Branden R. Williams, Business Security Specialist ? Fun Research ...

Eye Eye, by mrmanc

I am doing some research on inference attacks in advance of one of my RSA Conference sessions and happened across this very interesting piece of research by Roya Ensafi, Mike Jacobi, and Jedidiah R. Crandall from the University of New Mexico?s Department of Computer Science entitled, ?Students Who Don?t Understand Information Flow Should be Eaten: An Experience Paper.? Not only is it absolutely true (and frankly, this applies to practitioners too), but it?s another fascinating example of how games (and game theory) can teach us about real scenarios we face every day.

One key element to understand in this paper is this is a lab environment that is closely monitored with a tight feedback loop that allowed the game makers to squish bugs and alter elements of the game that made the inference attacks possible. It also allowed for some more real-world attack scenarios by first only disallowing DoS attacks (for obvious reasons), and telling the students that if they didn?t cheat, they really weren?t trying to win.

On a somewhat related note, having security professionals up-level a little bit to discuss business flows can help them identify potential areas for attack before bad stuff happens. So while every attack is different, and the constructs of Ensafi, Jacobi, and Crandall?s Werewolves of Miller?s Hollow may not always apply, your system?s vulnerability to side-channel attacks does. Give it a read!

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Reference:

Ensafi, R., Jacobi, M., & Crandall, J. R. (2012, August). Students Who Don?t Understand Information Flow Should be Eaten: An Experience Paper. In Proceedings of the 5th USENIX conference on Cyber Security Experimentation and Test (pp. 10-10). USENIX Association.

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Tags: game theory, side-channel attacks

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at 10:42 am by Branden Williams and is filed under Enterprise Security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: https://www.brandenwilliams.com/blog/2013/01/22/fun-research-on-information-flows/

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Indicted Megaupload founder launches new site

SYDNEY (AP) ? Indicted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom launched a new file-sharing website on Sunday, promising users amped-up privacy levels in a defiant move against the U.S. prosecutors who accuse him of facilitating massive online piracy.

The colorful entrepreneur unveiled the "Mega" site ahead of a lavish gala and press conference at his New Zealand mansion on Sunday night, the anniversary of his arrest on racketeering charges related to his now-shuttered Megaupload file-sharing site. Megaupload, which Dotcom started in 2005, was one of the most popular sites on the Web until U.S. prosecutors shut it down, accusing Dotcom and several company officials of facilitating millions of illegal downloads.

In Dotcom's typical grandiose style, the launch party featured a tongue-in-cheek re-enactment of the dramatic raid on his home a year earlier, when New Zealand police swooped down in helicopters onto the mansion grounds and nabbed him in a safe room where he was hiding.

"Mega is going to be huge, and nothing will stop Mega ? whoo!" a gleeful Dotcom bellowed from a giant stage set up in his yard, seconds before a helicopter roared overhead and faux police agents rappelled down the side of his mansion. Dotcom eventually ordered everyone to "stop this madness!" before breaking out into a dance alongside miniskirt-clad "guards" as music boomed.

Bravado aside, interest in the site was certainly high. Dotcom said half a million users registered for Mega in its first 14 hours.

U.S. authorities are trying to extradite the German-born Internet tycoon from New Zealand, where he is free on bail. Prosecutors say Dotcom made tens of millions of dollars while filmmakers and songwriters lost around $500 million in copyright revenue.

Dotcom argues that he can't be held responsible for copyright infringement committed by others, and insists Megaupload complied with copyrights by removing links to pirated material when asked.

"Our company and assets were taken away from us without a hearing," Dotcom said. "The privacy of our users was intruded on, communications were taken offline and free speech was attacked. Let me be clear to those who use copyright law as a weapon to drown innovation and stifle competition: You will be left on the side of the road of history."

Mega, like Megaupload, allows users to store and share large files. It offers 50 gigabytes of free storage, much more than similar sites such as Dropbox and Google Drive, and features a drag-and-drop upload tool.

The key difference is an encryption and decryption feature for data transfers that Dotcom says will protect him from the legal drama that has entangled Megaupload and threatened to put him behind bars.

The decryption keys for uploaded files are held by the users, not Mega, which means the company can't see what's in the files being shared. Dotcom argues that Mega ? which bills itself as "the privacy company" ? therefore can't be held liable for content it cannot see.

"What he's trying to do is give himself a second-string argument: 'Even if I was wrong before, this one's all right because how can I control something if I don't know that it's there?'" said Sydney attorney Charles Alexander, who specializes in intellectual property law. "I can understand the argument; whether it would be successful or not is another matter."

To Dotcom, the concept is very simple.

"If someone sends something illegal in an envelope through your postal service," he says, "you don't shut down the post office."

U.S. prosecutors declined to comment on the new site, referring only to a court document that cites several promises Dotcom made while seeking bail that he would not ? and could not ? start a Megaupload-style business until the criminal case was resolved.

"I can assure the Court that I have no intention and there is no risk of my reactivating the Megaupload.com website or establishing a similar Internet-based business during the period until the resolution of the extradition proceedings," Dotcom said in a Feb. 15, 2012, affidavit.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which filed complaints about alleged copyright infringement by Megaupload, was not impressed.

"We are still reviewing how this new project will operate, but we do know that Kim Dotcom has built his career and his fortune on stealing creative works," the MPAA said in a statement. "We'll reserve final judgment until we have a chance to take a closer look, but given Kim Dotcom's history of damaging the consumer experience by pushing stolen, illegitimate content into the marketplace, count us as skeptical."

Still, as much as Dotcom's new venture might enrage prosecutors and entertainment executives, it shouldn't have any impact on the Megaupload case.

"All it might do is annoy them enough to say, 'We're going to redouble our efforts in prosecuting them'," said Alexander, the attorney. "But I don't think it makes any practical difference to the outcome."

Dotcom denied the new site was designed to provoke authorities, but got in plenty of digs at their expense, saying that their campaign to shutter Megaupload simply forced him to create a new and improved site.

"Sometimes good things come out of terrible events," Dotcom said. "For example, if it wasn't for a giant comet hitting earth, we would still be surrounded by angry dinosaurs ? hungry, too. If it wasn't for that iceberg, we wouldn't have a great Titanic movie which makes me cry every time I see it. And if it wasn't for the raid, we wouldn't have Mega."

