JUST FINISHED THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN TUNIS UCISI TWO TERRORISTS
THE BUDGET AND NOW victims for FIN 9, 7 FOREIGNERS IN HERE YOU THINK THAT BETWEEN THEM 2 SEVEN ARE ITALIAN
mercoledì 18 marzo 2015
TUNISIA TERRORIST ATTACK
JUST FINISHED THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN TUNIS UCISI TWO TERRORISTS
THE BUDGET AND NOW victims for FIN 9, 7 FOREIGNERS IN HERE YOU THINK THAT BETWEEN THEM 2 SEVEN ARE ITALIAN
TUNISIA ATTACK AT LEAST 8 DEAD
Government spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said on the private radio station Mosaique FM That only one of the dead was a Tunisian, and did not Shops provide nationalities for the others, the Associated Press reported.
"A terrorist attack [targeted] the Bardo Museum," he Told journalists, according to Functional the BBC. Aroui said "two or blackberries terrorists armed with Kalashnikovs" were Involved, and That most tourists were evacuated but some were still thought to be inside the museum, the broadcaster reported. Aroui said security forces have Entered the museum ..
There were unconfirmed reports That some of the tourists killed may be from Spain.
The Bardo Museum Which is adjacent to the country's parliament in the capital Tunis. Initial reports Had Stated That exchanges of gunfire were heard at the parliament building, Which Has Been evacuated.
Mosaique FM reported earlier That three men dressed in military-style clothing may have taken hostages inside the museum, according to Functional the AP.
Tunisia Has Struggled with violence by Islamic Extremists since mass protests ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
The Bardo museum chronicles Tunisia's history and includes one of the world's largest collections of Roman mosaics.
Non-profit 3-D prints a $100 arm for boy in Sudan
"We went to the most extreme place in the world to prove how easy it is to do," recalls Not Impossible co-founder and CEO Mick Ebeling, who is also the inventor of the Eyewriter, a device that helps people who are paralyzed communicate with their eyes.
What Not Impossible did in Sudan was 3-D print a prosthetic arm for a 14-year-old boy named Daniel who had lost both his arms during a bombing attack on his village. With the new prosthetic replacing one arm, Daniel was able to feed himself for the first time in two years.
Ebeling and his fellow Not Impossible co-founder Elliot Kotek are attending SXSW here where Project Daniel is up for an innovation award. They are also carrying around a 3-D printed prosthetic similar to the one Daniel was given, and the two men are presenting at the conference.
Not Impossible has been involved with lots of projects. Don Moir eventually lost his voice after been stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Largely through Not Impossible's efforts, he was able to tell his wife that he loved her for the first time in 15 years, using a digital "letter board," a version of a simple sheet of paper with the alphabet divided into quadrants. The solution made use of a convertible PC from Hewlett-Packard and software from the SpeakYourMindFoundation.
Not Impossible's mantra is "to help one to help many."
"We assume that anytime we make something for one person there are going to be thousands of others who suffer from the same problem," Kotek says. "Everyone's got the newest, latest, quickest, smallest, whatever device on the planet. We look at that and say, how could that be applied to make the world be a better place?"
Not Impossible approaches projects through "crowdsolving," bringing smart people together to uncover something that is innovative or inexpensive. The potential solution may involve repurposing something developed by or for one industry (gaming or entertainment, say) and using it in another (health care).
Corporate partners are encouraged to amplify the story of the chosen individual whom Not Impossible is trying to assist and also to pay so that the solution can be offered to the people who need it for free or at a low cost. Intel teamed up on Project Daniel, for example, HP on Don's Voice.
In Daniel's case, Ebeling says it cost only about $100 to 3-D print the prosthetic arm, well below the $15,000-plus that such a prosthetic would normally cost.
Indeed, in helping to make a difference, anything is possible.
Yahoo's plan for reinventing passwords
The tech giant introduced on-demand passwords, where users can have new passwords sent to them via text message every time they need to log in and check out their inbox.
The service is optional, so users interested in on-demand passwords go to Settings, then Security to set it up.
Yahoo's password option works similarly to two-factor authentication, a second layer of protection for accounts where users type in a numeric code as well as their password to sign in to accounts. Codes are usually sent as a text message to the user's mobile phone. Services including Google's Gmail, Facebook and Twitter all offer two-factor authentication.
On-demand passwords are available now to Yahoo email users in the U.S.
Apple planning streaming TV service
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is in talks with broadcasters to offer a TV bundle this fall with 25 channels, including ABC, CBS and Fox. The service would be available through Apple TV.
The small bundle would include channels like FX, ESPN and other bigger channels. The report also says media executives believe the service would cost between $30 and $40 a month.
The report says not included in the bundle as of right now is NBCUniversal, citing a falling-out between Apple and parent company Comcast.
News of Apple's streaming plans follows the company's announcement that its Apple TV set-top box would be the exclusive launch home for HBO Now, the long-awaited standalone subscription of HBO.
Microsoft sends Internet Explorer to tech's scrapheap
SAN FRANCISCO — It's the end of the line for Internet Explorer.
The much maligned browser that battled Netscape to guide people around the World Wide Web was consigned to history this week by Microsoft, joining Palm Pilots, flip phones and Myspace as relics of a distant digital age.
A staple of the Internet for nearly two decades, the Explorer brand will be replaced by a flashier, speedier browser codenamed Project Spartan that will run on phones, tablets and personal computers but is expressly made for a new era of mobile devices.
Junking the Explorer brand is part of a new game plan at Microsoft. CEO Satya Nadella is determined to remake the aging technology giant as an innovator rather than a follower.
Even when it debuted, Explorer was a me-too product. Browser pioneer Netscape Navigator was the world's first commercial Web browser. It ignited the Internet boom and had already transformed how people roamed the Web. Even the Explorer name was derived from Navigator.
"Explorer was never a cool brand," Silicon Valley futurist Paul Saffo says. "It's like one step from AOL."
Nonetheless, bundled with its ubiquitous Windows operating system, Explorer crushed Netscape in the 1990s. The bundling triggered a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit and a settlement with Microsoft.
With the launch of Mozilla's Firefox, Netscape all but faded away. Netscape sold itself to AOL in 1999. In 2007, AOL stopped supporting it.
Yet, despite Microsoft's considerable might, Explorer never managed to win the hearts and minds of consumers, who in recent years defected in droves to a new wave of sleeker browsers.
"In a way, the introduction of Explorer marked the beginning of the downfall of Windows and Microsoft. It was not an attempt to innovate. It was an attempt to stay relevant," Saffo says. "In that era, Microsoft was a fast follower: Let someone else pioneer and then come into the market with muscle and take over. But they didn't succeed with the Internet."
MICROSOFT'S WARNING SHOT
Never one to throw in the towel, Microsoft is now ready to rumble. Cue up the browser wars version 2.0. This time it's all about mobile devices that are populating people's lives and consuming their time and attention.
In retiring the Explorer brand, Microsoft is looking to get its mojo back with consumers, especially those frustrated office workers who loved to hate Microsoft's sluggish browser.
And, in distancing itself from a mainstay of desktop computers and laptops, Microsoft is also firing a warning shot that it plans to compete anew with Google's Chrome, Firefox and Apple's Safari browsers.
"At one point Internet Explorer commanded north of 80% share of the browser market, but with the explosion in mobility, that market share has dwindled to 30%," said S&P Capital analyst Angelo Zino. "The platform isn't cutting it on mobile devices and that's where the focus is today."
Chris Capossela, Microsoft's head of marketing, says Microsoft is researching a new name for the Project Spartan browser, which will be released later this year with Windows 10.
A staple of the Internet for nearly two decades, the Explorer brand will be replaced by a flashier, speedier browser codenamed Project Spartan that will run on phones, tablets and personal computers but is expressly made for a new era of mobile devices.
Junking the Explorer brand is part of a new game plan at Microsoft. CEO Satya Nadella is determined to remake the aging technology giant as an innovator rather than a follower.
Even when it debuted, Explorer was a me-too product. Browser pioneer Netscape Navigator was the world's first commercial Web browser. It ignited the Internet boom and had already transformed how people roamed the Web. Even the Explorer name was derived from Navigator.
"Explorer was never a cool brand," Silicon Valley futurist Paul Saffo says. "It's like one step from AOL."
