Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://twitter.com/cryanbarber/statuses/230000575427772416
Marissa Mayer Jon Lord weather.com cnn yahoo news weather radar foxnews
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
CDA's hub of a high-tech dream : North Idaho Business Journal
By MIKE PATRICK
NIBJ writer
SHAWN GUST/NIBJ
Rob Berger, president of HubWorks Interactive, left, and Aaron Gabriel, vice president of the Coeur d?Alene technology company.
?
The spacious offices occupying the third floor of McEuen Terrace look like the owners couldn?t make up their minds if this would be a place to work or play.
Or maybe merging the two was the whole idea.
A putter leans against a wall with an electronic golf hole a potential two-putt away. In the heart of the main office, a ping-pong table and silver Foosball game are framed by attractive furniture. You can see a couple of guitars from that central vantage point; big screen TVs and a Polk sound system are off at the moment, but you can imagine the HubWorks team huddled around to watch The Big Game or blasting tunes when the mood strikes.
Against a wall adorned with inspirational quotes is an un-Heismanlike trophy, honoring company President Rob Berger as the two-time defending fantasy football champ of the HubWorks world.
Everything about the place smacks of success, of laboring in the lap of luxury. But the truth is, this high tech rocket is yet to take off. Started in 2009 by three Coeur d?Alene guys who knew each other from their days at Lake City High School, HubWorks has developed an iPad-delivered customer order product for restaurants and bars that is being piloted in the Minneapolis area and in Hollywood, Calif.
?We?ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this,? said the 29-year-old Berger, son of Nighthawk Radiology founder Paul Berger. ?There was a time we lacked a little confidence, I?ll admit. But now it?s not a matter of if it?s going to happen anymore. It?s when.?
Behind Berger in the glass-enclosed HubWorks conference room is a whiteboard with the names of nine restaurant chains. The HubWorks braintrust, primarily Berger and his fellow co-founders, Aaron Gabriel and Sam Winter, project annual revenue from their product will range from $1.2 million to $10 million or more ? per chain. That?s based on roughly $1,000 per establishment per month. In the case of Buffalo Wild Wings, which has been piloting the product at two of its Minneapolis-area restaurants for about four months, a successful test run could lead to HubWorks-powered iPads in many of its 800-plus locations.
But the multiplier could be even greater.
?This is a conservative industry that?s often stuck in their ways,? Berger said. If you can un-stick just one chain, he said, its competitors are likely quick to follow suit.
Ever since they played baseball together at LCHS ? Gabriel was a pitcher and Berger, the catcher ? they stayed in touch even though college took them in different directions. A bad customer experience as an undergrad in Boston started an idea for a new product germinating in Berger?s brain.
?In Boston you?ll go to a sports bar and you can?t get a drink,? he explained of packed places where wait staff was stretched way too thin. ?Later on I thought, ?This is a broken system and there?s a chance for us to change it.??
The pitcher/catcher combo joined up with Winter ? ?at Lake City he was our geeky friend? ? and they dove into researching the feasibility of a product that would not only speed up customers? orders, but enrich the customers? overall experience.
?We?ve all seen the kiosks that have been around since the 1990s, but our idea was different,? said Gabriel. Unfortunately, it wasn?t unique. The young men learned that one other company was doing something very similar.
?I called my dad and said, ?Somebody?s already doing this,?? said Berger. But rather than suggest his son aim in a different direction, the elder Berger encouraged him to pursue it, pointing out that what their research showed was proof of market demand.
SHAWN GUST/NIBJ
HubWorks has a hefty appetite for restaurant and bar business and a tablet-based product that has several chains drooling.
?
With Rob putting up seed money and Paul Berger stepping in as one of three primary angel investors ? another is Bill Allen, former CEO of Outback Steakhouse ? HubWorks had enough capital to build a solid foundation. The Coeur d?Alene-based staff is 20 people, a dozen of them designers and developers who are constantly honing the product while the others are geared to sales and service.
With orders going directly to someone at the bar or in the kitchen, fears of servers being replaced are unfounded, Berger said. In fact, tips at the pilot sites have gone up since the devices were employed, he said. The reason: Servers have more time to actually help their guests, rather than constantly running back and forth on fools? errands.
?it?s a shift in job description, with the focus on high-quality service,? Berger said.
More importantly, overall sales receipts have increased significantly: 10 to 20 percent, Berger said. Gabriel and Berger say sales have gone up because customers don?t have to wait for a server to come to their table to order another beer, for instance; they order whenever they?re ready. Further, the device prompts customers to add bacon to a burger for another buck, or order some other add-on that directly boosts the business?s bottom line.
While they?re young ? the oldest employees at HubWorks are 41 and 39, respectively ? the team at HubWorks is old enough to think beyond their own success. They?re hoping to be part of something great on the Coeur d?Alene economic front. Gabriel and Berger spoke enthusiastically about how Bozeman, Mont., has become a powerful incubator for innovative tech start-ups.
?Some people with a little bit of money in Bozeman said, ?Let?s make some jobs,?? Gabriel said of start-up investors there. ?Hopefully, that?s what happens here: We create a hub.?
HubWorks for happy customers
Here?s how it works:
The server comes to the customers? table where a HubWorks iPad is anchored or passed around. The server shows how the device is used, if the customers are unfamiliar with it, and builds rapport while answering questions.
In addition to offering everything on the menu from drinks and appetizers to main courses, the HubWorks iPad integrates other elements from the restaurant, including memorabilia and music. At each step of the ordering process, the customer sees pictures and descriptions of the menu items and their prices. When done ordering, not only is the total including taxes listed, but an adjustable bar allows the customer to add the tip, which defaults to 20 percent if no other number is selected. If paying by credit card the customer can check out without delay. A final page encourages the customers to rate their experience, and a low rating prompts managers instantly so they can talk to dissatisfied customers before they leave.
But one of the most intriguing features from HubWorks is that while customers are waiting for their food and drinks, the iPad offers Facebook and other social media, video games, access to stock quotes and news from CNN and sports from ESPN. After enjoying their drinks or meals, customers can reach a local taxi service from their HubWorks device.