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Associated Press writer Matthew Barakat contributed to this report from McLean, Virginia.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indicted-megaupload-founder-launches-003938649.html

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Currency Exchange | Liberty

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Source: http://dwiminneapolis.com/finance/currency-exchange-3/

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On 2nd term eve, Obama cites commitment to service

President Barack Obama stains a bookshelf at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, as the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service, part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama stains a bookshelf at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, as the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service, part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

National Day of Service Honorary Chair, Chelsea Clinton, participates service project with Addison Rose, 8, of Washington, on the National Mall as part of the Inaugural event Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 in Washington,. The two made cards for the Sunshine Mail Foundation that sends the cards along with care packages to the ill and disadvantaged people. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

First lady Michelle Obama stains a bookshelf at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, as the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service as part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

ADDS NAME - Vice President Joe Biden, center, fills care kits with necessities for deployed U.S. service members, wounded warriors, veterans and first responders, joining the National Day of Service as part of the 57th presidential inauguration in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Volunteer Nathan Fouse walks with a care kit at right. Army Capt. Cesar J. Visurraga, US Army Nurse Corps, is at left (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Jay Desai, of Washington, front and Ariel Timar, of Cherry Hill, N.J., center, paint a mural as they participate in the National Day of Service on the Mall as part of the 57th Presidential Inaugural festivities, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Washington, . The two were working on the Greater DC care project that will place the murals in schools and fire stations to help promote volunteerism. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On the brink of a second term, President Barack Obama invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s commitment to service Saturday as inauguration-goers flocked to the capital city for a distinctly American celebration including an oath-taking as old as the republic, a splashy parade and partying enough to last four years.

"I think we're on the cusp of some really great things," Vice President Joe Biden predicted for a country still recovering from a deep recession.

Freshly built inaugural stands at the Capitol gleamed white in the sun, and hundreds of chairs for special guests were set out on the lawn that spills down toward the National Mall as the president and vice president began their inauguration weekend.

Julius Cherry, in town from Sacramento, Calif., brought his family to the foot of the Capitol to see the area where their official tickets will let them watch the public ceremonies on Monday.

"There were people who said they'd never vote for an African-American president," the 58-year-old lawyer said. "Now they've voted for him twice, and he won the popular vote and the electoral vote. That says something about his policies and his team."

"And the country," added Cherry's wife, Donna.

Said Erika Goergen, from the Midwest and attending college locally: "It's amazing to be here right now."

Officials estimated that as many as 800,000 people will attend Monday's public ceremonies. That's more than live in the city, if far fewer than the 1.8 million who were at Obama's first inauguration in 2009.

The president made only a glancing reference to race as he spoke at an elementary school not far from the White House after he and first lady Michelle Obama stained a bookcase as part of a national service event organized by the inaugural committee.

"We think about not so much the inauguration, but we think about this is Dr. King's birthday we're going to be celebrating this weekend," the president said.

"He said everybody wants to be first, everybody wants to be a drum major. But if you're going to be a drum major, be a drum major for service, be a drum major for justice, be a drum major for looking out for other people," Obama said of the civil rights leader whose birthday is celebrated as a national holiday on Monday.

Because the date for inauguration set in the Constitution, Jan. 20, falls on a Sunday this year, Obama and Biden were to be sworn in for second terms in separate, private ceremonies on Sunday.

The public ceremonies are set for Monday, when Obama will take the oath of office at noon, then deliver an inaugural address before a large crowd and a national television audience in the millions.

The traditional lunch with lawmakers in the Capitol follows, and the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House. There, a reviewing stand was adorned with the presidential seal and equipped with seats enough for Obama and other dignitaries to watch in relative comfort as military units, marching bands, floats and thousands of participants go past. A pair of inauguration balls will cap the day, including one with a guest list that runs to 40,000 names.

A select few ? those who donated as much as $1 million to defray inauguration expenses ? received special access to public as well as invitation-only receptions and parties.

The second term begins in circumstances different in many ways from the first, but familiar in others.

The economy, then in the grip of a fierce and deepening recession, is now recovering slowly as unemployment recedes and stocks flirt with five-year highs. The health care legislation that Obama urged Congress to enact in his first inaugural address is the law of the land, courtesy of a split ruling by the Supreme Court.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is dead at the hands of U.S. special operations forces. But the organization he inspired is far from moribund, as demonstrated by the just-ended kidnapping episode Saturday at an Algerian natural gas complex that, according to the Algerian government, left at least 23 hostages dead. The U.S. on Friday acknowledged one American death.

When Obama took office in 2009, his Democratic allies held control of Congress.

Now, divided government rules, and Republicans who control the House lead the way in insisting the administration agree to spending cuts that will reduce soaring federal deficits. Obama has said he is ready to compromise on that.

At the outset of a second term, he also wants Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and take steps to reduce gun violence in the wake of the shooting last month in Newtown., Conn., that left 20 elementary school children dead.

Yet for once, politics seemed to edge ever so slightly into the background in the most political of cities.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton headlined a National Day of Service gathering under a tent on the National Mall, where she said she had been inspired by her grandmother, as well as her famous parents. She urged her audience to become part of a "chain of service" by helping the less fortunate.

Biden and his wife, Jill, spent time at an armory pitching in as volunteers packed 100,000 care kits for deployed members of the military, wounded warriors, veterans and first responders.

Biden credited former President George H. W. Bush, a Republican, for starting the "Points of Light" program, which was a sponsor of the event. He said service was an antidote to "the coarsening of our culture. We've got to get back to reaching out to people."

In the evening, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden were hosting the Kids' Inaugural Concert, an event paying special tribute to military spouses and children.

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Laurie Kellman and Frederic J. Frommer contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-19-Obama-Inauguration/id-4d637c99987a410b853df6076416a552

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As Obama Announces Gun Proposals, Twitter Explodes With Calls For Impeachment

The gun control issue has been controversial to say the least ? eliciting passionate responses from advocates on both sides. So really, we weren?t that surprised when, as President Obama announced his proposals and executive actions, Twitter went crazy. Some, of course, were glad to see the president take action. Others called for action, as well: impeachment.

RELATED: GOP Rep. Threatening Impeachment: Obama Using Children Like Saddam Hussein Did To Push His Laws

Citizens calling for impeachment aren?t alone though, with GOP Rep. Steve Stockman making the case for showing Obama the exit out of the White House ? and comparing one aspect of Obama?s announcement to Saddam Hussein. And Stockman isn?t alone.