Nonetheless, bundled with its ubiquitous Windows operating system, Explorer crushed Netscape in the 1990s. The bundling triggered a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit and a settlement with Microsoft.
With the launch of Mozilla's Firefox, Netscape all but faded away. Netscape sold itself to AOL in 1999. In 2007, AOL stopped supporting it.
Yet, despite Microsoft's considerable might, Explorer never managed to win the hearts and minds of consumers, who in recent years defected in droves to a new wave of sleeker browsers.
"In a way, the introduction of Explorer marked the beginning of the downfall of Windows and Microsoft. It was not an attempt to innovate. It was an attempt to stay relevant," Saffo says. "In that era, Microsoft was a fast follower: Let someone else pioneer and then come into the market with muscle and take over. But they didn't succeed with the Internet."
MICROSOFT'S WARNING SHOT
Never one to throw in the towel, Microsoft is now ready to rumble. Cue up the browser wars version 2.0. This time it's all about mobile devices that are populating people's lives and consuming their time and attention.
In retiring the Explorer brand, Microsoft is looking to get its mojo back with consumers, especially those frustrated office workers who loved to hate Microsoft's sluggish browser.
And, in distancing itself from a mainstay of desktop computers and laptops, Microsoft is also firing a warning shot that it plans to compete anew with Google's Chrome, Firefox and Apple's Safari browsers.
"At one point Internet Explorer commanded north of 80% share of the browser market, but with the explosion in mobility, that market share has dwindled to 30%," said S&P Capital analyst Angelo Zino. "The platform isn't cutting it on mobile devices and that's where the focus is today."
Chris Capossela, Microsoft's head of marketing, says Microsoft is researching a new name for the Project Spartan browser, which will be released later this year with Windows 10.
Netanyahu surges past rival in Israeli election
 |
| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters as he delivers a speech in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday. (Photo: Abir Sultan, epa) |
JERUSALEM -- Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud Party held a clear lead over its major opposition party in Israel's elections Tuesday, boosting the prime minister's bid for a fourth term.
Nearly complete results showed Netanyahu's party leading the center-left opposition Zionist Union, which is headed by Isaac Herzog, giving Likud a strong position to try to form a coalition government.
Netanyahu's Likud party appeared on track to win 30 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament, to 24 for the Zionist Union, Israeli media including The Jerusalem Post reported early Wednesday.
Netanyahu, who lagged in pre-election polls, declared an early triumph. "Against all odds: a great victory for the Likud, a major victory for the national camp led by the Likud, a major victory for the people of Israel," he tweeted in Hebrew.
With more than 90% of ballots counted, raw vote totals showed Netanyahu's Likud ticket with about 23% of the votes, and Zionist Union at 19%.
Opposition leader Herzog did not concede and said he will try to form a governing coalition.
"I intend to make every effort to put together a true social-welfare-minded government for Israel ... that will seek peace with our neighbors,'' he said.
The results, if upheld when the vote count is complete, will touch off a scramble to build a coalition government.
The outcome could give leverage to Moshe Kahlon, leader of a new centrist party that could deliver support toward a majority. Running in third place in the incomplete results, as well as in TV exit polls of voters, was the United List, a coalition of four small Arab parties that could try to block Netanyahu's return to office.
Exit polls of voters by two Israeli TV outlets showed his party tied with the center-left opposition Zionist Union at 27 seats each in the next Knesset, or parliament. A third station showed Netanyahu narrowly ahead, 28-27. Those polls showed the Arab coalition could win 13 seats.
The exit poll results suggested that Netanyahu's party was doing better than pre-election polls indicated and that a substantial share of voters were willing to give their prime minister another term despite a public feud with President Obama over Iran's nuclear program.
"The atmosphere at the Likud HQ is electrifying," said Avi Hyman, a Likud field coordinator, speaking from Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Voter turnout was 71.8%, up from 67.8% in the 2013 elections.
Opinion polls before the election had shown Herzog with a small lead. The last available poll was published Friday, when a significant number of voters were still undecided, meaning the race was still too close to call.
Under Israel's complicated electoral math, the party with the most seats short of a majority does not necessarily get the prime minister's post, and instead the elections begin a period of negotiations with smaller parties toward building a governing coalition of at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
It will be up to the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, to decide who to call on to attempt to form the next government. Traditionally that task has gone to the leader of the party that receives the most votes. It could require weeks of political negotiations.
In the closing days of the campaign, Netanyahu moved farther to the right to solidify support among splintered hard-right voters and to galvanize his Likud base.
He pledged to block establishment of a Palestinian state, a reversal from past statements and at odds with much of the international community's support for a two-state solution to the issue. He also tried to rally supporters by warning his leadership was in jeopardy because Israeli Arab voters were turning out "in droves'' to oppose him. Arabs make up 20% of the Israeli population.
But after nine years in the prime minister's job, the election was a referendum on Netanyahu, who angered Obama and jeopardized the bipartisan support Israel has long enjoyed in the United States by speaking to Congress at the invitation of majority Republicans. During his speech, he clashed with Obama over U.S. talks with Iran on curbing that country's nuclear program.
Netanyahu announced his opposition to a Palestinian state Monday and reiterated that pledge early Tuesday after casting his ballot.
His reversal marks a second flash point with the Obama administration, which has been prodding Israel and Palestinians to make progress in peace talks on creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Netanyahu also blamed "foreign funds that flow in vast quantities" to groups supporting the opposition for his party's tough race. It was a veiled reference to the role U.S. donors and a former campaign aide to Obama have played in helping a non-profit group that opposes Netanyahu's policies. His party has been aided by U.S. Republicans.
In a phone interview on the Channel 10 TV, Netanyahu had ruled out forming a coalition government with Herzog saying he would seek an alliance with the ultra-national Jewish Home party, which also opposes Palestinian statehood
Apple, Steve Jobs sick rejects the guts to Tim Cook
Between Tim Cook and Steve Jobs ran a relationship of love and hate. After the death of the founder of Apple dramatic was revealed a particularly delicate of his illness.
Tim Cook wanted to donate part of his liver to Steve Jobs, to make it survive, but the co-founder of Apple refused. And 'written by two US reporters, Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, and is based on interviews with the people closest to Jobs from his wife, Laurene Powell.
After that Jobs was diagnosed with the disease in 2009 was in need of a transplant. Tim Cook discovered that he had in common with him not only a rare blood but that was also compatible for the donation, and he wanted to donate a portion of liver.
Being an organ that regenerates itself, with the transplant so you could hope for a cure of cancer. After undergoing all clinical tests and be sure of the compatibility and not to take any chances, Tim Cook suggested surgery but Steve Jobs refused and also crashed. "He jumped on the bed and said," No! I will not let ever to do it, '"Cook said in the book, and adds:" Steve yelled at me in 13 years of knowledge only four or five times and this was one of those " .
In the book that will be released on March 24 and is the second major study on life after Jobs biography written by Walter Isaacson, also known as Apple TV and the fact that Steve Jobs wanted to buy Yahoo !. In addition to Tim Cook and Laurene Powell, the two authors have also interviewed the designer of Apple, Jon Ivy.Uno journalists who worked on the book, Rick Tetzeli, works at Fast Company magazine which published excerpts of the book.
martedì 10 marzo 2015
Galaxy S6 vs. iPhone 6, specific comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a new design and integrates hardware high level. The new smartphone will be able to counter the iPhone 6?
With the presentation of the new Galaxy S6 renews the eternal clash traSamsung and Apple. This time, however, the Korean manufacturer has to run after his historic rival. The iPhone 6, on sale for more than five months, has allowed the company to Cupertino to make overtaking in terms of smartphones sold in the fourth quarter of 2014. The two market leaders have still chosen the same strategy, or re-design their devices, introducing several changes compared to previous models.
When Samsung showed officially Galaxy S6, many have noticed a certain similarity with the iPhone 6, which is more noticeable by observing the bottom, where there are the headphone jack, the micro USB port and the speaker grille. Even the layout of the buttons is similar (power to the right and left volume). While Apple has chosen an all-aluminum body, Samsung has decided to use the glass for the rear, finally abandoning the plastic. According to the Korean manufacturer, the frame of the Galaxy S6 has a resistance higher than that of products currently on the market. As for the thickness, the Galaxy S6 exceeds the iPhone 6 with 0.1 millimeters less (6.8 versus 6.9).
