well earlier Tuesday night, before
the fire, but they determined it was unsafe to get closer when they were
about 200 feet (60 meters) away from it.

The gas blowout was reported Tuesday morning.

The
Coast Guard kept nautical traffic out of an area within 500 meters
(1,640 feet) of the site throughout the day. The Federal Aviation
Administration restricted aircraft up to 2,000 feet (600 meters) above
the area.

BSEE said inspectors flying over the site soon after the
blowout saw a light sheen covering an area about a half-mile (800
meters) by 50 feet (15 meters). However, it was dissipating quickly.

Earlier this month, a gas well off the Louisiana coast flowed for several days before being sealed.

Officials
stressed that Tuesday's blowout wouldn't be close to as damaging as the
BP oil spill of 2010, in which an oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon,
exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and eventually
spewing millions of gallons (liters) of oil into the Gulf. It was the
worst offshore environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Chris
Roberts, a member of the Jefferson Parish Council in south Louisiana,
said the travel restrictions might pose an inconvenience for
participants in an upcoming deep sea fishing tournament.

"It could change some plans as to where some people plan to fish," he said.

Tuesday's
blowout occurred near an unmanned offshore gas platform that was not
currently producing natural gas, said Angelico. The workers were aboard a
portable drilling rig known as a jackup rig, owned by Hercules Offshore
Inc., which was a contractor for exploration and production company
Walter Oil & Gas Corp.

Walter Oil & Gas reported to the
BSEE that the rig was completing a "sidetrack well" ? a means of
re-entering the original well bore, Angelico said.

The purpose of
the sidetrack well in this instance was not immediately clear. A
spokesman for the corporation didn't have the information Tuesday night.
Industry websites say sidetrack wells are sometimes drilled to remedy a
problem with the existing well bore.

"It's a way to overcome an
engineering problem with the original well," Ken Medlock, an energy
expert at Rice University's Baker Institute said. "They're not drilled
all the time, but it's not new."

Gas rig on fire in Gulf of Mexico

Source: http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/features/top-story/stories/-gas-rig-fire-gulf-mexico-9818.shtml?wap=0

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Dealers in Germany oppose BMW's plan for Web sales - Automotive ...

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Staff report
July 22, 2013 09:41 CET

FRANKFURT -- BMW dealers in Germany are opposing the automaker's plans to expand Web-based sales to include all its models.

BMW is looking to the Web and even house calls by sales personnel in an effort to boost future revenue in Germany, the head of the group's German sales, Roland Krueger, told WirtschaftsWoche magazine. "We can well imagine that Internet sales could be expanded to all models," Krueger said.

BMW's German dealer head Werner Entenmann told WirtschaftsWoche: "We told BMW in no uncertain terms that we cannot accept direct sales channels.''

BMW said today that it will sell the i3 through the Internet and through sales people visiting customers in their homes as well as through select dealers.

Krueger tried to allay dealers' concerns by telling the magazine that that dealerships would remain the ''backbone'' of BMW sales.

Reuters contributed to this report

Contact Automotive News

Source: http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130722/ANE/130729994/dealers-in-germany-oppose-bmws-plan-for-web-sales

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Sub-saharan water: Not just fossil water

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Sahara conceals large quantities of water stored at depth and inherited from ancient times. A recent study has just shown that this groundwater is not entirely fossil, but resupplied every year. Using a method based on data obtained by satellite, scientists estimated the variations in the volume of water lying under the northern Sahara desert: the current rate of recharge is on average 1.4 km3 per year, for the period 2003-2010. This represents 40% of withdrawals, mainly for irrigation to support the oasis economy. The inputs therefore do not compensate for the withdrawals, but their existence means that these transboundary aquifers, the main water resource of semi-arid regions in Algeria and Tunisia, could be managed sustainably.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/-35ArFzWjCI/130722123014.htm

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Video: Top three trades

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52544656/

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Join us for a live chat Monday with Boise State football's Joe Southwick, Charles Leno

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com
? 2013 Idaho Statesman

LAS VEGAS ? The Mountain West football media days event begins Monday ? and we?ll get you started with a new feature in the morning.

Boise State senior quarterback Joe Southwick and senior left tackle Charles Leno Jr. will join me for a live chat with Idaho Statesman readers. The chat will begin at 10:30 a.m. MT with me and likely columnist Brian Murphy. We?ll answer questions for 30 minutes and begin collecting questions for the players.

Southwick will join us at 11 a.m. MT and answer questions for about 15 minutes. Leno will take over at 11:15 a.m. for about another 15 minutes.