A quick search of Twitter will lead you to countless voices decrying government tyranny, but here?s a sampling:

Source: http://www.mediaite.com/online/as-obama-announces-gun-proposals-twitter-explodes-with-calls-for-impeachment/

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11 Firms In Running For Mass. Gambling Facilities ? CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS/AP) ? The Massachusetts Gaming Commission says a total of 11 companies seeking to develop a resort casino or slots parlor in Massachusetts have submitted preliminary applications along with $400,000 nonrefundable entry fees.

Among those beating a 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday was a group seeking to build a casino in the town of Milford.

A surprise last-minute entry was a company affiliated with the principals of Baltimore-based Cornish Companies. PPE Casino Resorts said in a statement that it had not yet chosen a location or decided whether it planned to bid for a resort casino or slots parlor.

Massachusetts Gaming & Entertainment, an affiliate of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, also applied on Tuesday but said it had not yet chosen a location.

A group hoping for a slots parlor at Raynham Park also beat the deadline.

The MGC received applications from the following entities:

• MGM Springfield
• Penn National Gaming, Inc.
• Plainridge Racecourse
• Hard Rock MA
• Wynn, LLC
• Mohegan Sun
• Sterling Suffolk Racecourse
• Raynham Park
• Mass Gaming & Entertainment, LLC
• PPE Casino Resorts
• Crossroads Massachusetts, LLC

(TM and ? Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Source: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/01/15/deadline-arrives-for-firms-seeking-mass-casinos/

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Ulterra PDC bit sets Eagle Ford record in drilling high-angle build

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --?An Ulterra 8 3/4-in. U513S PDC bit drilled a high-angle build section in an Eagle Ford well in 6.5 hr., beating the best offset rate of penetration (ROP) by 16.4%, according to the company.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110906/DA62410LOGO )

The shale-specific PDC bit drilled the 15 degree /100'- curve section with a 30 degree?change in azimuth in a Dimmit County oil well, 129 mi.?southeast of San Antonio.? Typically, directional programs such as these are challenging and require high bend mud motors which can decrease efficiency, ROP, and overall well bore quality.? "The unique design features of Ulterra U513S, which focus on sliding and tool face optimization, are a perfect match for aggressive directional plans. The ability of the U513S bit to effectively build the curve at an aggressive rate of 15 degree /100 increases the wells production zone and allows operators to reach the? pay zone faster? than possible with typical motor-driven drilling assemblies," says Ulterra Sales Engineer, Ross Pearce. "This gives operators a deeper kickoff with higher vertical ROPs, thus reducing the time to drill the well."

The U513S comprises a shale-specific steel body design that incorporates advanced body geometrics and CFD hydraulics into an aggressive bit with excellent tool face control. Its application-specific LightSpeed developed cutters maintain a sharp diamond edge throughout a run, allowing the bit to drill longer and faster.

Ulterra is a leading provider of premium PDC drill bits and downhole tools for the oil and gas industry. Its strength resides in the experience and wisdom obtained from industry veterans, designing high-quality, high-performance PDC bits for global markets. Its localized focus enables Ulterra to respond quickly to customer's specific applications with customized solutions.

Contact:Justin McMillanVP Bus. Development817-551-9711jmcmillan@ulterra.com

Operationswww.ulterra.com

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SOURCE Ulterra

Source: http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Ulterra+PDC+bit+sets+Eagle+Ford+record+in+drilling+high-angle+build/8004194.html

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Union boss urges civil disobedience

A union leader has called for a campaign of "civil disobedience" in protest at the Government's austerity measures.
Unite's Len McCluskey pledged to "fight all the way to the next election" as he said no form of protest, including the prospect of a general strike, should be ruled out.
He said the Government's policies, designed to balance the nation's books, were leaving working people feeling "battered".
Mr McLuskey told Sky News' Murnaghan programme: "The reality is that this Government's policies are taking us on a path to poverty and we want to make certain that we give people confidence throughout our nations to be able to stand up and resist.... read more

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Source: http://www.newsrt.co.uk/news/union-boss-urges-civil-disobedience-1129721.html

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Victims of Costa shipwreck mark anniversary

Italian Coast Guard Capt. Gregorio De Falco salutes as he arrives on the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. De Falco was heard ordering the captain, who had abandoned the ship with his first officers, back on board to oversee the evacuation. But Capt. Francesco Schettino resisted the order, saying it was too dark and the ship was tipping dangerously. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italian Coast Guard Capt. Gregorio De Falco salutes as he arrives on the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. De Falco was heard ordering the captain, who had abandoned the ship with his first officers, back on board to oversee the evacuation. But Capt. Francesco Schettino resisted the order, saying it was too dark and the ship was tipping dangerously. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Relatives of the 32 victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, aboard a ferry approach the ship off the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. The first event of Sunday's daylong commemoration was the return to the sea of part of the massive rock that tore into the hull of the 112,000-ton ocean liner on Jan. 13, 2012 and remained embedded as the vessel capsized along with its 4,200 passengers and crew. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers observe a minute silence as they stand on the Costa Concordia cruise ship leaning on its side off the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. The first event of Sunday's daylong commemoration was the return to the sea of part of the massive rock that tore into the hull of the 112,000-ton ocean liner on Jan. 13, 2012 and remained embedded as the vessel capsized along with its 4,200 passengers and crew. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers place part of the "Le Scole" rock which was hit by the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. The first event of Sunday's daylong commemoration was the return to the sea of part of the massive rock that tore into the hull of the 112,000-ton ocean liner on Jan. 13, 2012 and remained embedded as the vessel capsized along with its 4,200 passengers and crew. (AP Photo/Antonello Nusca)

Relatives of the 32 victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, aboard a ferry approach the ship off the Tuscan Island Isola del Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday. The first event of Sunday's daylong commemoration was the return to the sea of part of the massive rock that tore into the hull of the 112,000-ton ocean liner on Jan. 13, 2012 and remained embedded as the vessel capsized along with its 4,200 passengers and crew. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) ? Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday with the unveiling of memorials to the victims, a Mass in their honor and a minute of silence to recall the exact moment that the cruise ship rammed into a reef off Tuscany.

The first event of Sunday's daylong commemoration was the return to the sea of part of the massive rock that tore a 70-meter (230-foot) gash into the hull of the ocean liner on Jan. 13, 2012. The boulder remained embedded in the mangled steel as the 112,000-ton vessel capsized along with its 4,200 passengers and crew.