?It?s a captive environment for the restaurant,? said HubWorks President Rob Berger.
And yes, Berger says the company is likely to use the devices at some point for other lucrative revenue streams, like data mining from customers? email addresses to using the iPads for advertising.
Source: http://nibusinessjournal.com/2012/07/cdas-hub-of-a-high-tech-dream/
weight watchers rawhide bigfoot sandra dee twilight zone december 21 2012 mayan calendar
wunderground: Tornado Warning for Wakulla County in FL until 7:15 PM EDT http://t.co/JMiYJhfF
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://twitter.com/wunderground/statuses/229708057188368385
eric cantor pope joan pope joan paul pierce strawberry festival knicks strikeforce tate vs rousey
North India power failure; Metro outage
Agencies
Posted: Monday, Jul 30, 2012 at 0853 hrs IST
New Delhi: Most parts of North India are reeling under severe power outage since early morning today, due to collapse of Northern electricity transmission grid. The collapse of the Northern power grid impacted public transport systems including, Railways and Delhi Metro, while normalcy is likely to return by afternoon.
"The fault is not known as yet... somewhere near Agra, a failure has happened. We will enquire that," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
Even though the exact reason for the grid failure is yet to be ascertained, official sources that many lines tripped and there could be even be the possibility of over withdrawal of power by some states.
"A lot of load has been restored, especially for the essential services such as Railways. The connectivity of thermal plants (supplying power to Northern region) to the grid is expected to be fully restored in the next four to five hours," POSOCO Chief Executive Officer S K Soonee
... contd.
Source: http://financialexpress.com/news/north-india-power-failure;-metro-outage/981359/
ncaa bowl schedule ncaa bowl schedule farrah abraham whats going on bowl projections bedlam bedlam
Monday, July 30, 2012
NYC movie, pin-up collection slated for auction
NYC movie, pin-up collection slated for auction
By ULA ILNYTZKYBy ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press?
?In this Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo, Ira Kramer, nephew of the original Movie Star News founder Irving Klaw, holds a boot that once belonged to pin-up legend Bettie Page, at the New York shop. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo, Ira Kramer, nephew of the original Movie Star News founder Irving Klaw, holds a boot that once belonged to pin-up legend Bettie Page, at the New York shop. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo, Ira Kramer, nephew of the original Movie Star News founder Irving Klaw, looks over movie posters packed for transport, at the shop in New York. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo, Ira Kramer, nephew of the original Movie Star News founder Irving Klaw, looks over movie posters packed for transport, at the shop in New York. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo, Ira Kramer, nephew of the original Movie Star News founder Irving Klaw, poses for photos outside the New York shop. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
This Wednesday, July 25, 2012 photo shows an open file cabinet containing images of actress Marilyn Monroe at Movie Star News in New York. Movie Star News, a New York institution since 1939 credited with creating the concept of pin-up art, has been shuttered, and with it nearly 3-million Hollywood-related posters, vintage photographs and original negatives are destined for a different future. Last week, the Manhattan store announced it had sold its entire inventory, including 1,500 original bondage images of the ?Queen of Pin-Ups? Bettie Page, to two partners of a Las Vegas collectibles company for an undisclosed sum. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Movie Star News amassed a staggering amount of film stills, posters and negatives over the past 73 years ? nearly 3 million, including 1,500 prints of Bettie Page, known as the queen of pin-ups. But last week, the once-lively store in lower Manhattan was lifeless. The classic movie posters that once covered its narrow 2,000-square-foot space were rolled up or covered in cellophane, its bins and racks empty. Everything was packed up in cardboard boxes that lined the floor.
The legendary Manhattan store credited with creating pin-up art had sold its entire inventory to a Las Vegas collectibles company.
The collection, regarded as one of the largest of its kind, is headed for the auction block. It will be sold in a series of sales slated to begin next year. The bulk of the collection covers the years 1939 to 1979; 11,500 movies and 5,000 actors are represented.
"This is the most important photo archive of Hollywood in existence. There are tens of thousands of negatives that have never been reproduced," said Stuart Scheinman, co-owner of Entertainment Collectibles, which bought the collection. "There are images here that have never been seen by the public."
There are 2,000 original prints and negatives of Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, 1,000 of Gary Cooper, 400 of Bette Davis, hundreds of movie images of "The Godfather" and "Gone With the Wind."
"This could literally take five to 10 years to go through it all," Scheinman said. He would only say the company purchased the collection for "seven figures." Its true value was anyone's guess, but he believed it easily was worth $150 million.
Movie Star News produced 8-by-10 glossy prints from the negatives, selling each for a few dollars in the store and through the mail. But the Internet has significantly cut down on demand.
"I make references to things when customers come in, and they have no idea what I'm talking about," said Ira Kramer, who took over the business that his mother, Paula, and uncle Irving Klaw, started in 1939. "Today, if you want a picture of a star you can go on the computer and download it. So what do you need me for?"
"The maintenance of the collection has been fastidious ... the way a fine library would maintain material," said Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey's and in charge of selling the collection.
As far back as the 1940s, Movie Star News had a mailing list of 100,000 names. World War II soldiers were big customers, buying prints for their lockers, Kramer said.
The entrepreneurial Klaw, who died in 1966, hit on the idea of selling pictures of Hollywood stars while operating a movie bookstore.
"He noticed that kids were tearing out the pictures of the movie stars, so he decided to sell their pictures rather than the books," Kramer said. Klaw started dealing directly with movie studios, RKO, Columbia and others, located in those days along Eleventh Avenue.
"He made arrangements to buy from them whatever they didn't want ... original negatives, original prints of 'Citizen Kane,' 'Three Stooges,'" he said. The studios were more than happy to be rid of the stuff for which they had no room.
Kramer's mother was the one who took the pin-up shots. But it was Klaw who launched that side of the business after a man approached him about making him a set of photographs of skimpily-clad girls posing with whips and ropes, said Kramer.