Specifications
When choosing a new smartphone is based solely on the hardware equipment, then the Galaxy S6 wins the comparison hands down. But the quality of a product can not be seen only on the components used. It should also evaluate the software part and then the user experience overall, an aspect that has so far seen in Apple distinct advantage of Samsung. The first tests have however confirmed the superiority of the processor Exynos 7420 chip Apple A8.
The 5.1 inch display with Quad HD resolution (2560 × 1440 pixels, 577 ppi) of the Galaxy S6 is definitely the best part. The iPhone 6 instead has a screen 4.7-inch HD resolution (1334 × 750 pixels, 326 ppi). Like Apple, Samsung has also updated lefotocamere than previous models. DA16 Megapixel rear camera uses a CMOS sensor and a lens with a larger f / 1.9. There is also optical stabilization, HDR in real time and white balance infrared. 6 rather than the iPhone has a resolution of 8 Megapixels and an aperture f / 2.2. The optical stabilization is only present in the iPhone 6 Plus. The resolution of the front camera is 5 megapixels for the Galaxy S6 and 1.2 megapixels for the iPhone 6.
Common features and exclusive
Both smartphones have an integrated fingerprint reader touch below the home button, which can be used to make mobile payments with Samsung and Apple Pay Pay. The Galaxy S6 also supports MST, while the iPhone uses only 6 in NFC chip. Due to the use of metal and glass, the back cover and the battery of Galaxy S6 can not be removed. It was also dropped support for microSD. It is, in practice, the same flaws present in the iPhone 6.
Users who purchase the new device Korean will however use a wireless charging system battery, compatible with standard WPC 1.1 and 1.0 PMA. To get up to 4 hours 10 minutes of battery are sufficient. The Galaxy S6 also incorporates a sensor that detects the heartbeats and an IR sensor that allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control.
Beats Music will become part of iOS in 2015?
Apple would fit within iOS Beats Music in March 2015.
To launch its offensive in Spotify and other music streaming services, Apple avrebbeintenzione integrate Beats Music in iOS: talk about a new report, according to which at that Cupertino would have the intention to force the presence of the application in every iPhone and iPad on the market.
To talk about it is the Financial Times, according to which the move will be made by March to entice users to try iTunes also streaming Beats Music: the latter could also use Apple Pay as a payment system, to subscribe to the formula proposed by the monthly Apple.
A further indication of a willingness of the company to Tim Cook to push on the accelerator of Beats Music always comes from the same report, which states that in the integration with iOS the service will be launched around the world: a nice change of course, seen that so far it was only available in the United States.
Rumors also speak of a new pricing policy desired by Apple, which would be aiming to find more aggressive agreements with record labels, in order to drop below the current threshold of $ 10 that America is now a standard for streaming a fee. The goal would be to go down to $ 5.
Waiting for new officers, now seems unlikely that Apple closes Beats Music as it feared some time ago.
domenica 8 marzo 2015
Tim Cook introduces the Apple Watch.
Who's ready for an Apple Watch?
It's Apple's first foray into a new product category since 2010's iPad, and its debut in the growing wearables market.
The watch, which will be previewed Monday at a press event in San Francisco, is poised to become Apple's most expensive product ever. While the watch starts at $350, few are expected to walk out of the stores paying less than $500 or $600, dressing it up with expensive step-up bands. The watch comes in three editions, with the top-of-the-line edition expected to garner anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, easily dwarfing Apple's current most expensive product, a tricked out $4,000 Mac Pro computer.
We went out and spoke with consumers this week, and if they're any indication, Apple has a tough sale.
"I wouldn't go out and buy one, but if someone gave it to me I'd wear one," says Jennifer Egilson, from British Columbia, Canada.
The watch goes on sale in April.
James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research, says the wearable market has yet to produce any smash successes. The Pebble Watch has sold 1 million copies, and smartwatches from LG, Samsung and Motorola have sold just over 750,000. He predicts sales of at least 10 million for the watch in its first year.
"Right now the wearable industry isn't a full industry yet," he says. "Apple is about to give it a level of legitimacy that no one has done yet. This is a very big opportunity."
It's Apple's first foray into a new product category since 2010's iPad, and its debut in the growing wearables market.
The watch, which will be previewed Monday at a press event in San Francisco, is poised to become Apple's most expensive product ever. While the watch starts at $350, few are expected to walk out of the stores paying less than $500 or $600, dressing it up with expensive step-up bands. The watch comes in three editions, with the top-of-the-line edition expected to garner anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, easily dwarfing Apple's current most expensive product, a tricked out $4,000 Mac Pro computer.
We went out and spoke with consumers this week, and if they're any indication, Apple has a tough sale.
"I wouldn't go out and buy one, but if someone gave it to me I'd wear one," says Jennifer Egilson, from British Columbia, Canada.
The watch goes on sale in April.
James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research, says the wearable market has yet to produce any smash successes. The Pebble Watch has sold 1 million copies, and smartwatches from LG, Samsung and Motorola have sold just over 750,000. He predicts sales of at least 10 million for the watch in its first year.
"Right now the wearable industry isn't a full industry yet," he says. "Apple is about to give it a level of legitimacy that no one has done yet. This is a very big opportunity."
Search beacon battery had expired on MH370
BEIJING — The locator beacon battery on the data recording black box had expired before Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 ever vanished shortly after leaving Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, an interim report issued on the first anniversary of the tragedy revealed.
The Malaysian report, which shed little light on the Boeing 777's disappearance, was released Sunday as at least 30 relatives of the Chinese passengers on board gathered at a Beijing temple to mark the anniversary.
Holding signs and white T-shirts saying "search on" and demanding "the truth," the relatives said they wanted to commemorate the day, pray for their loved ones' safe return and maintain pressure for more information from Malaysian authorities, who they believe are concealing information.
In Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose agencies are leading the hunt, said searchers were about 40% through scouring a 23,000-square-mile area of the southern Indian Ocean due to conclude in May. And he promised to continue the search "as long as there are reasonable leads."
The interim report did not identify any significant areas for concern relating to either the plane or the crew. One newly identified issue, that may have hampered the subsequent search, was the December 2012 expiration of the battery of the locator beacon for the data recorder, more than a year before the flight. The battery in the cockpit voice recorder's locator beacon was working, the report said.
"Today, we stand united in remembering and honoring the 239 people, including 50 Malaysians, on-board MH370," Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement. "Our prayers are with them and their loved ones left behind – whose sorrow we share."
The Boeing 777 jetliner carried 239 passengers and crew, including 153 Chinese citizens. Cheng Liping came the Buddhist temple here to remember her missing husband, movie stuntman Ju Kun.
"I came to pray for him, I've been here many times before," she said. "We have had no real information from Malaysia, but we will not give up." Her homemade sign read, "I will never give up. There is no home without my husband. My two sons need their father to return home safely."
Outnumbered by uniformed and plainclothes police, the relatives gathered outside the temple's main entrance. They have gathered there on previous occasions, such as the six-month anniversary, and after the late January announcement by Malaysian authorities that the plane had met an "accident" with all passengers and crew presumed dead.
The Malaysian report, which shed little light on the Boeing 777's disappearance, was released Sunday as at least 30 relatives of the Chinese passengers on board gathered at a Beijing temple to mark the anniversary.
Holding signs and white T-shirts saying "search on" and demanding "the truth," the relatives said they wanted to commemorate the day, pray for their loved ones' safe return and maintain pressure for more information from Malaysian authorities, who they believe are concealing information.
In Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose agencies are leading the hunt, said searchers were about 40% through scouring a 23,000-square-mile area of the southern Indian Ocean due to conclude in May. And he promised to continue the search "as long as there are reasonable leads."
The interim report did not identify any significant areas for concern relating to either the plane or the crew. One newly identified issue, that may have hampered the subsequent search, was the December 2012 expiration of the battery of the locator beacon for the data recorder, more than a year before the flight. The battery in the cockpit voice recorder's locator beacon was working, the report said.
"Today, we stand united in remembering and honoring the 239 people, including 50 Malaysians, on-board MH370," Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement. "Our prayers are with them and their loved ones left behind – whose sorrow we share."