You can access the live chat through IdahoStatesman.com in the morning or by going to my blog page, blogs.idahostatesman.com/broncobeat.

Southwick and Leno meet with the media Monday. Coach Chris Petersen has sessions Monday and Tuesday. Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson speaks Tuesday. The event ends at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

We?ll have in-depth coverage throughout the two days. I should have some comments from Southwick and Leno posted this evening and I?ll have a story in tomorrow?s paper.

???

Just a head?s up: I am working off an iPad because my laptop crashed shortly after I arrived in Las Vegas. So don?t be surprised if you see a few technical glitches over the next couple days.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IdahostatesmancomSports/~3/nHPN-LvQfjs/

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Video: Royal baby a boy

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52546114/

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Physician bonuses help drive increases in surgery with minimal patient benefit: McMaster study

Public release date: 22-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Susan Emigh
emighs@mcmaster.ca
90-552-591-402-2555
McMaster University

Hamilton, ON (July 22, 2013) Financial incentives for Ontario surgeons are likely a key factor driving greater use of laparoscopic colon cancer surgery, says a study led by a McMaster University surgeon.

The research, published online by the Annals of Surgical Oncology, found that between 2002 and 2009 there was an increase in laparoscopic versus traditional open techniques for colon and rectal cancer surgery. These increases were associated with only minimal decreases in how long patients stayed in hospital after surgery and no changes in the survival of patients.

The authors point out that in October 2005, the Ontario physician billing schedule was altered, providing surgeons with a 25% premium if laparoscopic rather than open techniques were used for colon cancer. In Ontario, surgeon and hospital services are publically funded and patients don't pay. Most of the incentives went to surgeons already enthusiastic about laparoscopic approaches.

"Our paper highlights two important issues," said principal investigator Dr. Marko Simunovic, an associate professor of surgery of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

"First, in our publicly funded health care system we need to critically review the advantages and disadvantages of new expensive technologies or treatments before they're widely introduced into the province. Second, Ontario physicians provide high quality care to the best of their abilities - one should question the logic of financial incentives."

Simunovic added: "A 25% bonus for laparoscopic surgery sends a strong signal to surgeons that they should provide this service, even though the available evidence to date does not demonstrate superiority for laparoscopic versus open techniques."

The more expensive laparoscopic surgery usually results in a smaller visible scar and a slightly shorter hospital length of stay.

###

The research was funded by Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

Editors: A copy of the paper may be found here: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1245%2Fs10434-013-3123-2

For further information:

Susan Emigh
Media Relations
Faculty of Health Sciences
McMaster University
905-525-9140, ext. 22555
emighs@mcmaster.ca

---

[ | 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: 22-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Susan Emigh
emighs@mcmaster.ca
90-552-591-402-2555
McMaster University

Hamilton, ON (July 22, 2013) Financial incentives for Ontario surgeons are likely a key factor driving greater use of laparoscopic colon cancer surgery, says a study led by a McMaster University surgeon.

The research, published online by the Annals of Surgical Oncology, found that between 2002 and 2009 there was an increase in laparoscopic versus traditional open techniques for colon and rectal cancer surgery. These increases were associated with only minimal decreases in how long patients stayed in hospital after surgery and no changes in the survival of patients.

The authors point out that in October 2005, the Ontario physician billing schedule was altered, providing surgeons with a 25% premium if laparoscopic rather than open techniques were used for colon cancer. In Ontario, surgeon and hospital services are publically funded and patients don't pay. Most of the incentives went to surgeons already enthusiastic about laparoscopic approaches.

"Our paper highlights two important issues," said principal investigator Dr. Marko Simunovic, an associate professor of surgery of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

"First, in our publicly funded health care system we need to critically review the advantages and disadvantages of new expensive technologies or treatments before they're widely introduced into the province. Second, Ontario physicians provide high quality care to the best of their abilities - one should question the logic of financial incentives."

Simunovic added: "A 25% bonus for laparoscopic surgery sends a strong signal to surgeons that they should provide this service, even though the available evidence to date does not demonstrate superiority for laparoscopic versus open techniques."

The more expensive laparoscopic surgery usually results in a smaller visible scar and a slightly shorter hospital length of stay.

###

The research was funded by Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

Editors: A copy of the paper may be found here: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1245%2Fs10434-013-3123-2

For further information:

Susan Emigh
Media Relations
Faculty of Health Sciences
McMaster University
905-525-9140, ext. 22555
emighs@mcmaster.ca

---

[ | 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/2013-07/mu-pbh072213.php

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Music alliance formed between Austin and Toronto Canada

by John Bumgardner

kvue.com

Posted on July 19, 2013 at 10:10 PM

AUSTIN, Texas ? The ?Live Music Capital of the World? has a new music alliance, now all that?s left is to work out the details with Canadian officials.