Page was Klaw's favorite model, and a suitcase of the 7-inch heels she wore in the photos, plus other bondage props, will be included in the auction.
The photos were tame by today's standards. In fact, the models were required to wear two pairs of underwear. But the FBI continuously harassed Klaw and he had to appear before the 1955 Senate Subcommittee on Obscene and Pornographic Materials.
"It was a big headache," Kramer said. Klaw finally decided to burn all the pin-up material ? but Paula Klaw saved a lot of it.
___
Online:
Guernsey's: www.guernseys.com
Associated Press
bachelor finale courtney robertson ben flajnik randy moss randy moss hunger games premiere the bachelor
Grace Church Pastors Blog: Cross Cultural Ministry
Cross Cultural Ministry
Denise Belk was one of the 20 team member is San Jorge, Nicaragua last week. Below, she talks about some things she was learning about cross-cultural ministry while they were still abroad. The Grace Church members were in Nicaragua for a full week of ministering through medical clinics, construction projects, children's ministry, and pastoral training. At debrief this week, the question was raised, "Why do we care about cross cultural missions?" As I was reading my Bible, God led me to Romans 1:8-15. I was surprised and amazed to find an example of cross cultural missions, penned by Paul, nearly two thousand years ago. It was really cool to think about this passage in light of my experience in Nicaragua this week. Even before sophisticated communication, the fate of the Roman church was discussed throughout the world. Now through technology, word of the Nicaraguan church is being spread in SC, Kenya and anywhere else that folks look at the Grace Church website. What a testimony to the breadth and depth of God's family. What a testimony to the faith of the Nicaragua church and the faithfulness of the God we serve. Paul was connected to the Roman church in several ways. Even though he was Jewish, he was committed to praying for these believers. The Jewish culture and the tradition of Paul was vastly different from that of the Gentile Romans. Yet they found a common bond through Christ. Longing to visit the Roman believers, Paul had spiritual gifts to offer the Romans. He desired to help the believers to grow stronger in their faith. He desired to encourage them and to see them produce spiritual fruit. But it wasn't from a position of superiority that he made his offer. He expected to receive encouragement as well. He was willing to work among them and help them succeed. He was committed to a deep connection with these people who in so many ways were different from himself. I have been part of the team this week that looks very much like Paul's mission. We have mature believers teaching Pastors to lead churches to a stronger faith in the Lord and thus produce spiritual fruit. Our teachers are committed to praying for these local leaders and are forging strong relationships across geographical, linguistic, and cultural divides. We have people helping to construct a wall for the physical church, ministering to fatherless children and meeting medical needs. All of this work is being done alongside the Nicaraguan believers--the educated and uneducated alike. And have I been encouraged? YES! The love, joy and contentment that flow from these believers have been extraordinary. The blessings they receive from a slower and simpler life have led me to analyze my own life. The strength of their relationships to one another and their willingness to include me have been humbling. I only know Sesame Street Spanish and yet love and acceptance have been clearly communicated as we work together to the common goal of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. So why do cross cultural missions? We do it to give a blessing, to receive a blessing and to be united for the purpose of giving God glory by proclaiming his Son to the world.
?
Source: http://gracechurchscpastors.blogspot.com/2012/07/cross-cultural-ministry.html
People Water dwight howard Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012 Ramadan 2012 Michelle Jenneke News
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Why are all these conservatives beating up on Mitt Romney?
Mitt Romney has been taking flak from some prominent conservatives. They want to see a specific plan for the economy, and some say the fancy vacation home feeds the rich-guy image.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann have Bailey's Bubble ice cream in Wolfeboro, N.H., with family as they continue their vacation from the campaign trail.
Charles Dharapak/AP
Enlarge?With friends like these,? Mitt Romney must be thinking, ?who needs enemies??
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Probably not, because it looks like the Romney clan is having too much fun boating and barbecuing at their vacation compound up on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been taking flak from some prominent sources among his normally-supportive fellow conservatives.
On ?Fox News Sunday,? it was Weekly Standard editor William Kristol. He said Romney needs to do more than just cite the nation?s economic woes as reason enough to oust President Obama. He needs to articulate a plan, Kristol said, not only on the economy but on other key issues including health care.
Mitt Romney: top 5 attacks on President Obama
It worries him, he said, that Obama is ?holding his own? in polls despite three months of disappointing jobs figures. More to the point, Kristol pointed out, only 27 percent of those polled by Fox News think Romney has a clear plan for improving the economy.
?I don't think you can beat an incumbent president even if the economy?s slow if 27 percent of the voters think you as the challenger don't have a clear plan for improving the economy,? he said.
Earlier in the week, Kristol was more explicit in his Weekly Standard blog.
?Voters?want to hear what Romney is going to?do?about the economy,? he wrote. ?He can ?speak about? how bad the economy is all he wants ? though Americans are already well aware of the economy's problems ? but doesn't the content of what Romney has to say matter? What is his economic growth agenda? His deficit reform agenda? His health care reform agenda? His tax reform agenda? His replacement for Dodd-Frank??
Kristol isn?t the only one poking Romney.
The headline on a piece by Forbes columnist John Tamny (which was mainly critical of Obama) reads ?It's Time For Mitt Romney And His Economic Team To Grow Up.?
"When is Romney going to look like a?challenger? Seems to play everything safe,? conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch recently tweeted. Obama ?will be hard to beat unless [Romney] drops old friends from team and hires some real pros.?
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch concurred, tweeting ?Hope Mitt Romney is listening to Murdoch advice..playing in league with Chicago pols..No room for amateurs.?
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham wondered why Romney was taking time off for a vacation when ?we have a country to save,? suggesting that he should ?get out there on the trail and?get off the jet ski.?
In its response to the question of whether the health care mandate penalty is a ?tax? on those who chose not to have health care insurance, the Wall Street Journal charged, ?the [Romney] campaign looks confused in addition to being politically dumb.?