The Boeing 777 jetliner carried 239 passengers and crew, including 153 Chinese citizens. Cheng Liping came the Buddhist temple here to remember her missing husband, movie stuntman Ju Kun.
"I came to pray for him, I've been here many times before," she said. "We have had no real information from Malaysia, but we will not give up." Her homemade sign read, "I will never give up. There is no home without my husband. My two sons need their father to return home safely."
Outnumbered by uniformed and plainclothes police, the relatives gathered outside the temple's main entrance. They have gathered there on previous occasions, such as the six-month anniversary, and after the late January announcement by Malaysian authorities that the plane had met an "accident" with all passengers and crew presumed dead.
Chinese authorities are nervous of any public gathering by independent groups, and tried to prevent journalists from interviewing relatives Sunday. Security concerns are currently heightened as China is holding its brief annual session of the rubber-stamp parliament beside Tiananmen Square.
The police also strengthened their presence outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing, where relatives have often gone to protest against the country's handling of the crisis.
In the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the airline was expected to hold a private ceremony Sunday for next of kin of the missing flight crew. Relatives planned a public event to remember their loved ones at a central square in the city.
The interim report was required by international aviation authorities within one year of an incident. "The sole objective of the investigation is the prevention of future accidents or incidents, and not for the purpose to apportion blame or liability," the report said.
The most expensive search in aviation history has yet to find any debris from flight MH370, which satellite analysis suggests crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
The report contained profiles of the crew, including financial background and insurance cover, but noted nothing unusual. Much of the speculation about the fate of MH370 centers on the possibility that the captain or other crew members deliberately flew the plane off its scheduled path.
"There were no behavioural signs of social isolation, change in habits or interest, self-neglect, drug or alcohol abuse of the Captain, First Officer and the Cabin Crew," said the report.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, whose elder sister defended him Thursday against the popular theory he was a "rogue pilot" responsible for the disappearance, showed "no significant behavioural changes" on the day of the flight, and his prior three flights, the report concluded.
"The gait, posture, facial expressions and mannerism were his normal characteristics," it said.
The investigation team interviewed more than 120 people including the crew's next-of-kin, refuelers, caterers, cleaners and cargo loaders. Site visits included firms responsible for a cargo of Motorola Solutions lithium ion batteries — the focus of some speculation — which were not regulated as "dangerous goods" as the packing met safety guidelines, said the report.
Happy March 8
Best wishes to all the women in particular to my mother.
I'm grateful for everything you have done for me.
Thanks Mom I love you
sabato 7 marzo 2015
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FATTI REALI E QUOTIDIANI : APPLE
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venerdì 6 marzo 2015
8 ways that daylight saving time affects us
Worried you'll feel a little groggy from missing an hour of sleep Saturday night? You're not alone. Daylight saving time affects us all in more ways than you might think. Here are eight of them:
1. For starters, it's "daylight saving time" -- without an "s" on the end of "saving." Now you can correct all your friends.
2. President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act into law in 2005, which extended the length of DST by four weeks. It now begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November -- except in Hawaii and Arizona, where they observe standard time year-round. With all that sunshine, they probably don't even care what time it is. (Parts of Indiana, by the way, resisted DST until 2006.)
3. The time switch has mixed effects on people's health. Night owls tend to have more trouble than early birds, according to a Finnish study in 2008, but everyone's sleep patterns can be disrupted by the transition into or out of DST. That may be especially true in Kazakhstan, where the government did away with DST in 2005 after calculating that 51.6 percent of Kazakhs responded badly to the time change. (Who knew?)
4. There is a spike in heart attacks during the first week of DST, as well as a slight drop in attacks during the first week after DST ends, according to another 2008 study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers tagged the "spring forward" results to sleep deprivation, which affects heart health. Conversely, the extra hour of "fall back" sleep promotes general well-being.
5. No surprise here, but people are safer drivers during daylight hours. Information from U.S. News Health indicates that observing DST year-round could prevent 195 motor-vehicle deaths and 171 pedestrian fatalities per year.
6. Credit (or blame) for DST rests with Benjamin Franklin, who published "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light" in a 1784 journal after he noticed that people burned candles at night but slept past dawn. But he never saw his plan put into action. The United States first implemented it during World War I as a way to conserve fuel.
7. Recent data suggest that Franklin's energy-savings theory was only part of the equation. The average DST observer (aka all Americans except those in Hawaii and Arizona) uses 1 percent less energy for lighting but 2 percent to 3 percent more for heating and air-conditioning.
8. Many fire departments encourage homeowners to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks for DST. It's a convenient reminder: Have you changed yours?
1. For starters, it's "daylight saving time" -- without an "s" on the end of "saving." Now you can correct all your friends.
2. President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act into law in 2005, which extended the length of DST by four weeks. It now begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November -- except in Hawaii and Arizona, where they observe standard time year-round. With all that sunshine, they probably don't even care what time it is. (Parts of Indiana, by the way, resisted DST until 2006.)
3. The time switch has mixed effects on people's health. Night owls tend to have more trouble than early birds, according to a Finnish study in 2008, but everyone's sleep patterns can be disrupted by the transition into or out of DST. That may be especially true in Kazakhstan, where the government did away with DST in 2005 after calculating that 51.6 percent of Kazakhs responded badly to the time change. (Who knew?)
4. There is a spike in heart attacks during the first week of DST, as well as a slight drop in attacks during the first week after DST ends, according to another 2008 study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers tagged the "spring forward" results to sleep deprivation, which affects heart health. Conversely, the extra hour of "fall back" sleep promotes general well-being.
5. No surprise here, but people are safer drivers during daylight hours. Information from U.S. News Health indicates that observing DST year-round could prevent 195 motor-vehicle deaths and 171 pedestrian fatalities per year.
6. Credit (or blame) for DST rests with Benjamin Franklin, who published "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light" in a 1784 journal after he noticed that people burned candles at night but slept past dawn. But he never saw his plan put into action. The United States first implemented it during World War I as a way to conserve fuel.
7. Recent data suggest that Franklin's energy-savings theory was only part of the equation. The average DST observer (aka all Americans except those in Hawaii and Arizona) uses 1 percent less energy for lighting but 2 percent to 3 percent more for heating and air-conditioning.
8. Many fire departments encourage homeowners to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks for DST. It's a convenient reminder: Have you changed yours?
Prepare for heart risk from 'spring forward'
And particularly dangerous is the Monday coming up, according to a University of Michigan study.
In it, researchers found a surge in heart attacks — 25% more compared to other days — in the first full workday after the "spring-forward" time change.
Although precise reasons are tough to nail down, it seems clear that the hour of lost sleep during the switch to daylight saving time plays a role, said University of Michigan cardiologist Dr. Hitinder Gurm.
"The change we see is subtle, but we know when events happen that increase stress levels, heart attacks go up," said Gurm.
For most of the U.S., clocks are to be moved "forward" — from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. — Sunday morning.
Previous studies have suggested that Mondays generally are particularly problematic. Now add to that the loss of sleep and the disorientation as internal clocks try to match the real-life clocks we just changed.
Gurm's advice all year is particularly important Monday with the scramble not only to start another work week, but also to adjust to it with one hour less shut-eye.
"If you get chest tightness or indigestion that doesn't make sense, don't ignore it," Gurm said.
It's particularly important, too, for smokers and those with other risk factors for heart attacks — high blood-pressure, high cholesterol and those with family histories of heart problems.
Doctors have long known that sleep is linked to heart health and Mondays are troublesome.
The University of Michigan study, published last year in BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, drew on hospital data throughout Michigan in the time period between Jan. 1, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2013 — 1,354 days in all. It found an average of 31 cases of acute myocardial infarction each day in Michigan.
In this study, spikes were especially pronounced on the four Mondays after the spring-forward time changes. On average, there were eight more episodes on those four Mondays.
Nearly the opposite trend is true in the fall. Authors found about a 21% drop in the number of heart attacks on the Tuesday after the "fall-back" time change with the gain of an hour of sleep.
Gurm suggests gently resetting the body's wake-sleep patterns by backing up bedtime by 15 minutes each night.
He, too, keeps that in mind.
On the Monday after "spring-forward" weekend, he doesn't schedule patients until a half-hour later than normal.