The new ?music city alliance? will partner the City of Austin and the City of Toronto Canada.

Details on the framework of the agreement will be discussed by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Economic Development Committee and the City of Austin.

In a letter earlier this year, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell extended an invitation to Canadian officials, spelling out plans in the works over the past two years, proposing a Music City Alliance partnership program.

?My office and the City of Austin are certainly interested in exploring such an alliance,? Leffingwell said in the letter.

Mayor Leffingwell has been in discussions with Toronto?s Mayor about their music industry and its economic impact since Canadian oficials visited Austin earlier this year. City leaders will now have to work on developing a strategic alliance.

?In communications between Toronto?s Mayor Ford and Austin?s Mayor Leffingwell, both agreed to work together to form a Music City Alliance that could develop opportunities for tourism and trade,? the Tuesday recommendation to Toronto?s City Council said.

Austin City Council passed a resolution in June after the visit from representatives for Toronto?s music industry and Canadian officials during South by Southwest in March.

The City of Austin passed a resolution to participate in a Music City Alliance as soon as similar legislation was passed by the City of Toronto.

In a recommendation to the Toronto City Council Tuesday, the measure spelled out a partnership with Austin; the Live Music Capital, a city three times smaller than Toronto, and compared the two cities thriving music communities.

?The City of Austin, recognized as the Live Music Capital of the World, shares many of the same characteristics of Toronto's music economy. Over the last twenty years, Austin, a city a third the size of Toronto, has created a music industry that generates three times as much economic activity as Toronto's does,? the recommendation said.

City leaders are working to develop a series of short, medium, and long-term recommendations for both cities and the Toronto Music Industry to ?position Toronto as a leading live music tourist destination and promote and foster Toronto's music cluster.?

Toronto City Council heard more about the plan and the need for the alliance during Tuesday?s meeting.

?Toronto needs to embrace this opportunity and demonstrate our shared commitment to promote and foster Toronto?s music cluster,? the recommendation spelled out. ?The concept of a Music City Alliance would provide a formalized structure and demonstrated commitment to promote and foster the music industry.?

Toronto leaders say the partnership will bring more economic activity and jobs to both cities. Leaders also point out the ?twinship? will afford new opportunities for musicians and music lovers in both cities.
?

Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Music-alliance-formed-between-Austin-and-Toronto-Canada-216248111.html

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Soccer-Barcelona looking to move on after Vilanova exit

By Iain Rogers

MADRID, July 20 (Reuters) - Barcelona were mourning the enforced exit of ailing coach Tito Vilanova on Saturday but there was also a sense the Spanish champions were prepared to move swiftly to appoint a successor and focus on preparations for next season.

President Sandro Rosell made the announcement late on Friday that Vilanova, who has been battling throat cancer the past two years, needed more treatment that meant he would be unable to remain in charge of the first team.

A replacement for the 44-year-old, who was promoted from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2011-12 season, would likely be announced early next week, Rosell added.

Many of the first team squad were at Rosell's news conference, including World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, and the club cancelled a friendly they were due to play against Polish side Lechia Gdansk on Saturday and suspended training until Monday.

"Life goes on," Rosell said. "Obviously this is a very hard blow to take but Barca has suffered many blows in our history and we have always come through. This will be no different."

Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia reported that Joan Francesc Ferrer, known as "Rubi", could be in line to take over, while daily Sport said the former Girona coach might be a temporary replacement.

Ferrer led Girona to the second division playoffs last season and was appointed Vilanova's assistant for the coming campaign to help with technical analysis of Barca's rivals.

Other names mentioned, all former Barca players, were Swansea's Danish manager Michael Laudrup, Celta Vigo's Spanish coach Luis Enrique and Dutchman Frank de Boer of Ajax Amsterdam.

Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern Munich to an unprecedented treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles last season before being replaced by Guardiola, and Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, who was in charge at Athletic Bilbao until the end of last term, were also named as possible candidates.

German Heynckes, who turned 68 in May, had a stint at Bilbao before leading Barca's arch rivals Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 1998.

His reputation was enhanced when Bayern thumped Barca 7-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals of Europe's elite club competition last season and he was complimentary about the club after the second leg.

"I know Spanish football very well, especially Barcelona," he told a news conference.

"I know the way they like to play and their philosophy. Barca are not only an extraordinary club but a fantastic team."