In a tough editorial which startled many observers, the Wall Street Journal echoed the criticism of Kristol and other conservatives that Romney needs to get more specific about how he?d be a better president than Obama.
?The Romney campaign thinks it can play it safe and coast to the White House by saying the economy stinks and it's Mr. Obama's fault. We're on its email list and the main daily message from the campaign is that ?Obama isn't working.? Thanks, guys, but Americans already know that. What they want to hear from the challenger is some understanding of why the President's policies aren't working and how Mr. Romney's policies will do better.?
?Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is assailing Mr. Romney as an out-of-touch rich man, and the rich man obliged by vacationing this week at his lake-side home with a jet-ski cameo,? the editorial continued. ?Mr. Romney promised Republicans he was the best man to make the case against President Obama, whom they desperately want to defeat. So far Mr. Romney is letting them down.?
Mitt Romney: top 5 attacks on President Obama
terminator salvation deron williams jarhead montrose marshawn lynch earthquake bay area clear channel
UNH, Michigan Aerospace Corp to bring radiation detector to market
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t4iV-ChWvlxzj_oxwDsQs-cgr7VtN-vbCE95VGRYDtmaYmIc4N8B3d28oy39bzEFYMkHAsPzvdkYmrCTRa5m8ca5RvR_5UERd8J6VCoLc=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 9-Jul-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: David Sims
david.sims@unh.edu
603-862-5369
University of New Hampshire
DURHAM, N.H. Scientists from the University of New Hampshire and the Michigan Aerospace Corporation have signed an exclusive option agreement to commercialize instrumentation originally developed at UNH's Space Science Center for space-based missions and now being re-engineered for homeland security purposes.
Three U.S. patent applications have been filed related to the Portable Neutron Spectroscope, or NSPECT, a highly sensitive instrument that will detect illicit radioactive and fissile (capable of sustaining a chain reaction) materials with pinpoint accuracy from a safe distance. Such materials, which could be located in shipping ports, train stations, truck stops or warehouses, could potentially be used to make "dirty bombs" or associated with a nuclear device itself.
To build the instrument, UNH is leveraging 40 years of experience conducting space-based neutron and gamma-ray detection, with university scientists and engineers developing all the related instrument hardware and software. Michigan Aerospace is responsible for the support engineering that will turn the bench-top instrument into a rugged field-deployable device equipped with a nimble graphical user interface and live video imaging capability.
A Phase III Small Business Innovation Research contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has been instrumental in enabling development of the technology. DTRA is the U.S. Department of Defense's official combat support agency for countering weapons of mass destruction.
NSPECT employs the same techniques used by the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, a mission that involved UNH scientists and looked at radiation emanating from black holes, solar flares, gamma-ray bursts, and pulsars.
Says professor James Ryan of the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space and principle scientist for NSPECT, "Basically, what people have to do now is go into a building or a container and fish around in hopes of finding the source. The expertise that has been acquired over many years in the space program can now be brought to bear on this problem to better find and locate nuclear bomb-making material."
Common radioactive sources emit gamma rays while nuclear bomb material emits both gamma rays and neutrons. Because neutrons and gamma rays are electrically neutral, it is difficult to ascertain properties like direction of origin or energy level of the radioactive source. Knowing the direction allows inspectors to pinpoint the location of the illicit material while the particle's energy provides important information about the nature of the material such as what radioactive isotope is emitting the radiation.
"Michigan Aerospace is pleased to work with UNH on accelerating the commercialization of this technology and moving toward a product that can be deployed in the field," says Peter Tchoryk, CEO of Michigan Aerospace, "NSPECT is a unique technology that is critical to protecting the country from nuclear threats."
The completed instrument will fit in the back of an SUV and be self-powered and remotely controlled. The image and spectral signature data will be collected and processed on a laptop located either near the instrument or at a distance. Compact versions of the instrument are also planned.
The patent applications apply to three aspects of the technologies developed at UNH: the neutron and gamma-ray detection system that allows a full, 360-degree survey of a room or volume without having to move the instrument; an innovative power supply that is highly efficient and compact thereby allowing the detector to be modular and robust; and the NSPECT instrument itself. The SSC inventors include Ryan, John Macri, Mark McConnell, Ulisse Bravar, and Christopher Bancroft.
"The partnership with Michigan Aerospace to bring this innovative technology to market will capitalize on a longstanding research relationship between our two organizations," says Maria E. Emanuel, senior licensing manager with the UNH Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization.
###
For more information, visit www.eos.unh.edu and www.MichAero.com.
Editors and reporters: Lead scientist James Ryan can be reached at (603) 862-3510 or james.ryan@unh.edu. Inquiries about commercialization aspects should be directed to Peter Tchoryk of Michigan Aerospace Corporation at ptchoryk@michaero.com.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 9-Jul-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: David Sims
david.sims@unh.edu
603-862-5369
University of New Hampshire
DURHAM, N.H. Scientists from the University of New Hampshire and the Michigan Aerospace Corporation have signed an exclusive option agreement to commercialize instrumentation originally developed at UNH's Space Science Center for space-based missions and now being re-engineered for homeland security purposes.
Three U.S. patent applications have been filed related to the Portable Neutron Spectroscope, or NSPECT, a highly sensitive instrument that will detect illicit radioactive and fissile (capable of sustaining a chain reaction) materials with pinpoint accuracy from a safe distance. Such materials, which could be located in shipping ports, train stations, truck stops or warehouses, could potentially be used to make "dirty bombs" or associated with a nuclear device itself.
To build the instrument, UNH is leveraging 40 years of experience conducting space-based neutron and gamma-ray detection, with university scientists and engineers developing all the related instrument hardware and software. Michigan Aerospace is responsible for the support engineering that will turn the bench-top instrument into a rugged field-deployable device equipped with a nimble graphical user interface and live video imaging capability.
A Phase III Small Business Innovation Research contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has been instrumental in enabling development of the technology. DTRA is the U.S. Department of Defense's official combat support agency for countering weapons of mass destruction.
