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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hong Kong lets Snowden leave to Moscow, with Cuba among possible destinations

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A former contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency, charged by the United States with espionage, was allowed to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, his final destination as yet unknown, because a U.S. request to have him arrested did not comply with the law, the Hong Kong government said.

Edward Snowden left for Moscow on Sunday and his final destination may be Cuba, Ecuador, Iceland or Venezuela, according to various reports. The move is bound to infuriate Washington, wherever he ends up.

"It's a shocker," said Simon Young, a law professor with Hong Kong University. "I thought he was going to stay and fight it out. The U.S. government will be irate."

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a source at the Aeroflot airline as saying there was a ticket in Snowden's name for a Moscow-Cuba flight. Itar-Tass news agency cited a source as saying Snowden would fly from Havana to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.

The South China Morning Post said his final destination might be Ecuador or Iceland.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was unaware of Snowden's whereabouts or travel plans.

The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said it helped Snowden find "political asylum in a democratic country". It did not elaborate, other than to say Snowden was "currently over Russian airspace" with WikiLeaks legal advisers.

The White House had no comment on the WikiLeaks posting.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said last week he would not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London even if Sweden stopped pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he feared arrest on the orders of the United States.

U.S. authorities have charged Snowden with theft of U.S. government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, with the latter two charges falling under the U.S. Espionage Act.

The United States had asked Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China, to send Snowden home.

"The U.S. government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden," the Hong Kong government said in a statement.

"Since the documents provided by the U.S. government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR government has requested the U.S. government to provide additional information ... As the HKSAR government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

It did not say what further information it needed, but said Snowden left Hong Kong "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel".

CHINA SAYS U.S. "BIGGEST VILLAIN"

Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and although it retains an independent legal system, and its own extradition laws, Beijing has control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs. Some observers see Beijing's hand in Snowden's sudden departure.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier this month that Russia would consider granting Snowden asylum if he were to ask for it and pro-Kremlin lawmakers supported the idea, but there has been no indication he has done so.

Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden, a former employee of contractor Booz Allen Hamilton who worked at an NSA facility in Hawaii.

The South China Morning Post earlier quoted Snowden offering new details about the United States' spy activities, including accusations of U.S. hacking of Chinese mobile telephone companies and targeting China's Tsinghua University.

Documents previously leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies, including Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

In its statement, the Hong Kong government said it had written to the United States "requesting clarification" of earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies.

"The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter, so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong," it said.

China's Xinhua news agency, referring to Snowden's accusations about the hacking of Chinese targets, said they were "clearly troubling signs".

It added: "They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age."

(Additional reporting by Fayen Wong in Shanghai; Nishant Kumar in Hong Kong; Alexei Anishchuk and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Tabassum Zakaria in Washington; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-nsa-contractor-snowden-leaves-hong-kong-moscow-080843121.html

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4 workers hurt in Texas A&M construction accident

This photo provided by KBTX-TV shows damage to the Texas A&M University equestrian center on Saturday, June 22, 2013 near College Station, Texas. A portion of the equestrian center under construction has collapsed. KBTX-TV reports some workers were hurt in Saturday morning's accident but that everyone has been accounted for. A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson confirmed there had been an accident at the equestrian center on university property about a mile from the College Station campus. (AP Photo/KBTX-TV, Alex Lotz)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) ? Four workers were hurt, three critically, after a barn frame collapsed Saturday at an $80 million Texas A&M University equestrian complex that's under construction.

The collapse happened on university property about a mile from the main campus, Texas A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson said.

College Station and Bryan fire departments, campus police and Texas A&M emergency medical personnel all responded to the accident, which happened shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday.

The accident involved an approximately 300-foot barn, according to the College Station Fire Department. Twisted metal beams could be seen at the site, where ground was broken last fall.

The injured workers were transported to hospitals. Their names and further details on their conditions were not immediately released. Nobody else was hurt.