In it, researchers found a surge in heart attacks — 25% more compared to other days — in the first full workday after the "spring-forward" time change.
Although precise reasons are tough to nail down, it seems clear that the hour of lost sleep during the switch to daylight saving time plays a role, said University of Michigan cardiologist Dr. Hitinder Gurm.
"The change we see is subtle, but we know when events happen that increase stress levels, heart attacks go up," said Gurm.
For most of the U.S., clocks are to be moved "forward" — from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. — Sunday morning.
Previous studies have suggested that Mondays generally are particularly problematic. Now add to that the loss of sleep and the disorientation as internal clocks try to match the real-life clocks we just changed.
Gurm's advice all year is particularly important Monday with the scramble not only to start another work week, but also to adjust to it with one hour less shut-eye.
"If you get chest tightness or indigestion that doesn't make sense, don't ignore it," Gurm said.
It's particularly important, too, for smokers and those with other risk factors for heart attacks — high blood-pressure, high cholesterol and those with family histories of heart problems.
Doctors have long known that sleep is linked to heart health and Mondays are troublesome.
The University of Michigan study, published last year in BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, drew on hospital data throughout Michigan in the time period between Jan. 1, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2013 — 1,354 days in all. It found an average of 31 cases of acute myocardial infarction each day in Michigan.
In this study, spikes were especially pronounced on the four Mondays after the spring-forward time changes. On average, there were eight more episodes on those four Mondays.
Nearly the opposite trend is true in the fall. Authors found about a 21% drop in the number of heart attacks on the Tuesday after the "fall-back" time change with the gain of an hour of sleep.
Gurm suggests gently resetting the body's wake-sleep patterns by backing up bedtime by 15 minutes each night.
He, too, keeps that in mind.
On the Monday after "spring-forward" weekend, he doesn't schedule patients until a half-hour later than normal.
• Is the pain related to a physical activity or emotional/mental stress?
• Does the pain or pressure radiate to the left side, upper back, neck, jaw or left shoulder?
• Are you also sweating or have nausea or are lightheaded?
• Are you having difficulty breathing?
The 911 operator may suggest you chew one adult-strength or two to four low-dose aspirin. Wait for an ambulance. Do not try to drive yourself.
Other, milder symptoms can be warning signs for a future attack. You should see a health care professional to rule out a blockage in a coronary artery and other problems.
Those symptoms include chest pain or pressure that accompanies physical activity but subsides when you're at rest, and a feeling of diminished energy or shortness of breath during activities that previously had not caused problems.
Palpitations that occur only with physical activity or shortly after completing that activity.
Our children are at risk and here's why
It's been a rough few weeks for America's children.
First, children are being hospitalized with a disease that was eliminated from the United States in 2000: measles. As of Feb. 27, 170 people in 17 states had been infected with the virus. Most hadn't been immunized. At this rate, about a thousand children will be infected by the end of the year. When we reach a few thousand cases, children will again die from the disease.
It's unconscionable.
Parents have chosen not to immunize their children for several reasons: 1. They don't fear the disease (even though measles killed about 500 people a year before the vaccine was introduced in 1963). 2. They fear that the vaccine might cause unwanted side effects such as developmental delays or autism (even though scientific studies have clearly shown that these fears are unfounded). 3. Many doctors are acquiescing to parents' demands for an "alternative" vaccine schedule that either delays or eliminates measles-containing vaccine.
According to a paper published in the journal Pediatrics this week, more than 90% of physicians reported that in a typical month, at least some parents would ask to delay or spread out vaccines.
Although 87% of physicians thought that this choice was putting their patients at risk, 82% acquiesced to the parents' demands, stating that it was important to "build trust with the families."
Presumably, these same physicians wouldn't let parents' walk out of their offices refusing to treat a bacterial pneumonia with antibiotics. But every year in the United States, children die of preventable forms of meningitis and pneumonia because their parents chose not to immunize them. And in about 20 years, thousands more will die from cancers caused by human papillomavirus for the same reason.
The second piece of bad news came from New York City. Since 2000, 17 babies of Orthodox Jewish parents developed severe herpes simplex virus infections; some died or were left with permanent brain damage. All of these cases could be traced back to an ancient circumcision practice in which the mohel (the person who performs the ritual circumcision) uses his mouth to clean off the open wound.
Previously, then-mayor Michael Bloomberg had instituted a law whereby mohels had to educate parents about herpes and obtain a consent form. However, a few weeks ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration began negotiating with Orthodox Jewish leaders to eliminate the requirement, claiming a desire to "increase trust" in the community. Now, if a child contracts herpes from the procedure — and the mohel is found to be the source — the mohel will no longer be able to perform the ritual. In other words, mohels who perform this dangerous ritual are allowed to infect, and possibly kill, at least one child without consequence. Again, in the name of "trust," children lose.
The third piece of bad news came from Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky and presidential hopeful. Although not meaning to, Paul explained why we are afraid to confront parents who put their children at unnecessary risk. Regarding a parent's decision not to vaccinate, Paul said, "The state doesn't own your children, parents own their children, and it is an issue of freedom."
Actually, parents don't own their children. Parents have a responsibility to care for their children; if they don't, then the state has the right to step in. But Paul had hit on a fundamental American concept; We have always been fiercely protective of our autonomy, particularly in the family realm. Probably the best evidence for this was the reaction by the United States government to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 1989, the United Nations drafted a document outlining the rights of the world's children. The convention stated that all children had a right to life, a right to be protected from abuse and exploitation, a right to be exempt from capital punishment and a right to be protected from cruel or degrading forms of corporal punishment. More than 190 countries signed this document. Only two refused: Somalia and the United States, where opposition came primarily from political and religious conservatives.
The Heritage Foundation claimed that the document threatened federal control of domestic policy, and the Home School Legal Defense Foundation argued that it threatened a parent's right to home school. But most observers believe that the United States didn't sign the document because its citizens don't like to be told how to raise their children.
Even when that means putting those children — and sometimes others with whom they come in contact — at grave risk.
First, children are being hospitalized with a disease that was eliminated from the United States in 2000: measles. As of Feb. 27, 170 people in 17 states had been infected with the virus. Most hadn't been immunized. At this rate, about a thousand children will be infected by the end of the year. When we reach a few thousand cases, children will again die from the disease.
It's unconscionable.
Parents have chosen not to immunize their children for several reasons: 1. They don't fear the disease (even though measles killed about 500 people a year before the vaccine was introduced in 1963). 2. They fear that the vaccine might cause unwanted side effects such as developmental delays or autism (even though scientific studies have clearly shown that these fears are unfounded). 3. Many doctors are acquiescing to parents' demands for an "alternative" vaccine schedule that either delays or eliminates measles-containing vaccine.
According to a paper published in the journal Pediatrics this week, more than 90% of physicians reported that in a typical month, at least some parents would ask to delay or spread out vaccines.
Although 87% of physicians thought that this choice was putting their patients at risk, 82% acquiesced to the parents' demands, stating that it was important to "build trust with the families."
Presumably, these same physicians wouldn't let parents' walk out of their offices refusing to treat a bacterial pneumonia with antibiotics. But every year in the United States, children die of preventable forms of meningitis and pneumonia because their parents chose not to immunize them. And in about 20 years, thousands more will die from cancers caused by human papillomavirus for the same reason.
The second piece of bad news came from New York City. Since 2000, 17 babies of Orthodox Jewish parents developed severe herpes simplex virus infections; some died or were left with permanent brain damage. All of these cases could be traced back to an ancient circumcision practice in which the mohel (the person who performs the ritual circumcision) uses his mouth to clean off the open wound.
Previously, then-mayor Michael Bloomberg had instituted a law whereby mohels had to educate parents about herpes and obtain a consent form. However, a few weeks ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration began negotiating with Orthodox Jewish leaders to eliminate the requirement, claiming a desire to "increase trust" in the community. Now, if a child contracts herpes from the procedure — and the mohel is found to be the source — the mohel will no longer be able to perform the ritual. In other words, mohels who perform this dangerous ritual are allowed to infect, and possibly kill, at least one child without consequence. Again, in the name of "trust," children lose.