NSPECT employs the same techniques used by the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, a mission that involved UNH scientists and looked at radiation emanating from black holes, solar flares, gamma-ray bursts, and pulsars.
Says professor James Ryan of the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space and principle scientist for NSPECT, "Basically, what people have to do now is go into a building or a container and fish around in hopes of finding the source. The expertise that has been acquired over many years in the space program can now be brought to bear on this problem to better find and locate nuclear bomb-making material."
Common radioactive sources emit gamma rays while nuclear bomb material emits both gamma rays and neutrons. Because neutrons and gamma rays are electrically neutral, it is difficult to ascertain properties like direction of origin or energy level of the radioactive source. Knowing the direction allows inspectors to pinpoint the location of the illicit material while the particle's energy provides important information about the nature of the material such as what radioactive isotope is emitting the radiation.
"Michigan Aerospace is pleased to work with UNH on accelerating the commercialization of this technology and moving toward a product that can be deployed in the field," says Peter Tchoryk, CEO of Michigan Aerospace, "NSPECT is a unique technology that is critical to protecting the country from nuclear threats."
The completed instrument will fit in the back of an SUV and be self-powered and remotely controlled. The image and spectral signature data will be collected and processed on a laptop located either near the instrument or at a distance. Compact versions of the instrument are also planned.
The patent applications apply to three aspects of the technologies developed at UNH: the neutron and gamma-ray detection system that allows a full, 360-degree survey of a room or volume without having to move the instrument; an innovative power supply that is highly efficient and compact thereby allowing the detector to be modular and robust; and the NSPECT instrument itself. The SSC inventors include Ryan, John Macri, Mark McConnell, Ulisse Bravar, and Christopher Bancroft.
"The partnership with Michigan Aerospace to bring this innovative technology to market will capitalize on a longstanding research relationship between our two organizations," says Maria E. Emanuel, senior licensing manager with the UNH Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization.
###
For more information, visit www.eos.unh.edu and www.MichAero.com.
Editors and reporters: Lead scientist James Ryan can be reached at (603) 862-3510 or james.ryan@unh.edu. Inquiries about commercialization aspects should be directed to Peter Tchoryk of Michigan Aerospace Corporation at ptchoryk@michaero.com.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/uonh-uma070912.php
mario balotelli mario balotelli jenny mccarthy michael jackson espn3 kevin youkilis Tropical Storm Debby
Bitterroot College UM Offers Oil Field Basics Class
HAMILTON ?
People interested in working the Bakken oil fields of eastern Montana should attend a new class offered by the Bitterroot College of The University of Montana in Hamilton.
?Bakken Oil and Gas Field Basics? will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, July 13, or Friday, July 20. The one-day Bitterroot College UM course costs $55 for those registering by July 6 and $65 for those registering thereafter. It will be held in Classroom 1 at 274 Old Corvallis Road in Hamilton.
Call 406-375-0100 or visit http://www2.umt.edu/bcp/documents/BCPContEd-Registration.pdf to enroll.
The BC course is perfect for those wishing to start an oil industry career or simply learn about the current Bakken oil and gas boom. The class offers essential oil-patch terminology, as well as the fundamentals of oil and gas geology.
The course was developed by Plains Energy Technical Resources and originally was offered at Dawson Community College to workers in Glendive. It?s a must for anyone interested in working in eastern Montana or western North Dakota. George Furniss, an adjunct geosciences instructor, will teach the class.
For more information visit http://www2.umt.edu/bcp/conted.aspx.
###
CBS
State
062912bakn
Source: http://news.umt.edu/2012/06/062912bakn.aspx
ferdinand porsche gregg williams theraflu masters leaderboard frozen four joe avezzano kanye west theraflu
'Internet doomsday' impact minimal, service providers say
3 hrs.
Hours after "Internet doomsday" kicked in, major service providers say almost all customers have avoided the shut-off of their Internet service, although there are some who will not be able to read this story online, unless it's on their smartphones.
"Less than 1 percent of Cox customers are infected with the virus," Todd C.?Smith, Cox Communications director of media relations told msnbc.com.
"Since midnight last night, when the FBI (via the Internet Services Coalition) disconnected the servers associated with this botnet, we've only received a miniscule number of calls, but our customer care and security assurance teams are standing by and are ready to help,"?Charlie Douglas, Comcast senior director of corporate communications,?told msnbc.com.?
(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast.)
"The number of calls we're seeing today is miniscule," Douglas said. "Going into this, we had estimated that far less than even 1/10th of 1 percent of our customers would be affected."
Verizon said it is not seeing "anything significant thus far."
"Keep in mind we have a very small relative number of customers impacted," Bob Elek of Verizon Communications told msnbc.com. "But we anticipate beginning the process of correcting affected customers as we go forward during July. To do so, we have extended support throughout the month and we are offering customers step-by-step, do-it-yourself remedial steps or access to a third-party for the same if they prefer."
For AT&T customers, there has been "very little impact," Mark Siegel, AT&T executive director, media relations, told msnbc.com. "For the very small number of customers whose computers may have the virus, we are redirecting their traffic to servers we have set up that will enable them to continue use their computers.??This will be in place through the end of the year so these people will have even more time to remove the virus from their computers, which is an easy process.??We have been communicating with these customers for months to let them know how to remove the virus."
At least one security researcher says it's still too early to really know DNS Changer's impact.
"ISPs?are not necessarily in a rush to reveal the number of their customers affected," wrote David Harley,?ESET security senior research fellow, on that company's blog. "Bad news for the customer is bad news for the ISP, even if it's not a problem of the ISP's making."
Internet service providers, he wrote, "may already be redirecting requests to a valid server. Well, that's what I'd be trying to do if I was in that sector.?Helpdesks may be a little too occupied with panicky phone calls to be too concerned right now about publicly releasing figures. In some cases, they may even be able to fix the problem without being fully aware of the cause."
Cox, like other Internet service providers, "worked closely with the FBI on this case in the fall and immediately established a redirect for infected customers to Cox DNS servers," Smith told msnbc.com. "Therefore, no Cox customers are impacted by the FBI transition and we plan to keep the redirect up until we have contacted every customer individually."