As fog horns wailed, a crane on a tug lowered the boulder onto the reef off Giglio, returning it to the seabed affixed with a memorial plaque. Relatives of the dead threw flowers into the sea and embraced as they watched the ceremony from a special ferry that bobbed in the waves under a slate gray sky.

A land-based memorial was being unveiled after a Mass and ceremony honoring rescue crews. A minute of silence was scheduled for 9:45 p.m., the exact moment when the Concordia slammed into the reef after the captain took the ship off course in a stunt to bring it closer to Giglio.

The captain, Francesco Schettino, is accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and leaving the ship before all passengers were evacuated. He hasn't been charged but is living under court-ordered restrictions pending a decision on whether to indict him. Schettino maintains he saved lives by bringing the ship closer to shore rather than letting it sink in the open sea, and claims the reef he hit wasn't on his nautical charts.

In an interview broadcast Sunday with RAI state television, Schettino again defended his actions and said he wanted to "share in the pain of all the victims and the families of the victims."

Taking part in the anniversary commemoration was Capt. Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard, who became something of a hero to survivors after his recorded conversations with Schettino during the evacuation were made public. In them, De Falco excoriated Schettino for having abandoned the ship before all passengers were off and ordered him to return, shouting the now-infamous order "Go on board (expletive)!"

De Falco said he wanted to go to Giglio to "embrace the victims, and the relatives of the victims." De Falco, who has shied from all media attention since the disaster, said he did so out of respect for the victims.

"I'm not a hero," he told reporters in Giglio on Sunday. "I just did my job."

Also on hand was Kevin Rebello, brother of Costa waiter Russel Rebello, one of the two victims whose bodies were never recovered. Kevin Rebello spent weeks on Giglio in the aftermath of the disaster awaiting word of the fate of his brother and said he couldn't sleep ahead of Sunday's anniversary.

"I have been constantly thinking it is going to be again the same agony, even tonight, because it is going to be the same exact moment when all this happened," he told Associated Press on Sunday. "So my heart is beating a bit faster I guess."

The Concordia remains on its side, grounded off Giglio's port. Officials now say it will take until possibly September to prepare the ship to be rolled upright and towed from the rocks to a port to be dismantled. The cost has also swelled to ?400 million ($530 million).

While Sunday's commemoration was focused on the relatives of those who died, Giglio's residents were also being remembered for having opened their doors to the survivors who came ashore that night, cold, wet and traumatized after a chaotic evacuation.

"It was something that was too big for us," said Giglio resident Silvana Anichini. "We are just not used to things like this, and then it turned out to be one of the biggest shipwrecks in the world."

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano sent a message of thanks to the island, praising its people for their "high sense of civic duty and humanity."

Many survivors have stayed in touch with their Giglio hosts, connected in ways they didn't ever expect. Claudia Urru, who stayed home in Sardinia on the anniversary, says she speaks monthly with the Giglio family that took her family and the two other families she was traveling with into their home that night, giving them warm clothes and food.

For Christmas, her Giglio family sent a package of local sweets, and they have discussed having a reunion in Sardinia.

"This is the only thing good that has come of it," Urru said by phone last week.

___

Winfield reported from Rome.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-13-EU-Italy-Ship-Aground/id-3038c39e6b4e4ba49659fc18a9538dd8

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AP Interview: George P. Bush weighing run in Texas

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, file photo George P. Bush, right, stands with his uncle former President George W. Bush, left, during the Bush Center Warrior Open in Irving, Texas. George P. Bush, the 36-year-old attorney from Fort Worth and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has taken steps toward seeking elected office in Texas, and his father has said his son is considering a run for the state?s land commissioner. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, file photo George P. Bush, right, stands with his uncle former President George W. Bush, left, during the Bush Center Warrior Open in Irving, Texas. George P. Bush, the 36-year-old attorney from Fort Worth and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has taken steps toward seeking elected office in Texas, and his father has said his son is considering a run for the state?s land commissioner. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? George Prescott Bush is gearing up to run for a little-known but powerful office in a state where his family already is a political dynasty and where his Hispanic roots could help extend a stranglehold on power Republicans have enjoyed for two decades.

The 36-year-old Fort Worth attorney says he is close to settling on campaigning for Texas land commissioner next year. He doesn't expect to make up his mind until he knows what Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican, decides to do.

"We for sure are running, the question is the office," Bush told The Associated Press during the first interview about his political future since filing paperwork in November to seek elected office in Texas.

Bush's father is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, his grandfather is former President George H.W. Bush and his uncle is former President and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Perry has been governor since George W. left for the White House.

Land commissioner traditionally has been a steppingstone to higher office, but Bush said little about any plans to eventually become a national political force.

Instead, he spoke of how his past experience as an asset manager would help him manage the Permanent Schools Fund, which pays for public education and is managed by the land commissioner. He also said his perspective as an Afghanistan war veteran will help him use the post to become a leader in veterans' affairs.

Bush said he would announce his final decision after the Texas Legislature adjourns in May but added that his choice will depend "where the governor's thinking is." Perry, who flamed out as a presidential candidate but remains popular in Texas, says he'll reveal this summer if he will seek another term.

Some have speculated that Bush could challenge Perry for governor ? and even if he doesn't, what Perry decides will trigger political dominos falling.

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson plans to run for lieutenant governor next year, creating a vacancy in his office. But Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, may himself run for governor in 2014, meaning his post could be open too.

Bush suggested he'd be willing to wait his turn politically rather than immediately seeking top positions coveted by others in the state GOP.

"We've said that we want to be team players in the party, providing a younger, fresher vision for our values," he said in the interview Friday.

Bush speaks Spanish, and his mother Columba is from Mexico. Conservatives view George P. Bush on the ballot as a way to solidify support among Hispanics.

A Democrat has not won statewide office in Texas since 1994, but Hispanics tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic and accounted for two-thirds of Texas' population growth over the last decade. Bush noted: "We'll be majority Hispanic in six years."

"I don't necessarily agree with the idea that having a candidate of Hispanic origin, or someone who can speak Spanish, can automatically obtain these votes," Bush said of Hispanics. "Having said that, it's important tactically to have candidates that understand issues of the community."

Bush's mother has said that one of the reasons she and Jeb Bush left Texas for Florida in the 1970s was because she felt like she had experienced racism here. But George P. Bush said, "the way I view it, rather than an issue of discomfort, is economic opportunity."