The third piece of bad news came from Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky and presidential hopeful. Although not meaning to, Paul explained why we are afraid to confront parents who put their children at unnecessary risk. Regarding a parent's decision not to vaccinate, Paul said, "The state doesn't own your children, parents own their children, and it is an issue of freedom."
Actually, parents don't own their children. Parents have a responsibility to care for their children; if they don't, then the state has the right to step in. But Paul had hit on a fundamental American concept; We have always been fiercely protective of our autonomy, particularly in the family realm. Probably the best evidence for this was the reaction by the United States government to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 1989, the United Nations drafted a document outlining the rights of the world's children. The convention stated that all children had a right to life, a right to be protected from abuse and exploitation, a right to be exempt from capital punishment and a right to be protected from cruel or degrading forms of corporal punishment. More than 190 countries signed this document. Only two refused: Somalia and the United States, where opposition came primarily from political and religious conservatives.
The Heritage Foundation claimed that the document threatened federal control of domestic policy, and the Home School Legal Defense Foundation argued that it threatened a parent's right to home school. But most observers believe that the United States didn't sign the document because its citizens don't like to be told how to raise their children.
Even when that means putting those children — and sometimes others with whom they come in contact — at grave risk.
spacecraft NASA Dawn arrives at dwarf planet after 7 years
The spaceship, trailing a beam of blue-green vapor behind it, looks like something out of Star Wars.
Its destination is also pure Hollywood: a pockmarked world with a frozen subterranean sea and perhaps a few geysers.
But this is no movie. The ship is NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which has scudded smoothly through the solar system for 7-1/2 years on its enormous wing-like solar panels. On Friday at roughly 7:20 a.m. ET, it will slip into orbit around a mini-planet named Ceres, which lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Dawn's job is to tell all about Ceres, which was discovered more than 200 years ago but has let slip very little about itself. Does it have polar ice caps? Does it have a liquid ocean? And could it have once harbored – or could it still harbor -- life?
"We've never even sent a spacecraft there," says Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director. "This is a first reconnaissance of an entirely new world."
The planet has been like "your secretive neighbor. Ceres would tell us nothing," says Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell of the University of California, Los Angeles. "Everything we're seeing was unexpected."
Among the most unexpected sights are the two astonishingly bright spots nestled in a crater on Ceres's surface. Photographed by Dawn's camera Feb. 19, the dots have the experts buzzing with speculation. Maybe a direct hit from an asteroid -- a space rock – excavated some buried ice. Maybe the bright spots are a sheen of minerals deposited by gushing geysers.
The spots "are unique in the solar system," Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission said at a NASA briefing Monday. "The mystery will be solved, but it's really got us at the edge of our seats."
Like the big boys of the solar system, Ceres first took shape some 4-1/2 billion years ago from gas and dust. Unlike the true planets, Ceres froze in a state of arrested development, never growing beyond roughly a third the size of our moon.
Ceres "made it to the last rank before planet," says planetary scientist Andy Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who has studied the body. "The planets formed out of things that were Ceres-sized." Ceres, he says, can teach us what it takes to build an object such as the icy moons adorning some of the solar system's bigger planets.
Though it's not a full-fledged planet, Ceres does merit the consolation title of "dwarf planet," a title awarded to round bodies that, though big, are too small to make everything else get out of their way. Ceres is one of only known five dwarf planets – Pluto is another – and the first to host an orbiting spacecraft.
Scientists know that Ceres once had an icy ocean at its core and probably still does. But it's also possible that radioactivity inside the planet melted some of the ice, creating a lake or a sea. Dawn will look for a liquid ocean.
If it's there, says Dawn science team member Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, that "raises the question, if water equals life, could life have evolved under the surface of Ceres?" He and others agree that Ceres may once have been hospitable to life, though it may no longer be so.
Just because Ceres is intriguing doesn't mean it was easy to mount an expedition there. NASA canceled Dawn twice, recalls Russell, one of the mission's founders. One cancellation came on Christmas Eve; Russell learned about the second cancellation at his mother's funeral.
After finally launching in 2007, the $473-million Dawn made a successful trip to the space rock Vesta before heading to Ceres. But the sailing hasn't always been smooth. Two of the gyroscope-like devices that help point the craft in the right direction have failed. Radioactive particles zapped the ship, triggering a cascade of problems.
Inventive engineering got the spacecraft back on its feet, and it's now expected to collect even more data at Ceres than originally planned, Rayman says.
When it starts to orbit Ceres, Dawn will become the first spacecraft in history to orbit two extraterrestrial objects, a feat impossible without its high-tech propulsion system. Like the TIE fighters in "Star Wars," Dawn is powered by so-called ion engines, which rely on electrically charged atoms called ions to push the craft ahead. The engines are far more efficient than conventional rocket engines, allowing the spacecraft to cover some 3 billion miles on a very small amount of fuel.
Dawn will study Ceres until at least mid-2016. The official end of its mission has not yet been determined. One thing is clear, Raymond said: "Discoveries lie ahead."
Its destination is also pure Hollywood: a pockmarked world with a frozen subterranean sea and perhaps a few geysers.
But this is no movie. The ship is NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which has scudded smoothly through the solar system for 7-1/2 years on its enormous wing-like solar panels. On Friday at roughly 7:20 a.m. ET, it will slip into orbit around a mini-planet named Ceres, which lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Dawn's job is to tell all about Ceres, which was discovered more than 200 years ago but has let slip very little about itself. Does it have polar ice caps? Does it have a liquid ocean? And could it have once harbored – or could it still harbor -- life?
"We've never even sent a spacecraft there," says Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director. "This is a first reconnaissance of an entirely new world."
The planet has been like "your secretive neighbor. Ceres would tell us nothing," says Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell of the University of California, Los Angeles. "Everything we're seeing was unexpected."
Among the most unexpected sights are the two astonishingly bright spots nestled in a crater on Ceres's surface. Photographed by Dawn's camera Feb. 19, the dots have the experts buzzing with speculation. Maybe a direct hit from an asteroid -- a space rock – excavated some buried ice. Maybe the bright spots are a sheen of minerals deposited by gushing geysers.
The spots "are unique in the solar system," Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission said at a NASA briefing Monday. "The mystery will be solved, but it's really got us at the edge of our seats."
Like the big boys of the solar system, Ceres first took shape some 4-1/2 billion years ago from gas and dust. Unlike the true planets, Ceres froze in a state of arrested development, never growing beyond roughly a third the size of our moon.
Ceres "made it to the last rank before planet," says planetary scientist Andy Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who has studied the body. "The planets formed out of things that were Ceres-sized." Ceres, he says, can teach us what it takes to build an object such as the icy moons adorning some of the solar system's bigger planets.
Though it's not a full-fledged planet, Ceres does merit the consolation title of "dwarf planet," a title awarded to round bodies that, though big, are too small to make everything else get out of their way. Ceres is one of only known five dwarf planets – Pluto is another – and the first to host an orbiting spacecraft.
Scientists know that Ceres once had an icy ocean at its core and probably still does. But it's also possible that radioactivity inside the planet melted some of the ice, creating a lake or a sea. Dawn will look for a liquid ocean.
If it's there, says Dawn science team member Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, that "raises the question, if water equals life, could life have evolved under the surface of Ceres?" He and others agree that Ceres may once have been hospitable to life, though it may no longer be so.
Just because Ceres is intriguing doesn't mean it was easy to mount an expedition there. NASA canceled Dawn twice, recalls Russell, one of the mission's founders. One cancellation came on Christmas Eve; Russell learned about the second cancellation at his mother's funeral.
After finally launching in 2007, the $473-million Dawn made a successful trip to the space rock Vesta before heading to Ceres. But the sailing hasn't always been smooth. Two of the gyroscope-like devices that help point the craft in the right direction have failed. Radioactive particles zapped the ship, triggering a cascade of problems.
Inventive engineering got the spacecraft back on its feet, and it's now expected to collect even more data at Ceres than originally planned, Rayman says.
When it starts to orbit Ceres, Dawn will become the first spacecraft in history to orbit two extraterrestrial objects, a feat impossible without its high-tech propulsion system. Like the TIE fighters in "Star Wars," Dawn is powered by so-called ion engines, which rely on electrically charged atoms called ions to push the craft ahead. The engines are far more efficient than conventional rocket engines, allowing the spacecraft to cover some 3 billion miles on a very small amount of fuel.