Those who are having problems getting online Monday should call their Internet service provider for further instructions on what to do.
At 12:01?a.m. ET, the FBI shut down?Internet servers that had been set up as a temporary safety net to keep infected computers online for the past eight months. The court order the agency obtained to keep the servers running expired, and it was not renewed.
Last fall, the FBI arrested six Estonian nationals who were charged with using malware and rogue DNS servers to hijack millions of computers worldwide.?At that time, it was described as?the "biggest cybercriminal takedown in history."?
Because the malware, known as "DNSChanger"?is so nasty?? it's strong enough to wipe out a computer's anti-virus software ? the FBI?set up a safety net?using government computers to prevent any?Internet disruptions for users whose computers may be infected.
That safety net was set to go away in February, but the date was extended to July 9 because the agency was?concerned that not enough users are aware of the problem.
Security company F-Secure said Monday on its blog?that DNSChanger was still present on about 47,000 U.S. computers, down from what was estimated to be between 250,000 and 300,000 computers in recent months. Worldwide, about 250,000 computers remained infected as of this past weekend, the Associated Press said.
"According to reports, many major Internet Service Providers have configured their own substitute DNS servers and are continuing to work the problem," F-Secure said on the blog.?"The FBI is out ? and ISPs are in. All in all, things are working out as they probably should in a case such as this. The infection count continues to decrease without a major crisis in support calls. (We've only received a couple from our own customers.)"
Comcast's?Douglas said that?for months, "we have been emailing, mailing letters, sending in-browser notifications and calling customers who we thought might be impacted and we urged them to take action by visiting a dedicated website www.xfinity.com/dnsbot where they had two choices.?They could either download a free security update we provided ...?or, if they're not comfortable doing that, then they can call Xfinity Signature Support and, for a fee, have a professional help them remove the malware."
Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.
beginners 2012 oscars the shore meryl streep oscar wins sasha baron cohen oscars oscar winners the artist
Friday, July 6, 2012
brianfit: Greenpeace Africa sun-powers a radio station in forest community in Democratic Republic of the Congo http://t.co/EO7Y2U3d
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://twitter.com/brianfit/statuses/220807227135635456
cranberry sauce recipe mls cup amas 2011 black friday elliot elliot la galaxy
5 vet aid groups to benefit from new fundraising
[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-vet-aid-groups-benefit-fundraising-133555631.html
honor killings mary tyler moore x games pro bowl pro bowl 2012 rick santorum daughter gainesville
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Iraq warns al-Qaida flowing into Syria
BEIRUT (AP) ? Iraq asserted Thursday that al-Qaida insurgents are streaming out of the country to carry out attacks in Syria, an ominous development as the Syrian conflict enflames an already hostile region.
Extremists have been making inroads as the 16-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad grinds on, bringing a dangerous new element to the forces fighting to topple the regime.
The militants are taking advantage of the chaos and the violence gripping Syria, which the head of the country's U.N. observer mission said Thursday had reached "unprecedented levels."
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said authorities are worried that extremists could gain another foothold in Syria, posing a new threat to the stability of the entire region.
"We have solid information and intelligence that members of al-Qaida's terrorist network have gone to Syria," he told reporters in Baghdad. Zebari did not elaborate or provide details but said his main concern is "extremist, terrorist groups taking root in neighboring countries."
It's a turnaround from the height of the Iraqi war six years ago, when weapons and fighters would cross from Syria to aid fellow Sunnis in Iraq. Zebari said Baghdad has for years warned Damascus about al-Qaida traffic between Iraq and Syria.
In February, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to join the Syrian uprising, which began in March 2011 with mass protests inspired by the Arab Spring, then grew into a bloody insurgency as the opposition took up arms to fight a fierce government crackdown.
Rebel fighters have launched increasingly deadly attacks on regime targets, and several suicide bombings that bear the hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq indicate extremists are joining the fray.
Activists say more than 14,000 people have been killed since the revolt began. Syria severely restricts the media in the country, making it difficult to gain a credible account of events on the ground.
An al-Qaida-inspired group, the Al-Nusra front, has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks across Syria. On Tuesday, the SITE monitoring group, which tracks militant chatter on the Internet, said the Al-Nusra Front released statements on extremist websites in late June saying the string of attacks were to avenge the killings of Syrians by the government.
Opposition activists and the rebel Free Syrian Army deny having any links to terrorism and say they do not have the desire or the capabilities to carry out massive suicide bombings and other al-Qaida-style attacks. But dozens of rebel groups are operating in Syria with little or no coordination between them.
Military defections also have been on the rise.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other opposition websites said Thursday that Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass ? a member of the elite Republican Guards and a son of a former defense minister ? reportedly had defected and fled to Turkey. If confirmed, the defection would be a major blow to Assad.
Tlass is a top Sunni general in a regime made up mostly of members of Assad's Alawite sect and was once a close confidant of the president's.
The Observatory quoted "multiple sources" in Syria as saying that Tlass had left Syria and was expected to formally announce his defection. Turkey did not immediately confirm the reports.
The violence already has drawn in Syria's neighbors.
The bodies of two Turkish pilots were recovered from the seabed Thursday after U.S. ocean explorer Robert Ballard, best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, helped locate them nearly two weeks after their jet was shot down by Syria.
A Turkish official said Ballard, aboard his deep-sea exploration vessel R/V Nautilus, found the bodies Wednesday nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) off the Syrian coast after the Turkish navy had pinpointed the area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The June 22 incident fueled tensions between the two neighbors and Turkey quickly deployed anti-aircraft missiles on the border.
The head of the country's U.N. observer mission said the violence in Syria has reached unprecedented levels, insisting a cease-fire is needed in order for his teams to resume their work.
About 300 U.N. monitors were sent to Syria to provide an unbiased look at the violence as part of a peace plan put forward by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, but a truce has failed to take hold and the observers have been confined to their hotels since June 15 because of the bloodshed.