"This has been, at least for our generation, the best place to be economically," he said of Texas and its record of strong job creation.

He said he didn't think there was more intolerance toward Hispanics in Texas.

"Obviously, I think that issue exists wherever you go," he said. "I don't think it's just unique here."

Bush said of trying to stand out among his famous political family, "It's always been the thing of my grandmother to say, 'Go out and make a name for yourself' and that's something that I've followed."

"But who better to ask for advice on politics than two former presidents and a former governor?" he said. "They're not involved in the day-to-day operations. They're not involved in formulating my ideology. It's more of an informal advice."

Bush said his grandfather inspired him to join the military, and he was deployed to Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He said that before enlisting, he knew politics was in his blood but felt he was too inexperienced to run for office.

It wasn't until the last few months, however, that "I felt it was time for my generation to step forward in state politics," Bush said.

Bush now spends his time crisscrossing Texas and the country, raising money and meeting with supporters. He was in Austin on Monday and posed for pictures outside the state Capitol before disappearing into meetings with legislators.

Someone he didn't see, however, was Perry. The governor said Bush's seeking elected office is a good thing for Texas and the Republican Party, and that he would like to speak to him about it adding: "He knows my phone number."

But then, Bush has his uncle to turn to for Texas gubernatorial perspective.

"It's much like starting a business," Bush said, "and having people who have been there and done it and run statewide, it's definitely been helpful."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-12-The%20Next%20Bush/id-09ec2053776448f0ad6065f5a4cf7be1

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16 police officers hurt in Northern Ireland clashes

Cathal McNaughton / Reuters

Police officers in riot gear stand near a burning, hijacked car during rioting in East Belfast on Saturday. Protests continue in Northern Ireland as loyalists renewed their anger against restrictions on flying the union flag from Belfast City Hall.

By Stephen Mangan, Reuters

BELFAST -- At least 16 police officers were injured when pro-British and Irish nationalist youths clashed in the Northern Irish capital on Saturday following another protest against the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall.

Rioting started as the mainly Protestant protesters passed a Catholic area on their way home from a rally in central Belfast against the flag's removal. Police scrambled to separate crowds of youths who pelted each other with bricks and bottles.

The unrest over the past five weeks has been some of the most sustained in the British-ruled province since a 1998 peace deal ended 30 years of conflict between Catholic Irish nationalists seeking union with Ireland and Protestant loyalists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom.

---

Exposing a deep vein of discontent with the peace deal, loyalists have held nightly protests since councilors voted last month to end a century-old tradition of flying the British union flag every day over the city hall.

Loyalist politicians have joined their nationalist rivals in condemning the violence, but they have been unable to prevent groups of young men draped in British flags from clashing with police.

The protesters have complained that the removal of the flag was a step too far in the ebbing of loyalist dominance in the province, saying too many concessions had been given to Irish nationalists in a power-sharing government.

"The protests will continue until our concerns are met," said Fergus Ferguson, from south Belfast, who described the decision to take down the flag as "illegal."

At least 1,000 loyalists, some with Union Jack tops, balaclavas and "No Surrender" banners, gathered at City Hall on Saturday.

After police blocked their way towards East Belfast the loyalist protesters took a detour towards the nationalist Short Strand area, a traditional flash point for sectarian violence, where they clashed with local youths.

After the nationalists dispersed, police turned water cannons on loyalist protesters who pushed riot police back with metal fencing and ripped up paving stones to hurl at police lines.

Reinforcements including dozens of jeeps, a helicopter and at least three water cannon trucks were sent in to try to control the crowds. Police said they fired at least four plastic bullet rounds.

"The police have a lot to answer for. We had women and children in this parade. It's a miracle nobody was killed," said Matthew Ferguson, who attended the protest with his 12-year-old son.

Train services in Belfast were disrupted on Saturday when a small explosive device was found near a rail line in the city, a police spokesman said.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/12/16482771-16-police-officers-wounded-in-northern-ireland-clashes?lite

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An influential aboriginal leader in Canada has warned the Ottawa government that...

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Boeing Dreamliner hit by two more mishaps in Japan

TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jet suffered a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan on Friday - the latest in a series of incidents to test confidence in the sophisticated new aircraft.

All Nippon Airways Co said a domestic flight from Tokyo landed safely at Matsuyama airport in western Japan after a crack developed on the cockpit windscreen, and the plane's return to Tokyo was cancelled.

The same airline later said oil was found leaking from an engine of a 787 Dreamliner after the plane landed at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan. An airline spokeswoman said that return flight to Tokyo's Haneda airport was also cancelled while the leak was investigated. No one was injured in either incident.

The Dreamliner, the world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207 million, has been beset by problems this week.

U.S. transportation officials will hold a press conference in Washington at 0930 EDT (1430 GMT) to discuss issues related to recent electrical problems on the new plane, one person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Bloomberg News said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration would announce a review into the jet's power system at that news conference.

U.S. regulators have raised questions about the plane's reliability on long transocean routes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late-2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule. By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49.

Earlier this week, a battery fire caused damage to an empty 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines while it was on the ground at Boston airport. The next day, another JAL 787 spilled 40 gallons of fuel onto the taxiway at the same airport after a problem that caused a valve to open, forcing the plane to delay its departure. [ID:nL1E9CA4BU] On Wednesday, ANA cancelled a domestic Dreamliner flight due to a brake-control computer glitch.

Boeing's top Dreamliner engineer, Mike Sinnett, was rolled out midweek to defend the 787, saying the plane's problem rates were no higher than with Boeing's successful 777 jet.

SPIDER WEB CRACK

ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into Friday's flight, which was close to its destination.

"Cracks appear a few times every year in other planes. We don't see this as a sign of a fundamental problem" with Boeing aircraft, a spokesman for the airline said.

On the later flight, the ANA spokeswoman said she could not specify how much oil leaked from the engine.

The latest incidents came just hours before ANA was due to launch its maiden service between Tokyo and San Jose, California with the Dreamliner. That flight was due to leave Tokyo at 0830 GMT, returning to Japan after an around 90-minute turnaround in the United States.

ANA and JAL together fly 24 of the 49 Dreamliners delivered to end-December.

In India - where state-owned Air India has taken delivery of six Dreamliner jets and has more on order - a senior official at the aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of Dreamliner glitches. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not ordered any Dreamliner checks for now, but is waiting for a safety report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the official said.