For a time, emergency responders had to halt the search for the four because of concerns about another collapse.

"After that time search and rescue efforts were suspended until the remainder of the structure that was still standing could be stabilized," according to a statement from the College Station Fire Department. "After the structure was secured a secondary search of the area was conducted to ensure that all patients had been located."

Texas A&M police officials were trying to determine what caused the collapse. University police identified the contractor as Gamma Construction Company, with offices in Houston and San Antonio.

A Gamma Construction representative did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press for comment Saturday.

Gamma Construction, on its website, described the A&M work as one of its 2013 projects.

The website said the equestrian complex "will enhance Texas A&M University's equine program and will consolidate not only academic programs, but clubs and associations to one premier location in order to teach, train, conduct research, exhibit and showcase events."

Conditions at the time of the collapse were cloudy with temperatures in the mid-80s and winds gusting just above 10 mph, the National Weather Service said.

The first phase of the equestrian center was set for completion in 2014. The facility will include locker rooms, offices, a concessions building, a 50-stall barn, plus practice arenas and two covered competition arenas, according to the university.

___

Online:

Texas A&M Equestrian: http://www.aggieathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&SPID=94496&SPSID=635254

Gamma Construction Company: http://www.gammaconst.com/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-22-Texas%20AandM-Structure-Collapse/id-16526e423add4d5f9b11d9a49bec0369

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Indebted countries see borrowing costs edge up

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? Europe's indebted countries could face higher borrowing costs after the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated it would start phasing out its stimulus program.

Low interest rates and creation of new money by the Fed helped push down rates on bonds around the world ? including those of Portugal, Italy and Spain. The fear is that the end of stimulus will reverse that.

Higher interest costs could make it harder for governments to reduce the debts that have plagued Europe.

Borrowing rates edged higher Thursday as the Fed's new message made stocks and bonds plunge worldwide, but they steadied Friday.

Even though analysts say it's hard to predict how much rates might rise, borrowing costs remain far below last year's levels when people feared the eurozone might break up.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indebted-countries-see-borrowing-costs-edge-134850335.html

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FAA moving toward easing electronic device use

FILE - This Feb. 23, 2011 file photo shows United Airlines planes taxing at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The government is moving toward easing restrictions on the use of electronic devices by airline passengers during taxiing, takeoffs and landings. An industry-labor advisory committee was expected to make recommendations next month to the Federal Aviation Administration on easing the restrictions, but the FAA said Friday that deadline has been extended to September. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Relief may be on the way for airline passengers who can't bear to be separated even briefly from their personal electronic devices. The government is moving toward allowing gate-to-gate use of music players, tablets, laptops, smartphones and other gadgets, although it may take a few months.

Restrictions on cellphone calls and Internet use and transmission are not expected to be changed.

An industry-labor advisory committee was supposed to make recommendations next month to the Federal Aviation Administration on easing restrictions on using electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. But the agency said in a statement Friday the deadline has been extended to September because committee members asked for extra time to finish assessing whether it's safe to lift restrictions.

"The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft; that is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions," the statement said.

The agency is under public and political pressure to ease the restrictions as more people bring their devices with them when they fly in order to read e-books, listen to music, watch videos, and get work done.

Technically, the FAA doesn't bar use of electronic devices when aircraft are below 10,000 feet. But under FAA rules, airlines that want to let passengers use the devices are faced with a practical impossibility ? they would have to show that they've tested every type and make of device passengers would use to ensure there is no electromagnetic interference with aircraft radios and electrical and electronic systems.

As a result, U.S. airlines simply bar all electric device use below 10,000 feet. Airline accidents are most likely to occur during takeoffs, landings and taxiing.

Using cellphones to make calls on planes is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. There is concern that making calls from fast-flying planes might strain cellular systems, interfering with service on the ground. There is also the potential annoyance factor ? whether passengers will be unhappy if they have to listen to other passengers yakking on the phone.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a draft report by the advisory committee indicates its 28 members have reached a consensus that at least some of the current restrictions should be eased.