Barca are due to play a friendly against Bayern in Munich on Wednesday and they launch their bid for a fifth La Liga title in six years at home to Levante on the weekend of Aug. 17/18.

The first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against King's Cup winners Atletico Madrid is on Aug. 21 at Atletico's Calderon stadium and the return leg is a week later at the Nou Camp. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-barcelona-looking-move-vilanova-exit-080349234.html

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London Stand Up And Sketch Comedy: 21-27 July

Daniel Simonsen

Where to find funny this week

Sunday 21 July

Pair up these two excellent comics previewing at Hen and Chickens: camp, acerbic Joe Lycett is on at 7.30pm (?6) followed by heroically moustachioed Mike Wozniak, who we like enormously (9.30pm, ?4).

Monday 22 July

Rachel Parris takes a brief time out from improv at Austentatious for a preview of musical comedy at the Mimetic Festival?in Enfield (7.30pm, ?10-?7). There?s plenty of other stuff happening at Mimetic, too.

Tuesday 23 July

If you?re one of the 10m people who?ve viewed Rubberbandits? song Horse Outside you might be interested to see them at Soho Theatre, on until 27 July (9.30pm, ?10-?20).

Wednesday 24 July

Liam Williams (of Sheeps sketch trio) and Amy Hoggart, in her Pattie Brewster guise, are previewing their new Edinburgh shows at The Vine?between Kentish Town and Highgate. And for an extra special treat, straightfaced Norwegian Daniel Simonsen MCs (8pm, free).

Thursday 25 July

You can see Daniel Simonsen properly preview his new Edinburgh show alongside Marcus Brigstocke and Gareth Richards with this Always Be triple bill at The Tommyfield in Kennington (6.55pm, ?7 + bf).

Friday 26 July

The Balham Free Fringe starts today and runs all weekend. Among Friday?s acts we can recommend Nathaniel Metcalfe and Kate Smurthwaite: other days catch Phill Jupitus, Wil Hodgson, Jessica Fostekew, Sarah Campbell, Chris Coltrane, Stuart Laws and Gareth Morinan?? all free, obviously.

Saturday 27 July

Josh Widdicombe, of The Last Leg fame, previews his next show at Canada Water Culture Space ??we know the website says Saturday 17 July but the main page says 27th, plus the 17th wasn?t even a Saturday! (7.30pm, ?10 / ?8).

Tip us off to friendly, intelligent, alternative comedy around town tips@londonist.com, read our?guide to watching live comedy in London?and our?top 10 themed comedy nights.

Source: http://londonist.com/2013/07/london-stand-up-and-sketch-comedy-21-27-july.php

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Arizona Cardinals: 5 Irreplaceable Players During The 2013 NFL Season

1 of 6

Kyle Terada - USA TODAY Sports

In order for the Arizona Cardinals to improve during the 2013 NFL season, they will be leaning on five irreplaceable players to help them bounce back from a disastrous year.

Ever since quarterback Kurt Warner retired in 2010, the Cardinals have gone through a buffet line of signal-callers and still can't find a franchise quarterback. The Cardinals must be realizing how special Warner was, while they are experiencing the struggles of not having a player who can throw a simple pass.

The Cardinals have also looked completely lost on offense, especially last season, as they ranked 28th in passing yards with 187.7 yards per game and 32nd in rushing yards with 75.3 yards per game. Quick-lightning passes and being a step ahead of opposing defenses are no more, as the Cardinals' passers have seen more turf in their vision than the actual field itself.

The Cardinals were once a feared team in the NFC, but last season, they only managed to win one game within their NFC West conference and posted a 5-11 record, while missing the playoffs.

Defensively, the Cardinals pose one of the best secondaries in the NFL, ranking fifth overall in passing defense, but the run defense has been a mess, ranking 28th in the league.

Although the Cardinals have been through a tough stretch since their star quarterback retired, they have a golden opportunity to surprise teams this coming season.

With fresh faces on the team, including a new head coach and quarterback, the Cardinals have a good mixture of veteran and young players to make huge improvements and possibly be a stumbling block to other teams within their division.

Ironically, the NFC West has been one of the weakest conferences in the NFL for quite some time, but this year, it could be one of the toughest conferences, with the likes of a revamped Seattle Seahawks team, the 2012 NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, and even the St. Louis Rams are looking to make a push.

If the Cardinals want to get better and become a respectable team once again, these following five players are pivotal in 2013 to help shape a new, winning roster like the one Warner created.

Daniel Chi is an NFL writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielChi24, ?Like? him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+

Source: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/07/20/arizona-cardinals-5-irreplaceable-players-during-the-2013-nfl-season/

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Jeff Scott Sports replied to MLB 7/19 *****Five-for-Friday***** in Baseball .