Air India spokesman K. Swaminathan told Reuters that the airline's debut Dreamliner flight from India to Paris on Thursday went without a hitch.

FUEL SAVINGS

One of Boeing's chief innovations with the 787 is its use of electrical power to run on-board functions such as hydraulics and air conditioning, instead of relying on heavier pneumatic systems used on other planes. The weight savings make the 787 more fuel efficient, a big advantage for airlines battling high jet fuel costs.

To power the electrical system, the 787 uses generators attached to the plane's engines, which produce about 1.5 megawatts of power, enough to power about 300 hot water heaters. The system uses high-voltage distribution panels and powerful batteries, such as the one that caught fire in Boston on Monday.

Makoto Yoda, president of Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp, which makes the Dreamliner batteries, said his company was looking into Monday's fire, and was sending a team of engineers to cooperate with the U.S. investigation.

(Reporting by Kentaro Sugiyama, James Topham, Mari Saito, Mayumi Negishi and Maki Shiraki in TOKYO, Anurag Kotoky in NEW DELHI, Deborah Charles in WASHINGTON, Ernest Scheyder in NEW YORK and Aman Shah in bangalore; Writing by Ian Geoghegan; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-officials-launch-review-boeings-dreamliner-source-015550446--finance.html

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Self Help Tips That Are Guaranteed To Help You! - ProjectPB ? The ...

If you would love to become a better, more complete person but haven?t a clue where to start, you are in luck. Keep your chin up and know that with your increased knowledge, your self improvement success is assured, especially if you apply any tips from this article that scream at you as being useful.

Instead of endlessly gloating about your own achievements, why not ask another person to share a story of personal victory? This will enable you to learn about others and to develop a great deal of respect for the people around you.

An excellent tip for personal development is to treat your body well. Listen to the signals your body sends you: tiredness, hunger, pain or discomfort. Respond right away to them, for the sake of your health. If you listen to your body, you will be in better shape. However, if you don?t pay attention to your body?s needs, then it will not give you its best in the years ahead.

TIP! Let your personal principles guide your personal development. Everyone has values and beliefs in which they hold dear.

People who have particularly intractable problems should try therapy. An in-the-flesh therapist can provide much more insight than a clinical self-help book can. Even the simple act of having someone impartial that you can talk to can improve your chances for success. A mental health professional will be able to open a dialogue that no book ever could.

Make a real effort to stop worrying. Creating worries is what happens when you expect the worst to happen, before anything has happened. Put your worries aside by imagining the very worst thing that could happen and developing a plan on how to deal with that situation, should it occur. That way, you will feel prepared, and you will also be able to go on with your life.

In order to succeed in personal development, you must change your attitude. Having a bad attitude can lead you to in a bad direction. Instead, stay positive and tell yourself that having a good attitude will help you achieve your goals.

TIP! The first step in any personal development program is the realization that you have room for improvement. We are each just a tiny little bit of the universe.

Start contributing to an emergency fund. Without such a fund, you may have to rely on credit cards or high-interest loans to deal with sudden expenses or emergencies. Even if you can only save $10 per week, do so. It will come in really handy when something goes wrong. Having an emergency fund in place can help provide a safety net throughout all the phases of one?s financial life.

Being selfless is a big step in personal development. Being able to sacrifice for others, and feeling joy in their happiness, develops your character. You will soon become the person you envision for yourself, when you have mastered the ability to personally sacrifice without harming your own well-being.

TIP! Stress is an enemy of happiness. When our mind is stressed, our body suffers.

Take a trip to the library for inspiration. Religious books are very uplifting to some, while others may prefer inspirational quotes, autobiographies or poetry. Keeping something on hand that you can revisit when necessary is a great way to improve your mindset, and navigate such situations more effectively.

You must take care of yourself if you expect to do a good job caring for others. No matter what point you are in on your journey, you should always take time to breathe.

In terms of personal development, the experience of failure may feel disheartening and decrease self esteem. Approach your failures as opportunities to learn. Failing usually teaches a lesson, but you have to pay attention. It can also tell you more about your weaknesses and strengths. In that sense, every failure should be a point of pride for you, as you have uncovered another piece of your personal puzzle.

TIP! Overreacting in any situation will cause your anxiety levels to raise. It?s best to train yourself to cope with your daily stress, and it begins with analyzing every situation where you tend to feel strained.

Examine your inner self instead of your external appearance. It does not matter if you wear the most expensive designer clothes or look like a super model. Your personality and skills are what will get you through life. It is therefore best to work on improving your internal self rather than wasting time and money on superficial improvements.

Stay organized and keep up with how you are doing. By breaking down your goals to its smallest components, you?ll find that smaller tasks can be done faster and easier. Use a daily planner or a dedicated journal to keep track of changes in your personal development.

The realization that you deserve only the best is one of the more important things that you will need when on the path to personal development. You have no one to disappoint but yourself. When your journey is complete, you will realize how important it was to give things your all.

TIP! Employers put a greater emphasis on your ability to work, than the name of the school that you attended. Some large businesses, such as financial institutions, may be an exception.

You are now ready to use what you have learned to pursue your self improvement projects with confidence. Keep in mind that you should never settle with being satisfied, always look for new ways to add to your personal growth and apply it to everything you have learned so far. By doing this, you will develop yourself in a much more positive way.

Your work will be a lot easier if you apply these useful tips on Goal Setting. Reading some info about the subject was a great thing to do. There is so much to learn, so keep reading and absorbing information. Use this information as frequently as possible.

Source: http://www.projectpb.net/blog/index.php/personal_development/self-help-tips-that-are-guaranteed-to-help-you-2/

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Engineering alternative fuel with cyanobacteria

Jan. 9, 2013 ? Sandia National Laboratories Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to liquid fuels, but she has also found that the process cuts the bacteria's production potential.

Micro-algal fuels might be one way to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy. Such fuels would be renewable since they are powered by sunlight. They also could reduce carbon dioxide emissions since they use photosynthesis, and they could create jobs in a new industry. President Barack Obama, speaking in February at the University of Miami, advocated for investments in algae fuel development, saying they could replace up to 17 percent of the oil the United States now imports for transportation.

"Even if algae are not the end-term solution, I think they can contribute to getting us there," Ruffing said. "Regardless of however you look at fossil fuels, they're eventually going to run out. We have to start looking to the future now and doing research that we'll need when the time comes."