A member of the committee told The Associated Press that while the draft report is an attempt to reach consensus, no formal agreement has yet been reached. The member was not authorized to discuss the committee's private deliberations and requested anonymity.

There are also still safety concerns, the member said. The electrical interference generated by today's devices is much lower than those of a decade ago, but many more passengers today are carrying electronics.

Any plan to allow gate-to-gate electronic use would also come with certification processes for new and existing aircraft to ensure that they are built or modified to mitigate those risks. Steps to be taken could include ensuring that all navigational antennas are angled away from the plane's doors and windows. Planes that are already certified for Wi-Fi would probably be more easily certified.

Although the restrictions have been broadly criticized as unnecessary, committee members saw value in them.

One of the considerations being weighed is whether some heavier devices like laptops should continue to be restricted because they might become dangerous projectiles, hurting other passengers during a crash, the committee member said. There is less concern about tablets and other lighter devices.

FAA officials would still have the final say. An official familiar with FAA's efforts on the issue said agency officials would like to find a way to allow passengers to use electronic devices during takeoffs and landings the same way they're already allowed to use them when planes are cruising above 10,000 feet. The official requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak by name.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a Senate panel in April that he convened the advisory committee in the hope of working out changes to the restrictions.

"It's good to see the FAA may be on the verge of acknowledging what the traveling public has suspected for years ? that current rules are arbitrary and lack real justification," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., one of Congress' more outspoken critics of the restrictions, said in a statement. She contends that unless scientific evidence can be presented to justify the restrictions, they should be lifted.

Edward Pizzarello, the co-founder of frequent flier discussion site MilePoint, says lifting the restriction is "long overdue."

"I actually feel like this regulation has been toughest on flight attendants. Nobody wants to shut off their phone, and the flight attendants are always left to be the bad guys and gals," said Pizzarello, 38, of Leesburg, Va.

Actor Alec Baldwin became the face of passenger frustration with the restrictions in 2011 when he was kicked off a New York-bound flight in Los Angeles for refusing to turn off his cellphone. Baldwin later issued an apology to fellow American Airlines passengers who were delayed, but mocked the flight attendant on Twitter.

"I just hope they do the sensible thing and don't allow people to talk on their cellphones during flight," said Pizzarello, who flies 150,000 to 200,000 miles a year. "There are plenty of people that don't have the social skills necessary to make a phone call on a plane without annoying the people around them. Some things are better left alone."

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Mayerowitz reported from New York.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-22-Cellphones-Planes/id-8c15556d2f694e779e0bd018e3c6e952

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Book Review: 'A Sound Mind in a Sound Body: Live Long, Live ...

Layout 1 Imagine being 101 years old, upright and strong, still working part-time or volunteering, having an active social and intellectual life, feeling happy to be alive, and being able to walk and lift and swim and bend. That?s not a fantasy. To a great extent, it?s your choice. By making good decisions about how you want to live, you can prevent illness that robs you of your health and old age.

That?s the message of fitness buff Dennis Kravetz, who obviously walks the walk. An award-winning psychologist, health educator, and bestselling author, he radiates good health.

In his new book, A Sound Mind in a Sound Body (2013), Kravetz presents dozens of impeccably researched, science-based strategies for improving fitness in four key areas: physical, cognitive, psychological, and nutritional. He says good health in each of these four essential areas has a major impact on how long we will live.

The book has four parts corresponding to the four key areas of fitness. Each part starts with a quiz to help you determine your physical, cognitive, psychological, or nutritional fitness. He then summarizes the most important scientific studies related to health and longevity in that area. Finally, he lays out exactly what you need to do to achieve maximum fitness, translating the research into actionable tips.