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The Creation of the Debt Ceiling and the First Man on the Moon

On this day in economic and business history ...

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Those were the words of Neil Armstrong, upon taking humanity's first step onto an extraterrestrial celestial body, to more than 1 billion people watching on live television around the world, July 20, 1969. Armstrong later claimed he had been misquoted, the "a" obscured by static interference.

The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune published remarks by Wernher von Braun, one of the key figures behind the creation of America's space program, on the occasion of Apollo 11's successful landing on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility:

Apollo 11 will be remembered as a magnificent achievement of applied science and technology. All Americans should be justifiably proud.

In reality, however, the team that brought Apollo 11 to fruition is an international one. The mission actually began not on July 16, 1969, but several centuries ago. ...

It was men such as Konstantin Tsiolkovski, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberth who worked out the basics of astronautics, drawing in turn on the earlier works of Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. Without knowing why a rocket works, we could not hope to place an artificial satellite around the earth or on the moon. ...

It is interesting to note that the three modern pioneers in astronautics -- Tsiolkovski, Goddard, and Oberth -- all had one thing in common: imaginations inspired by Jules Verne. He helped turn serious minds to scientific problems at the turn of the 20th century.

The Los Angeles Times also took the occasion to consider the Apollo program's contributions to scientific and industrial progress. A list of advances developed as a result of Apollo technology, curated by NASA, was 185 items long at the time Apollo 11 touched down. Medical breakthroughs were plentiful, as were advances in computer technology. General Motors , which developed Apollo's guidance system through an electronics subsidiary, adapted that system for use in Boeing's 747, which was to fly commercially for the first time several months later. Today, aircraft guidance systems can practically fly planes from runway to runway.

Want to read more about the technology behind the Apollo program? Click here.

Roosevelt's wild market ride
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was barely above 50 points when Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1933. It went on an incredible run during his early tenure, cresting 100 points by mid-July. However, something spooked Wall Street in late July, and on July 20, 1933, the Dow collapsed by 7.1%, falling below triple digits again in the process. The break, at 8.1 million shares then the seventh most active trading day on record, caused 20-minute delays in the ticker feed as a number of overleveraged margin traders got their feet cut out from under them by falling prices.

One source of confusion centered on the "liquor stocks," which were then every bit as speculative and uncertain as medical-marijuana stocks are today. Prohibition was still in force, and although President Roosevelt had pledged to overturn it, that would not occur until the end of 1933, with the passage of the 21st Amendment. Tightening margins and valuation writedowns wrecked the value of these stocks, and many traders were pulled down into the vortex.

This wildness had a secondary effect of creating confusion over potential regulatory implementations, which was then still very much in the air following the passage of the Securities Act two months earlier. Some investors thought daily price movements would be limited, which is a common practice now thanks to circuit breakers, but which would have been difficult to control in an analog trading era. Others thought margin trading would be eliminated. One visionary suggestion, spelled out in the pages of The New York Times, posited that "specialists" would be replaced by machines like those allowing automated betting at racetracks. "This fantastic idea," wrote the Times, would do away with the human element in the execution of orders by mechanically matching buying with selling orders." This, of course, is currently accomplished thousands of times per second on any given stock of the thousands on the market, since trading is entirely computer-based now. None of these ideas came to fruition in 1933, but it didn't stop skittish Wall Streeters from stampeding away from the Dow's first 100-point close since 1931.

The origin of the debt ceiling
The Public Debt Act was enacted on July 20, 1939. It was the first implementation of an aggregate debt limit for the U.S. federal government, which had previously split its restrictions by individual bond issues. The Public Debt Act set the debt ceiling at $45 billion, which was at the time about half of national GDP. Within two years, stimulus spending had brought the United States near that limit, which necessitated a further increase, and a consolidation of federal borrowing power in the hands of the Treasury.

Want to learn more about the U.S. debt ceiling, from its origins in 1919 to the present day? Click here to read a complete history, or click here for an interactive history on the growth of the U.S. debt ceiling.

The U.S. government has piled on more than $10 trillion of new debt since 2000. Annual deficits topped $1 trillion after the financial crisis. Millions of Americans have asked: What the heck is going on??The Motley Fool's new free report "Everything You Need to Know About the National Debt" walks you through with step-by-step explanations about how the government spends your money, where it gets tax revenue from, the future of spending, and what a $16 trillion debt means for our future. Click here to read the full report!

Copyright ? 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/20/the-creation-of-the-debt-ceiling-and-the-first-man/

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