"The escalation of violence, allow me to say, to an unprecedented level, obstructed our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue," Norwegian Maj. Gen. Robert Mood told reporters in the Syrian capital Damascus.
He urged both sides of the conflict to have the "moral courage to break out of the cycle of violence" and engage in dialogue.
"The longer the violence goes on, with more civilians killed or trapped in the line of fire, the more difficult it will become to have a peaceful transition," he said.
Activists reported at least 26 people killed across Syria Thursday in clashes between troops and rebels and government shelling on suburbs of the capital Damascus, the central Homs region and rebel-held areas in northern and southern Syria.
More than 200,000 Syrians have so far fled the country overland, seeking refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
The president of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, said the island nation has drawn up contingency plans to receive a possible influx of evacuees from Syria if necessary.
Cyprus is only 65 miles (105 kilometers) west of Syria.
Russia, a main ally of the Syrian regime, said it was not considering offering asylum to Assad. The statement came after respected Russian daily newspaper Kommersant quoted diplomatic sources on Wednesday as saying that Western nations are pushing Moscow to do so.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has no such plans, and he insisted such an invitation would not make sense because "Syrians themselves need to find common ground."
Also Thursday, the secret-spilling group Wikileaks said it was in the process of publishing material from 2.4 million Syrian emails ? many of which it said came from official government accounts.
WikiLeaks' Sarah Harrison told journalists in London that the emails reveal interactions between the Syrian government and Western companies, although she declined to go into much further detail.
Harrison quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as saying that "the material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's external opponents."
___
Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad, John Heilprin in Geneva, Raphael Satter in London, Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-warns-al-qaida-flowing-syria-185235147.html
russell westbrook horsetail falls ice t downton abbey new york knicks president day lin
Samsung Galaxy Chat QWERTY Android Phone
Samsung adds its Galaxy line a new QWERTY model, the Galaxy Chat designed for socially-active users. The handset has a compact and sleek design and comes in white. Other than a 3-inch touchscreen, the Chat also sports full QWERTY keyboard for easy and quick text input. It is pre-loaded with Samsung?s ChatON app and has a dedicated launch button.
The Galaxy Chat features 2 Megapixel camera and supports Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, and WIFi 802.11b/g/n connectivity. It comes with 4GB internal storage and supports microSD/SDHC up to 32GB. The QWERTY phone runs Android 4.0 with TouchWiz Nature UX, and comes pre-loaded with QuickOffice applications for viewing and editing Office files including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Also included are Samsung?s GameHub and S Planner app, and Swype keyboard.
Samsung?s Galaxy Chat is powered by a 800Mhz processor. It supports quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band HSDPA 3G networks.
[Samsung]
Tags: Android Phone, Galaxy Chat, QWERTY Android phone, QWERTY phone, Samsung
| 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ItechNewsNet/~3/S9JnbFf_sr0/
beloved ufc results water for elephants old school nick swisher jaco san jose sharks
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Pakistan's national mammal makes comeback
ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) ? The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced July 3 that the markhor -- a majestic wild goat species -- is making a remarkable comeback in Pakistan due to conservation efforts.
WCS-led community surveys have revealed that markhor populations in northern Pakistan's Kargah region in Gilgit-Baltistan have increased from a low of approximately 40-50 individuals in 1991 to roughly 300 this year. These community surveys suggest that the total markhor population where WCS works in Gilgit-Baltistan may now be as high as 1,500 animals, a dramatic increase since the last government estimate of less than 1,000 in 1999.
Pakistan's national mammal, markhor are known for their spectacular, corkscrew horns that can reach nearly five feet in length. They are an important prey species for large carnivores such as wolves and snow leopards. Markhor have been listed as Endangered by IUCN since 1994, with a 2008 global population estimate of less than 2,500 animals across five countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India. They are threatened by illegal hunting, habitat destruction, and competition from domestic goats and sheep.
"We are thrilled that markhor conservation efforts in Pakistan are paying off," said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director of Asia programs. "Markhor are part of Pakistan's natural heritage, and we are proud to be assisting the communities of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Government of Pakistan to safeguard this iconic species."
WCS, led by Program Manager Mayoor Khan, has developed a conservation program that helps create community conservation committees and trains wildlife rangers throughout Gilgit-Baltistan. Rangers focus on monitoring wildlife and enforcing both local and national laws and regulations related to hunting and other resource use. Illegal hunting and logging have stopped in most of the valleys where the community rangers are active. WCS has been the only conservation organization working in Diamer District of GB since the program's inception in 1997.
Altogether, there are now 53 community conservation committees within the WCS Pakistan program covering four districts. WCS has helped many of these committees form a larger conservation institution, the Mountain Conservation and Development Programme, which brings together members from each committee with government officials to help co-manage the region's wildlife and forests.
WCS has recently developed a new management structure called "markhor conservancies" that use markhor herd home ranges to link different village resource committees together for coordinated monitoring and protection. This ensures that markhor are safeguarded as they travel across steep-sided mountains into different areas.
WCS has been active in research and conservation of markhor dating back to Dr. George Schaller's seminal field work in the 1970s that led to the publication of the book Mountain Monarchs in 1977. WCS opened the Pakistan Country Program in 1997 aimed at helping communities protect markhor and other wildlife in the region such as snow leopards and Asiatic black bear. WCS also works on markhor conservation in Afghanistan.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120703161459.htm
ginger white conrad murray sentencing conrad murray sentencing urban meyer adam shulman adam shulman nfl power rankings week 13
Striking Air India Pilots to Report Back to Work
NEW DELHI: Striking Air India pilots will report back to work after they called off their 58-day protracted strike following the Delhi high court's order to join their duty within 48 hours.
But it will take about a month for the pilots, who were on indefinite fast from Sunday last, to join their active duty as they will have to undergo compulsory medical and other training as per the DGCA guidelines.