For example, in the physical fitness section of the book, Kravetz convincingly shows that by getting the recommended 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week ? which is really not that much when you consider all the benefits ? you greatly reduce your risk of dying from the major diseases that shorten our lives. These include cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, many forms of cancer, and Alzheimer?s. If you could greatly reduce your chances of dying from any of these diseases, why wouldn?t you?

In the cognitive fitness section of the book, Kravetz offers a number of specific strategies to keep the brain functioning at its peak. Some of these are what one might expect, such as doing word or number puzzles that tax the brain. But others are surprising and fresh ? ideas I haven?t seen elsewhere. For instance, he suggests a kind of active TV viewing, where you choose programs that are challenging rather than merely entertaining, and then ask yourself, perhaps during commercials, to recall what you just saw and learned.

He also recommends this type of ?active? engagement when reading a magazine or visiting a zoo or museum. You read an article or some signage, then you reiterate it. In effect, you?re creating memories and making new and deliberate connections in the brain. This technique also improves memory retention.

I also loved the section devoted to psychological fitness. Stress, depression, and anxiety accelerate the aging process; Kravetz cites research linking negative states of mind to life-threatening health conditions. Particularly original were the studies he collected about state of mind. It turns out that you really are only as old as you feel. Research has shown that people who feel young, who believe they are vital, and see their future as promising typically live longer and healthier lives than those who internalize negative messages about age and illness. Learning how to manage stress and depression is also key to psychological fitness, and he offers tips on how to cultivate a positive mindset.

Not surprisingly, all four areas of fitness ? physical, cognitive, psychological, and nutritional ? are interrelated. If you exercise your body, exercise your brain, become psychologically healthy, and eat healthfully, you improve health in the other three areas too. Kravetz calculates, based on many studies, that you may be able to live up to 22 years longer than if you only focused on one or two of these areas!

A Sound Mind in a Sound Body is a great combination of scientific research, useful health information, and highly practical strategies, all presented in a smart, well-organized format that?s easy to understand. If you were to follow all of the advice in this book, I feel confident that you?d feel amazing and look as good as Kravetz does himself. Is it okay to be obsessed with living a long life, maybe even a superlong life? Why not? It?s better than being sick and feeling bad. Read this book and live longer. I highly recommend that you do both.

Patricia Gale is a ghostwriter who has penned hundreds of blogs and articles that have appeared on sites such as Psychology Today, Forbes, and Huffington Post, and in countless national newspapers and magazines. Her "beat" is health, business, career, self-help, parenting, and relationships.

Source: http://blogcritics.org/book-review-a-sound-mind-in-a-sound-body-live-long-live-healthy-by-dennis-kravetz/

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Reports: Hernandez to be arrested

Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice and Chartric Darby celebrate

Getty Images

Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan do not like each other. When they were active players, Sapp reacted to Strahan breaking the single-season sack record by saying there should be an asterisk next to his record because Brett Favre laid down for the final sack. Strahan responded that there should be a McDonald?s next to Sapp?s house because Sapp is fat. That kind of verbal sniping has continued through the years, and kept going this year when Sapp was voted into the Hall of Fame and Strahan was voted out.

Now Sapp is saying that Strahan should stay out of the Hall of Fame. And Sapp says that if the Hall of Fame Selection Committee wants to put in a good pass rusher, it should look to his own former teammate Simeon Rice over Strahan.

?Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday,? Sapp told the Tampa Tribune.

Rice was an excellent pass rusher, a three-time Pro Bowler who had double-digit sacks in eight different seasons and 122 sacks in his career, the 13th-highest career total since the NFL started counting sacks in 1982. But was he really a better rusher than Strahan, who in addition to being the single-season record holder is No. 5 in career sacks, with 141.5? According to Sapp, yes.

Sapp says that Rice routinely beat opposing left tackles, while Strahan had an easier job facing right tackles.