She has been studying the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic organisms under a three-year Truman Fellowship that ends in January. She presented her project at a poster session in August and published her work on one strain, "Physiological Effects of Free Fatty Acid Production in Genetically Engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942," as the cover article in the September 2012 issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

Ruffing considers her studies as proof-of-concept work that demonstrates engineering cyanobacteria for free fatty acid (FFA) production and excretion. She wants to identify the best hydrocarbon targets for fuel production and the best model strain for genetic engineering, as well as gene targets to improve FFA production.

She is using cyanobacteria -- blue-green algae -- because they are easier to genetically manipulate than eukaryotic algae, the natural "oil"-producing photosynthetic microorganisms more commonly used for algal biofuels, and because cyanobacteria can be engineered to create a variety of target fuels. Genetically engineered cyanobacteria excrete FFA and allow fuel to be collected without harvesting the cyanobacteria. This lowers the requirement for nitrogen and phosphate and reduces costs.

But current yields from engineered strains are too low for large-scale production.

Ruffing favors cyanobacteria because fuel from engineered cyanobacteria is excreted outside the cell, in contrast to eukaryotic algae, in which fuel production occurs inside the cell.

In general, this is how the process works: Eukaryotic algae grow in a pond to the density needed, then producers must get rid of the water, collect the cells and break them open to get the fuel precursor inside. This precursor is isolated and purified, then chemically converted into biodiesel. Cyanobacteria excrete the fuel precursor outside the cell, so a separation process can remove the product without killing the cells. That eliminates the need to grow a new batch of algae each time, saving on nitrogen and phosphate.

While other research efforts have focused on metabolic engineering strategies to boost production, Ruffing wants to identify what physiological effects limit cell growth and FFA synthesis.

"You can't really hope to continue to engineer it to produce more of the fatty acids until you address these unforeseen effects," she said. "As much as you want to do the applied side of things, creating the strain, you can't get away from the fundamental biology that's necessary in order to do that."

Much of our fundamental understanding of photosynthesis comes from cyanobacteria, but it's only been in the past decade or so, with advances in gene manipulation and recombinant DNA technology, that they've been considered for fuel production, Ruffing said.

The strains she engineered for FFA production show reduced photosynthetic yields, degradation of chlorophyll-a and changes in light-harvesting pigments, Ruffing said. She saw some cell death and lower growth rates overall, and suspects the toxicity of unsaturated FFA and changes in membrane composition are responsible.

Now she's looking at what genes are changing when cyanobacteria produce fatty acids. She's creating mutants by knocking out certain genes or introducing or overexpressing genes to see how that affects the cell and fatty acid production.

"So I'm engineering the cell, then I'm trying to learn from the cell how to work with the cell to produce the fuel instead of trying to force it to produce something it doesn't want to produce," she said.

She's producing FFA from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, chosen as so-called model organisms that have been studied for several decades and for which tools exist to manipulate their genes. She also is working with the two strains and a third, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, for biofuel toxicity screening.

Ruffing hopes to continue working on strain development after the fellowship ends.

"It is possible that there's a natural strain out there that could be a better option, so this is still pretty early research," she said. "There's a lot of exploration to do."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Sandia National Laboratories.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Anne M. Ruffing, Howland D.T. Jones. Physiological effects of free fatty acid production in genetically engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2012; 109 (9): 2190 DOI: 10.1002/bit.24509

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/top_news/top_environment/~3/bAfKtN9QMnk/130109160932.htm

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Our OTR Legal Panel: What Do You Think of the Alleged Murder ...

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From the Amazon rainforest to human body cells: Quantifying stability

Jan. 6, 2013 ? As they typically result from severe external perturbations, it is of vital interest how stable the most desirable state is. Surprisingly, this basic question has so far received little attention. Now scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), in a paper published in Nature Physics, propose a new concept for quantifying stability.

"Up to now, science was able to say if a complex system is stable or not, but it wasn't able to properly say how stable it is," says Peter J. Menck, lead author of the paper. The proposed concept is the first to fill this gap. "We conceive a system's alternative states as points in a mountainous landscape with steep rocks and deep valleys," explains Menck. "In the sinks between the peaks, a system comes to rest like a rolling ball would. Now the likelihood that the system returns to a specific sink after suffering a severe blow strongly depends on how big the surrounding valley is." In the high-dimensional systems Menck and his colleagues study, the equivalent of the valley is called the basin of attraction. The basin's volume is the measure the authors suggest to use for the quantification of stability.

Getting the actual data still is a challenge

The authors envision the new concept to become a powerful tool for complex systems studies, including the assessment of climatic tipping elements like the Amazon rainforest. Under unabated global warming, this ecosystem might change from its present fertile forest state to a much drier savanna state. Such a transition would destroy one of the planet's most important CO2 sinks, thus contributing to further climate change. "Amazonian bistability arises from a positive feedback: Deep-rooting trees take up water and transpire it to the atmosphere" Menck says. Forest cover in the region increases overall rainfall and thereby improves its own growing conditions. If the forest cover gets pushed below a certain threshold, this mechanism doesn't work any more -- the rainforest would die.

The "basin stability concept" is apt for quantifying this risk. However, it is critical to actually do this from measured data. "Other researchers recently have collected the characteristics in terms of precipitation, temperature, soil of rainforests and savannas under defined climatological conditions," Menck says. Still, the assessment is extremely challenging as the tipping of a forest is a rare event, so observation data is scarce. In contrast, observation data of human cells changing from a healthy state to cancer can be abundant. "So medical researchers told us that our concept could be quite helpful in better assessing the risk of sane cells to turning sick when disturbed by specific exogenous factors."

"Simple yet compelling -- that's the way fundamental physics looks like"

Power grids have to function in good synchronization to assure that lights can be switched on everywhere anytime. Previous theory suggested that this should most easily be achieved if power grids had what researchers call a random structure, which in fact would yield many short-cuts between distant nodes. Yet in reality, grids look far more regular. Applying the basin stability concept shows why that is: In more regular grids, the desired synchronous state possesses a far bigger 'basin', hence is much more stable against perturbations.

"The basin stability's applicability to high-dimensional systems allowed us to solve a puzzle that has long haunted complex network science," says J?rgen Kurths, a co-author of the paper and co-chair of PIK's research domain 'Transdisciplinary concepts and methods'. "Our new nonlinear approach jumps from a local to a whole system analysis, thus complementing previous research mostly based on linearization. This new concept is simple, yet compelling -- that's the way fundamental physics looks like."