"Honouring the sentiment of honourable Delhi high court's direction, we are ending our agitation and hunger strike and will begin the formalities to report back to our duty," said Rohit Kapahi, managing committee member of Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).
"The Delhi high court, he said, took the initiative to break the impasse asking the airline management to sympathetically consider our grievances and begin the conciliation process," Kapahi said.
"Though we were given assurance about being taken back by the Air India management when our parents met them, there was nothing concrete on commitments. But the court's order is binding on both of us - the management and the IPG - so there was nothing to continue with the strike," he said.
The Air India pilots strike was called off last night after the Delhi high court asked them to join duty within 48 hours and the management to sympathetically consider their grievances.
The decision to end the strike was announced by the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) on Tuesday night after a meeting of its managing committee in Mumbai.
"We the pilots of Air India and members of the Indian Pilots Guild, on the intervention of Hon'ble Justice Ms Reva Khetrapal of the Hon'ble Delhi high court have started the procedure to resume work," an IPG statement issued after the meeting said.
Kapahi said as directed by the high court, the IPG is now looking forward to negotiations with the AI management on all pending issues in the presence of the chief labour commissioner, which will begin from July 6.
After which the management has to report the high court about the conciliation process.
Though the pilots would start reporting to work from today but it will take about a month to resume their active duty.
"After joining, all the 434 pilots will have to undergo compulsory medical test, ground training, simulator training and flight training before being given active duty," Kapahi said.
All these procedures may take 15 days to a month, he added.
Source: PTI
catch me if you can delmon young arrested the raven the raven zerg rush david wilson playstation all stars battle royale
Seabirds study shows plastic pollution reaching surprising levels off coast of Pacific Northwest
Public release date: 4-Jul-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Brian Lin
brian.lin@ubc.ca
604-822-2234
University of British Columbia
Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.
The study, published online in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, examined stomach contents of beached northern fulmars on the coasts of British Columbia, Canada, and the states of Washington and Oregon, U.S.A.
"Like the canary in the coal mine, northern fulmars are sentinels of plastic pollution in our oceans," says Stephanie Avery-Gomm, the study's lead author and a graduate student in UBC's Department of Zoology. "Their stomach content provides a 'snapshot' sample of plastic pollution from a large area of the northern Pacific Ocean."
Northern fulmars forage exclusively at sea and retain ingested plastics for a long period of time, making them ideal indicators for marine littering. Analysis of beached fulmars has been used to monitor plastic pollution in the North Sea since the 1980s. The latest findings, when compared to previous similar studies, indicate a substantial increase in plastic pollution over the past four decades.
The research group performed necropsies on 67 beached northern fulmars and found that 92.5 per cent had plastics such as twine, Styrofoam and candy wrappers in their stomach. An average of 36.8 pieces per bird were found. The average total weight of plastic was 0.385 grams per bird. One bird was found with 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach.
"The average adult northern fulmar weighs five pounds, or 2.25 kilograms," says Avery-Gomm. "While 0.385 grams in a bird may seem inconsequential to us, it's the equivalent of about five per cent of their body mass. It would be like a human carrying 50 grams of plastic in our stomach about the weight of 10 quarters."
"Despite the close proximity of the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch,' an area of concentrated plastic pollution in the middle of the North Pacific gyre, plastic pollution has not been considered an issue of concern off our coast," says Avery-Gomm, "But we've found similar amounts and incident rates of plastic in beached northern fulmars here as those in the North Sea. This indicates it is an issue which warrants further study."
The researchers propose annual monitoring of trends in plastic pollution and the effectiveness of marine waste reduction strategies.
"Beached bird surveys are providing important clues about causes and patterns of sea bird mortality from oil spill impacts, fisheries by-catch and now plastic ingestion," says co-author Karen Barry with Bird Studies Canada, a not-for profit organization that helped facilitate the study.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 4-Jul-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Brian Lin
brian.lin@ubc.ca
604-822-2234
University of British Columbia
Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.
The study, published online in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, examined stomach contents of beached northern fulmars on the coasts of British Columbia, Canada, and the states of Washington and Oregon, U.S.A.
"Like the canary in the coal mine, northern fulmars are sentinels of plastic pollution in our oceans," says Stephanie Avery-Gomm, the study's lead author and a graduate student in UBC's Department of Zoology. "Their stomach content provides a 'snapshot' sample of plastic pollution from a large area of the northern Pacific Ocean."
Northern fulmars forage exclusively at sea and retain ingested plastics for a long period of time, making them ideal indicators for marine littering. Analysis of beached fulmars has been used to monitor plastic pollution in the North Sea since the 1980s. The latest findings, when compared to previous similar studies, indicate a substantial increase in plastic pollution over the past four decades.
The research group performed necropsies on 67 beached northern fulmars and found that 92.5 per cent had plastics such as twine, Styrofoam and candy wrappers in their stomach. An average of 36.8 pieces per bird were found. The average total weight of plastic was 0.385 grams per bird. One bird was found with 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach.
"The average adult northern fulmar weighs five pounds, or 2.25 kilograms," says Avery-Gomm. "While 0.385 grams in a bird may seem inconsequential to us, it's the equivalent of about five per cent of their body mass. It would be like a human carrying 50 grams of plastic in our stomach about the weight of 10 quarters."
"Despite the close proximity of the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch,' an area of concentrated plastic pollution in the middle of the North Pacific gyre, plastic pollution has not been considered an issue of concern off our coast," says Avery-Gomm, "But we've found similar amounts and incident rates of plastic in beached northern fulmars here as those in the North Sea. This indicates it is an issue which warrants further study."
The researchers propose annual monitoring of trends in plastic pollution and the effectiveness of marine waste reduction strategies.
"Beached bird surveys are providing important clues about causes and patterns of sea bird mortality from oil spill impacts, fisheries by-catch and now plastic ingestion," says co-author Karen Barry with Bird Studies Canada, a not-for profit organization that helped facilitate the study.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/uobc-sss062812.php
west side story final four 2012 bridesmaids winning lottery numbers megamillions winner kansas jayhawks mega millions results
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)