?[Rice] didn?t rush the worst lineman,? Sapp said. ?You know the right tackle is the worst of the five. Strahan played right end his first four years. When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ?B-U-S . OK, let?s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.? They put him at right end and he couldn?t do it, so they moved him to the weak guy. One-on-one with the [Eagles right tackle] Jon Runyans for eight quarters every year. Sim won?t ever have his name brought up [for the Hall of Fame], and that?s a shame. He?s one of the best pass rushers I?ve ever encountered in my life.?

And, at least in Sapp?s mind, a better pass rusher than Strahan.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/20/report-aaron-hernandez-likely-to-be-arrested/related/

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis

June 20, 2013 ? The efficient conversion of sunlight into useful energy is one of the challenges which stand in the way of meeting the world's increasing energy demand in a clean, sustainable way without relying on fossil fuels. Photosynthetic organisms, such as plants and some bacteria, have mastered this process: In less than a couple of trillionths of a second, 95 percent of the sunlight they absorb is whisked away to drive the metabolic reactions that provide them with energy. The efficiency of photovoltaic cells currently on the market is around 20 percent. What hidden mechanism does nature use to transfer energy so efficiently?

Various research groups around the world have shown that this highly efficient energy transport is connected to a quantum-mechanical phenomenon. However, until now, no one had directly observed the possible impacts of such a quantum transport mechanism at work at room temperature.

In an article published in the journal Science, researchers from ICFO- Institute of Photonic Sciences, in collaboration with biochemists from the University of Glasgow, have been able to show for the first time at ambient conditions that the quantum mechanisms of energy transfer make phyotosynthesis more robust in the face of environmental influences. The quantum phenomenon responsible, known as coherence, is manifested in so-called photosynthetic antenna proteins that are responsible for absorption of sunlight and energy transport to the photochemical reaction centers of photosynthesis.

In order to observe quantum effects in photosynthesis, the research group led by Niek van Hulst developed a pioneering experimental technique. Energy transport during photosynthesis is extremely fast and takes place at a molecular scale. To observe these processes they pushed the ultrafast spectroscopy techniques to the single-molecule limit. This involves sending ultrafast femtosecond light flashes to capture a high-speed series of 'pictures' of the states of individual antenna proteins after light absorption (during one femtosecond light travels only one hundredth of the diameter of a human hair, while in one second it travels from earth to moon). With these "snapshots" the researchers are able to understand how solar energy is transported through single proteins. "We have been able to observe how energy flows through sunlight absorbing photosynthetic systems with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. This allowed us to observe the fundamental role of quantum effects in photosynthesis at ambient conditions" explains Richard Hildner, first author of the publication.

Van Hulst and his group have evaluated the energy transport pathways of separate individual but chemically identical, antenna proteins, and have shown that each protein uses a distinct pathway. The most surprising discovery was that the transport paths within single proteins can vary over time due to changes in the environmental conditions, apparently adapting for optimal efficiency. "These results show that coherence, a genuine quantum effect of superposition of states, is responsible for maintaining high levels of transport efficiency in biological systems, even while they adapt their energy transport pathways due to environmental influences" says van Hulst.

The results presented raise fascinating questions. Was the exploitation of quantum effects in photosynthesis driven by evolution to achieve the extraordinary efficiencies, or in other words did quantum transport outcompete other mechanisms during evolution? Are there other biological processes in which quantum effects play an important role? In the case of light-harvesting proteins quantum transportation allows extreme transport energy efficiency and robustness. This discovery could lead to new research lines aiming at the developments of a new generation of solar cells that mimic these quantum coherences for efficient energy transfer.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Journal Reference:

R. Hildner, D. Brinks, J. B. Nieder, R. J. Cogdell, N. F. van Hulst. Quantum Coherent Energy Transfer over Varying Pathways in Single Light-Harvesting Complexes. Science, 2013; 340 (6139): 1448 DOI: 10.1126/science.1235820

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/b4exqHgZMzg/130620142932.htm

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