Wednesday 27 February 2013

Stylish Cookwear That's Designed To Hang Around Your Kitchen

When tackling products designed for use in the kitchen, designers tend to make every effort to perfectly balance form with function. And Karim Rashid's done exactly that with his new Hook cookware collection featuring built-in hooks for hanging/displaying your pots and pans on the wall. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LyDJ4TznMBs/stylish-cookwear-thats-designed-to-hang-around-your-kitchen

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Scientists Figured Out Where That Russian Meteor Came From

On February 15th, a meteor shook Russia as it entered the Earth's atmosphere above the Urals. Now, scientists believe they know where in the universe it came from. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/QdYhOQ_X5Z0/scientists-figured-out-where-that-russian-meteor-came-from

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Asian stocks mostly up on Fed's low rates support

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Asian stock markets mostly rose Wednesday after the Federal Reserve chief played down risks from the U.S. central bank's low interest rate policies, offsetting worries that Italy's indecisive election result will rekindle Europe's debt crisis.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.4 percent to 22,605.62 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.4 percent to 2,007.94. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.6 percent to 5,033.80. Shares in mainland China, Taiwan and Indonesia also rose.

Japanese stocks were the only losers in Asia as the yen strengthened against the U.S. dollar following several months of weakness that boosted exporters. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.5 percent to 11,345.54.

In testimony to Congress on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke expressed confidence that the central bank's low-rate policies currently pose little risk of causing runaway inflation or a stock market bubble. That eased recent jitters the Fed would start to withdraw its super easy monetary policy.

U.S. economic indicators also gave Asian markets a lift. Home sales rose to the highest level in more than four years last month and American consumers showed confidence for the first time in three months in February.

"Asian markets held up well after U.S. stock markets showed little impact to Italy's election results," said Kwak Joong-bo, a Seoul-based analyst at Samsung Securities.

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of memory chips, televisions and mobile phones, rose 0.7 percent while Hyundai Motor Co. climbed 0.9 percent. Taiwan-based phone maker HTC Corp. also added 1.3 percent.

Yet stock market gains in Asia remained modest, showing that investors have not fully regained their appetite for risky assets ahead of looming automatic spending cuts due to start Friday in the U.S.

And with Italy emerging from elections on Tuesday with no clear winner, there are lingering uncertainties about the fate of deficit and debt reduction measures in one of Europe's biggest economies.

The Italian election result drove markets in Europe markedly lower. If Italian parties fail to form a governing coalition, new elections would be required, causing more uncertainty and a leadership vacuum.

On Tuesday, Italy's FTSE MIB index fell nearly 800 points, or 5 percent, to 15,552. Germany's DAX was down 176 points, or 2.3 percent, to 7,597 and the CAC-40 in France fell 99 points, or 2.7 percent, to 3,621.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 115.96 points, or 0.8 percent, to 13,900.13 on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9.09 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,496.94. The Nasdaq composite index rose 13.40 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,129.65.

In currency markets, the euro was little changed at $1.3061. The dollar weakened 0.4 percent to 91.88 yen.

Benchmark crude for April delivery was up 4 cents to $92.67 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-stocks-mostly-feds-low-rates-support-035849694--finance.html

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Bob Hope's Palm Springs estate on the block - LA Biz Observed

hope.jpgThe 23,000-square-foot home was designed by California Modernist architect John Lautner and built to resemble a volcano (including a hole that opens a courtyard to the sky). Some say it really looks like a mushroom. Nice views of the city of Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Mountains. Asking price: $50 million. From the NYT:

The roofline has been described as one of the most distinctive works of architecture in the Coachella Valley. The house has also been likened to a giant mushroom. Its original wood frame burned down during construction, in a fire sparked by a welder. Work was finally completed in 1980. Used mostly as a second home and entertaining space by the Hope family, it can accommodate as many as 300 guests for dinner under an enormous covered terrace. Each January for many years, the family threw a huge dinner party to mark the end of the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament, now called the Humana Challenge. "That was sort of a highlight of the desert social calendar," said Linda Hope, a daughter of the couple.

Source: http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2013/02/bob_hopes_palm_sprin.php

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Calif. couple feared missing in Peru found safe on river boat

LIMA (Reuters) - A young California couple feared by family to have been abducted while on a cycling trip through Peru have safely surfaced on a river boat headed for Ecuador, surprised to learn they were subjects of an international search, the Peruvian government said on Tuesday.

"The American tourists are continuing to enjoy their trip in the Peruvian Amazon," the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism said in a statement, adding that a national police official had spoken with the couple and found them to be "in good health."

Garrett Hand and his girlfriend, Jamie Neal, both 25, had last been heard from by friends and relatives about a month ago, according to co-workers and a statement issued on Monday by the U.S. Embassy in Lima, the Peruvian capital.

The embassy said then that Peruvian authorities had mounted a search for the pair, who are residents of Oakland, California.