Dawn will study Ceres until at least mid-2016. The official end of its mission has not yet been determined. One thing is clear, Raymond said: "Discoveries lie ahead."
giovedì 5 marzo 2015
The 10 richest women in the world in 2015
1. Christy Walton
Christy Walton is the richest woman in the world. Eighth in the general list. The widow of John Walton has achieved the distinction of special annual ranking of Forbes obtained through inheritance from her husband for a share of the grocery chain Wal-Mart. In 2015, his fortune is about $ 41 billion.
2. Liliane Bettencourt
Liliane Bettencourt, daughter of the founder of L'Oreal, is on the second place, the tenth overall, with assets of $ 40 million.
3. Alice Walton
Alice Walton, daughter of the first in the list Christy and sister of John, heiress of the empire Wal-Mart, is in third place with a total of assets amounting to over 39 billion dollars.
4. Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars, the entrepreneur who owes his success to desserts (remember Mars?) Finished in fourth post in the standings with a total of 26.6 billion of dollori.
5. Maria Franca Fixed
Maria Franca Fissolo
In fifth place among the richest women in the world, and thirty on a general scale, there is the Italian Maria Franca Fissolo. The widow of the late Michele Ferrero, owner of the eponymous company, has assets of 23 billion D dollars.
6. Laurene Powell Jobs
Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, is sixth in the ranking of the richest women, 45th in the overall standings. Its heritage (thanks to Apple and Disney) is 19.5 billion dollars
7. Anne Cox Chambers
Anne Cox Chambers is seventh in the standings, the owner of Cox Enterprises, active in the media sector, has assets of $ 17 billion
8. Susanne Klatten
The businesswoman German BMW, Susanne Klatten is square in eighth place in the ranking of the richest women in the world with 16.8 billion dollars
9. Johanna Quandt
Johanna Quandt (born in 1926), mother of the aforementioned Susanne Klatten (always BMW), came in at ninth place in the ranking of the richest women in the world. The assets of 13.9 billion dollars.
10. Iris Fontbona
Iris Fontbona, widow of Andronico Luksic, with assets of $ 13.5 billion closes the ranking of the top ten richest women in the world.
The '' Conspiracy Theory '
Back in vogue a video of President Vladimir Putin, host of a TV talk show.
During the debate, dated 2012, Putin warns that has for 10 years who are trying to trap the Putin government, and the president is certain that kill someone famous .. and then accuse his government, demonize and finally overthrow.
The forecast of Putin did not go just so 'far from reality. Nemtsov was sacrificing?
Fort russo
During the debate, dated 2012, Putin warns that has for 10 years who are trying to trap the Putin government, and the president is certain that kill someone famous .. and then accuse his government, demonize and finally overthrow.
The forecast of Putin did not go just so 'far from reality. Nemtsov was sacrificing?
"I'm capable of anything" .. adds.
Fort russo
Maleficent with Angelina Jolie: 16 curiosity about the Disney movies
Cheekbones silicone applied to the face of the actress to her daughter Vivienne in the shoes of the little Aurora, here are some details on the feature film signed Robert Stromberg
Maleficentreinventa Sleeping Beauty, classic Disney cartoon of 1959, and focuses on the bad fairy, Maleficent, played by a beautiful Angelina Jolie. Starting from his adolescence, the live-action feature film asks who is the witch who condemned to eternal sleep Princess newborn and why it is so embittered against King Stephen.
We have already written the controversial charm of the film (the review here), and also showed a video excerpt and peeked neldietro the scenes of the shooting. Here we present some curious elements, which also help to understand the amount of work that is behind a similar feature.
1) On the face of Angelina Jolie were applied cheekbones, nose and ears of silicone, filled with gel, created so that they followed the nuances of the features of the actress. Cheekbones fake measuring less than 6 mm in their thickest point and only 1cm wide.
2) The whole process of application of the prosthesis, including the extension to the hair, which required half an hour, lasted four hours every morning.
3) Angelina Jolie has much contributed ideas and directions to her look. For example for the headgear of Maleficent wanted something that would cover the head and all the hair, but that was not a turban or a cloth wrapped around the head. And she was the first to want the applications and a different nose in the face.
4) The Maleficent Angelina Jolie wearing contact lens hand-drawn. "Angelina has designed," said Rick Baker makeup designer. "The lenses have been hand painted by an artist, a true expert in his field. I have a co-worker who always does this work for us; we did take pictures of the eye and we have amplified a little 'effect."
5) In the short scene of the encounter between Aurora and Maleficent to five years, the little princess is played by Vivienne, the gemellina daughter Jolie-Pitt. Angelina said the choice was almost inevitable given that his daughter was the only child who was not afraid of her as a witch, and that came near. In small roles appear also the two oldest sons Pax and Zahara.
6) The song that accompanies the titles of colda is an unreleased version of Once Upon a Dream, known melody fairytale of the animated film of 1959, Sleeping Beauty, sung by Lana Del Rey. The singer was chosen by Jolie.
7) The origins of Maleficent as a female personification of evil are unclear. The story of Basile brings us a Queen cruel, jealous and vindictive, married to the King and to this place in the royal family which, however, inflicts a curse. In Perrault, who introduced the element of the fascinating prince whose kiss could break the spell, the evil was represented by a bad fairy. Maleficent invented as we know it today the writers and animators of the twentieth century and the actress Eleanor Audley, who was taken as a reference in the flesh to make the witch in The Sleeping Beauty in 1959 and was also voice actress.
8) To make the cartoon Disney Sleeping Beauty in 1959, it took ten years and $ 6 million: it was the most expensive film made by Studios until then.
9) In the magical world of bleak or Maleficent director Robert Stromberg was inspired by classic paintings, in particular to the painters of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the artists of the Hudson River School and their landscapes accentuated, almost exasperated in their vastness.
10) To create the clothes of the film, for the kingdom of Heath populated by mythical creatures and the kingdom of men, costume designer Anna B. Sheppard, known for his work in Schindler's List and The Pianist, studied fashion XV century in France and Italy, examining paintings, sketches and sculptures various. In all were handmade over 2000 dresses. For only Sharlto Copley, who plays King Stephen, have been created 35.
11) The horns, 30 centimeters high, have been a major problem because of the look had to be read and functional so that Angelina reciting and moved with ease. Baker and his team have created digital sculptures of at least four different versions of horns. Then were carved digitally, was chosen the preferred model and the team worked on the basis of that plan. Are made of urethane resin, very light and thin.
"After several tests, we finally chose a large cap on which rest the horns and their base of about 2 inches," said Baker. "The rest of the horns is applied with a magnet. We have used very strong magnets to hold them but this way we could also remove them between takes and the other." Also from the point of view of safety, the magnet has proved an excellent solution, such as when Jolie was engaged in stunts on set. "If bumped against something, the horns fell off easily. But this has forced us to make several duplicates, because when the magnets falling to the ground, broke. There we also had horns rubber to be used for scenes busiest, so we were sure that no one would get hurt. "
12) The Maleficent Maleficent has green skin seen in Sleeping Beauty. "We wanted that Maleficent had a look anyway pleasant, alluring," said Baker. "It was an important aspect for us and we did not want a look that could make you think of a strange creature. Create an appearance in which to recognize it felt was the right choice for this film. "
13) For the Maleficent Angelina were created six different hats that reflect the different seasons and the various scenes. There is a summer look, with python skin; during the baptism wearing a turban instead of skin with horns lined with leather. There is a spring look that is a narrow strip of leather sewn together to create a ribbed effect, then painted and lacquered. Then there is the headdress made with stingray leather and lined on the sides.
14) The filmmakers decided that the creatures belonging to the fairy world have Celtic origins, why Sam Riley, who plays the raven Foso, had to take lessons in Irish dialect. "The Irish accent or even Scottish, helps to add a kind of playfulness to interpretation," said the actor.