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Peter J. Menck, Jobst Heitzig, Norbert Marwan, J?rgen Kurths. How basin stability complements the linear-stability paradigm. Nature Physics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/NPHYS2516

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ItxWuJXKM_w/130106145745.htm

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A Plough Monday Reflection: Gathering A Rhythm That Works For You

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It is that time of year ? almost time or completely time for back to school after a long winter break? for most parents and school-aged children. Whether you have children under the age of seven, children that you are homeschooling, or children attending school outside of the home, a good rhythm provides a beautiful anchor for your year of wonder, learning and love as a family.

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Rhythm is what anchors us as human beings into the cosmos.? Our bodies are attuned to this rhythm if only we don?t dull our feelings and forget the seasonal ebb and tide that we too participate in, even if only at an unconscious level.?

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I propose that you start this year with some quiet meditation and prayer as to what is really working in your family, and what is not working.? How can you garner a rhythm that works for you?? Do you need to cut back on outside activities?? If you are a working single parent, how would simplifying your schedule look for you?

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I would love to see you start with YOU.? If you, as the mother and in conjunction with your partner or spouse, can set a rhythm for you? and the adults in your family, then you can slowly help your children come into rhythm.

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Here are some areas to look at:

• What time are you going to bed?? Are you getting enough sleep?
• Are you up before your children, even if it is just by a few minutes?? If not, what is your plan in order to keep everyone happy whilst you fix breakfast, get dressed, get organized for the day?? Can you do any of it at night?
• What do you do for yourself and how often?? When do you find time to pray and meditate?? Exercise?? Are there things you do for yourself on a daily basis that are just for you?
• When do you have fun with your children and your family?? Daily, weekly??? When do you get to spend time with your children and just BE with them and enjoy them?
• What nourishing images and beauty do you have in your home??

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I have always advised starting with the basics of sleeping and meal times. Then you can add in nurturing care of your home.? Some mothers who really need an intensive start up beginning to a new rhythm will enlist family or friend help in order to really get their home in as much order as possible and then work with a chore and menu system to maintain their space and time.

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Then, please do look at what your family members are doing to help nurture your home.? A basic tenant of Waldorf parenting and homeschooling is that all family members can contribute to work in the home.? What are your children doing to help take care of your home?? Smaller children under the age of six weave in and out of work, but those six and up can and should certainly have responsibilities.

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Lastly, I think it is important to evaluate your rhythm based upon the season.? Right now, in the United States, we are experiencing winter.? Winter requires a different pace than other seasons.? Winter requires a look at sleep; the sun is setting earlier and also rising later.? How do your sleep patterns take this into account?? What about food: warming foods and even spicier foods have been traditional for winter, along with herbs that support the immune system.? Warmth for the body is very important; we look at having up to three layers on top and two on the bottom.? I think winter can also be an important time to replenish oneself, to slow down, to reevaluate.? What does this look like for you?

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I can?t wait to hear how all of you are doing after these holiday weeks.

Many blessings,
Carrie

Source: http://theparentingpassageway.com/2013/01/07/a-plough-monday-reflection-gathering-a-rhythm-that-works-for-you/

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Although Anxiety Is Common, It Is Not Necessary - Health Care

In today?s hectic world, many people suffer from a certain level of stress, but it should always be manageable. Stress can make anxiety worse, especially if ignored. Anxiety is a long-term problem that puts the body at risk of damage or even disease thanks to the physical strain it exerts. Read on for more information on ways to deal with anxiety and how you can effectively deal with it.

Even though you?re not able to go on a vacation every week, you should at least take one day off. During your day off, try getting out of the normal routine you have. Go fishing, camping, hiking or whatever else you find relaxing.

Ensure that you take notice of any medical advice given, and ensure they are updated as to your progress. It?s always important to let your doctor know whether the treatment you are receiving is working or not. Since your doctor only sees you occasionally, this communication is the key to successful treatment.

External stimuli causes the majority of anxiety, but some folks do have a genetic predisposition that enables the feeling. If you think you may be genetically inclined to be anxious, it is important to discuss it with your doctor before symptoms arise.

High anxiety levels can cause your breathing to become abnormal. In these situations, focusing entirely on your breathing will enable you to get it back under control. Count in your head while breathing and allow relaxing feelings to come. If you really want to enhance the efforts of deep breathing, find a quite spot and sit there while you breathe.

Think about acupuncture to control anxiety. This is used for many reasons since it relaxes your entire body. And, if it is for a medical reason, some insurance companies may even cover some visits to an acupuncturist.

Exercise consistently if you suffer from anxiety. Exercise is nature?s stress buster and can relieve symptoms of anxiety. If exercise is an option for you, target a half hour of aerobic exercise each day or every other day.

If you are among the millions of others suffering with chronic anxiety, consider a helpful talk with a family member or trusted friend. By expressing your thoughts and concerns out loud, you will be able to release some of the bad feelings which you have been bottling up.

Consider joining a support group. People with symptoms of anxiety often feel they are misunderstood. Participating in a group with other anxiety sufferers who deal with the same issues you are having can really help your mood. This is a great way to have a support network that also is full of tips.

Speak with someone about how you are feeling, whether it is a family member or friend or a medical professional. When you keep all of you thoughts and feelings bottled up, they can come back worse. Expressing your feelings will reduce anxiety and help you feel much better.

If you have to go see a therapist, then go do that. Some people increase their anxiety because they don?t have anyone to talk to, or they do not want to share their problems with someone close to them. Talking to a therapist helps to relieve anxiety.

Do your best to build great bonds with other individuals to keep your spirits up. There are a lot of places that you can meed people that have the same interests as you do. Even if you cannot leave the house, the Internet is full of places where you can meet and bond with new people.

Distracting yourself is a good way to forget about your stress. Don?t run to a self-help book that will make you focus on anxiety, instead try doing a brain teaser or crossword to keep your mind otherwise occupied. Surround yourself with people whenever you can. It is common for this to be a successful technique for forgetting worries and finding all-important distractions.

As you?ve learned, anxiety and stress aren?t wanted, but they are in our lives. Although we can not rid ourselves of it, we can effectively manage it. If you practice the advice in this guide, you will be able to equip yourself of ways to reduce anxiety and stress effectively.

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Source: http://www.healthcarecenteradvice.com/2013/01/05/although-anxiety-is-common-it-is-not-necessary-4/

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