15) Shooting began on 11 June 2012 and lasted five months, mostly made in England at Pinewood Studios, in six recording studios and thousands of square meters of outdoor areas to Studios and fenced areas outdoors to complete filming. They were built about 40 sets of different sizes, from 4 to 1,500 square feet. Have been recreated so many different environments, from the picturesque landscapes typical of Northern Europe to entire castles, to mellow the world of fairy tales. The large room which is the background to the baptism of Aurora included authentic antiques and drew on the design of the original film: was built in 14 weeks and its construction required the use of 250 workers and an artistic division composed 20 professionals. "
16) Juno Temple, who plays the fairy Verdelia, was chosen by Stromberg. When it was decided to have a fairy younger than the other two, blonde and curly, the director, a former designer of Alice in Wonderland, he immediately thought of her because she had known comeuna of the finalists for the role of Alice in the film by Burton ....
mercoledì 4 marzo 2015
Ukrainian diplomat: Kiev is preparing for a full-scale war with Russia
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadim Pristayko said they prepare for a "total war" with Russia and calls to Canada, where until last autumn was ambassador, to provide lethal weapons and train the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian diplomat has said in an interview with the Canadian radio CBC.
Vadim Pristayko until last autumn was the ambassador of Ukraine in Canada.
Bulgaria ease visa regime for citizens of Russia and some CIS countries
Bulgaria simplifies visa regime for citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia.This decision was taken by the Minister of Tourism and Nikolina Angelkova by Interior Minister Daniel Mitov in a meeting at the ministry of tourism, reports the news portal Truth Bulgarian.
The decision came on the eve of the beginning of the tourist season, with the aim to attract more tourists from the former CIS countries, notes the portal.
ISIS extremists destroy precious works of art
The "Islamic state" has posted a video in which the extremists destroy some valuable artifacts preserved in the museum of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.
In the video the jihadists killed and then grind some large statues.
In the video the jihadists killed and then grind some large statues.
Among the objects destroyed there is a winged bull of an artist of the ninth century BC Assyrian
The caption accompanying the video says that the objects in question are "false idols", therefore Mohammed wants to be destroyed.
Sputnik starts talking Italian
"Sputnik is a modern means of communication that is different from other media in the first place for the choice of themes for the view, for the conception of the world," says the service activities of the information agency Sputnik Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the Agency.
The quality of the information published on the site it.sputniknews.com, at the rate of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is given both by the high level of professionalism of its journalists from the use of multimedia formats. The site provides the reader content varied: infographics, video, photo essays, direct online, internet voting. Besides giving news quickly, Sputnik offers its public also analytical materials, exclusive interviews, expert opinions.
Sputnik (sputniknews.com) is an agency of information and a radio with hub multimedia information in dozens of countries. Sputnik includes sites, broadcasting, mobile applications and pages on social networks. For members, the news streams Sputnik out round the clock in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.
Expo and beautiful life, Italy remains in the hearts of Russians
The economic situation and global politics not for optimism, however there are data bucking. This is the report "Hotel Price Index" of known booking site Hotels.com reveals that among the Italian cities remain among the most loved and appreciated by the Russians.Of course, in recent months the ruble crisis and international tension led to a decline in the flow of Russian tourists, but there are some signs of optimism compared to proseguio of 2015, explains Giulio Gargiullo, marketing manager for over ten years engaged in business between Italy and Russia:
It 'true that the fall of the ruble, which hit prevalentamente the Russian middle class, has a negative impact on the purchasing power and reduces the global numbers, but it must be said that at the bureaucratic level, through cross-year tourism in 2014 Italian consulates in Russia have released an unprecedented number of visas, mostly one-year or three years. This means that potentially the number of Russian visitors interested in coming in Italy remains consistent.
That the "beautiful country" always attracts Russian visitors, it is no secret. Nor is it certain interchangeability in the way of being and living that links Italians and Russians. Italy has what Russia and the Russians or perhaps would like to have, but to a greater extent and the sun, good food, a lifestyle that appreciates the simplicity and the small pleasures of everyday life. If we transform these clichés in real places, comes out the list drawn up by 'Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, which shows that in 2014 Roma ousted Paris as a preferred destination in the world by Russian tourists, while Milan is a close seventh.
Scrolling through the boot discover that after Rome in the top-10 of the most visited by the Russians in Italy there are, in order: Venice, Milan, Florence, Sorrento, Naples, Verona, Turin, Pisa and Alghero. For the next few months the expectation of the industry is facing in Milan, thanks to events such as the Salone del Mobile in April and the EXPO in May will become the gateway to Italy for visitors from around the world, as precise Gargiullo:
Will be instrumental in hotel, tourism and businesses exploit the great wave of at least 20 million visitors, of which at least 6-8 million foreign tourists in most arriving in our country thanks to the Universal Exhibition Expo 2015. The main countries of origin of Tourists will be the world China and the US, Europe, France, Germany and the UK. Russia is eagerly awaited: her pavilion is one of the four major EXPO and the mayor of Milan Pisapia just recently thanked the Russian delegation, defining the pavilion one of the most beautiful countries present.
Russia and Italy are so good partners globally, by virtue of the strong historical ties, but also economic and social. The hope of all is that the visit of Matteo Renzi to Vladimir Putin, scheduled for early March, to reaffirm this trend, to meet the expectations of ordinary people, but also of economic operators, especially in sectors like agribusiness and tourism, where the impact of the political situation in place (read sanctions) are harder.
The Russian vaccine against Ebola will be ready by 2016
The Russian vaccine against Ebola will be ready for use by the beginning of 2016, have informed the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
There are ongoing preclinical studies to determine the safety and tolerability of the vaccine, as well as to determine what dose of the drug is optimal.
Next March Russia will be ready to declare the World Health Organization (WHO) his willingness to test the vaccine on humans.
The USA will pay $ 1 billion for the engines Russians
The president of the Russian aerospace company Energia Vladimir Solntsev and AD The US company Orbital Sciences Corporation David Thompson signed a contract for direct supply of engines for rockets designed and manufactured by the Research Center Energomash.
The value of the contract for the supply of 60 "RD-181" is about $ 1 billion.
The first two engines will be delivered to the American buyer next June. The drafting of the contract required three years.
According Solntsev, the range of engines is built on one principle technology: can be mounted on rockets class lightweight and super-heavy.
NATO military parade in Estonia, on the border with Russia
Tanks of several NATO countries, including the USA who hoisted the Stars and Stripes, marched in a military parade on Tuesday in Estonia, in the city of Narva, a few miles from the Russian border.
The soldiers of the US Army's Second Cavalry Regiment took part in the military parade to celebrate the Independence Day of Estonia.
The event was also attended by Swedish CV90 tanks, sold by the Dutch government to Estonia towards the end of 2008, LAV-25 US M93 Fox based on the frame of the German TPZ Fuchs, M998 humvees, artillery and material support as a tanker truck , field ambulances and radios.
"History has taught us that if we do not defend yourself, no one will do it for us," said General Riho Teras, chief of Estonia.
"The purpose is to make a very visible demonstration for our allies. We can take a little 'more time to implement the image forces lighter, but there's nothing like a tank, if you really want to get an effect. " The words of Captain John Farmer, the First Brigade Combat Team and accountable governance for Ironhorse, they sound like a provocation or warning to Russia from the Baltic countries.
General Knud Bartels, head of the Military Committee of NATO, things worse by declaring: "We will have the right forces and the right equipment in the right place at the right time."
Narva is a city located about 100 km from St. Petersburg and most of the inhabitants, 81% are of Russian origin. The Russians have not forgotten how easy it is invading their country through this relatively flat, like Ukraine or Belarus, for the same roads taken by the armies of Napoleon and Hitler. Just in Narva in 1700 began the Great Northern War, the first shipments of Modern Europe against Russia, which would end 20 years after the defeat of the army of Charles XII at Poltava, Ukraine.
According to statements made by the military, we have witnessed a symbolic act that highlights the stakes for both sides, during the worst tensions between the West and Russia since the Cold War.
martedì 3 marzo 2015
Puffolandia Pandora Atlantis Avalon, England Shangri la, India Wonderland The forest god Cervo Middle-earth The Castle in the Sky The Kingdom of Oz Timbuktu
The most beautiful places created by the imagination of man, from literature to cinema. Some, however, may also exist in reality. The incredible Pandora from Avatar is located in China in Zhangjiajie National Park.
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| Puffolandia |
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| Pandora |
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| Atlantis |
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| Avalon, England |
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| Shangri la, India |
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| Wonderland |
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| The forest god Cervo |
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| Middle-earth |
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| The Castle in the Sky |
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| The Kingdom of Oz |
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| Timbuktu |
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