The couple were said to have vanished while en route to Lima from Cusco, in the mountainous southeastern Peruvian interior near the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, an area where U.S. citizens have been warned by the embassy of kidnapping risks.

That advisory last month was widely interpreted as linked to efforts by a remnant band of Maoist Shining Path rebels to repel a government push to regain control of jungle valleys that are rife with coca cultivation and cocaine trafficking.

Friends and family of Hand and Neal said they worried the pair had been abducted and that their bank accounts had remained idle since they disappeared.

But a day after relatives and co-workers went public with efforts to organize a search for the couple, the Peruvian government said national police had caught up with the duo in the northern village of Angoteros along the Napo River.

SURPRISED BY CONCERN

The tourism ministry said the couple were passengers on a boat headed up the river, a tributary of the Amazon, to a town on the border with Ecuador.

The couple "were surprised by the concern generated by family, friends and the international community after the cessation of their communications in late January," a ministry statement said.

It added that the pair had been traveling overland by bicycle, bus and river boat through remote areas where access to telephones and the Internet was limited.

Meanwhile, Hand's mother, Francine Fitzgerald, posted a message on Facebook saying she had been informed by U.S. Embassy and Peruvian authorities that the couple were spotted in a remote village and were now on a river boat.

She gave few other details but said she would not be satisfied until receiving "proof of life" from her son.

"Proof of life is my son's voice on the phone and a picture of him holding the missing poster," she wrote.

ABC News reported on Tuesday that the tourism ministry was sending a crew with video cameras to the location where the couple's boat is scheduled to dock on Wednesday to show they are alive and well.

The U.S. Embassy issued a separate statement saying it was aware of "reports that the missing U.S. citizens have been located," adding, "we are working with local authorities to confirm those reports."

The location of the couple in northern Peru was reinforced by previous accounts from police and officials of an ecological community in the Amazonian region of Iquitos. They had told Reuters earlier this week that Hand and Neal were seen embarking on an upriver boat trip toward Ecuador on February 16, three weeks after their families had last heard from them.

(Additional reporting by Laila Kearney in San Francisco; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Bernard Orr and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/california-couple-feared-missing-peru-turn-safe-river-032218405.html

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Tuesday 26 February 2013

New cancer research law gives hope to Rhode Islanders | WPRI.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- Rhode Islanders affected by deadly, hard-to-treat cancers are celebrating a new federal law that requires more research for a cure.

On Monday, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network honored Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for securing passage of the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012.??

The bill, authored by Senator Whitehouse and signed into law by President Barack Obama last month., requires the National Cancer Institute to prioritize research of the deadliest types of cancer, including pancreatic and lung cancer. ?

Sen. Whitehouse lost his mother to pancreatic cancer, and his father to lung cancer.

"These are diseases that we need to focus on much more intently," Sen. Whitehouse told Eyewitness News Monday. "There has been literally no progress made in the survival rate for pancreatic cancer and we have to pay attention to that."

Dozens of people gathered for Monday's news conference and celebration at Hasbro Children's Hospital, including Kathryn Boucher, who lost her mother to pancreatic cancer four years ago.

"She was diagnosed shockingly.? She had no symptoms with stage four inoperable pancreatic cancer and it just felt like a very hopeless place for all of us," Bocher said.

She hopes the new law will help erase that sense of hopelessness.

"Today is very exciting because this bill is passed.? It means hope for a lot of people and hopefully progress towards a cure for this disease."

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, only 6% of pancreatic cancer patients live more than five years after being diagnosed with the disease.

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Source: http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/providence-ri-celebrates-new-cancer-research-law

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Nielsen compares mobile consumers across the globe, details the differences in how we connect

Right in-time with MWC, Nielsen's latest report provides some insight into how folks in different regions are using their mobile devices. On the whole, many of the findings aren't exactly shockers. Among many highlights, owners of smartphones and feature phones don't use their respective devices for the same tasks, while developed areas are more likely to have upwards of 4G connectivity with higher smartphone adoption rates. As you'd might imagine, people in regions with under-developed infrastructure tend to gravitate toward the likes of simpler, less costly feature phones. Diving deeper with some specifics, Nielsen points out that US-based users of smartphones gravitate toward map and video apps, contrasting that those in China are hungrier for info about weather and news. If you'd like to confirm any more of your suspicions about how mobile devices are being used across the globe, you'll find all the details your noggin desires at the source link below.

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Source: Nielson

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/nielsen-mobile-consumer-usage-worldwide/

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By The People: Frequently Asked Questions on LLC Formation

A limited liability company or LLC is technically a new concept
in the business world. The United States has only acknowledged this in
the late 1970s. So it is expected that many people do not know what an
LLC is. Here are the common questions that people ask about the company
and LLC formation.

What is a limited liability company?

A limited liability company is a hybrid business structure that features the protection of personal assets of a corporation and tax benefits of a partnership. In this way, the company enjoys a lot of benefits.

What are the requirements in LLC formation?

Only one document is required by law to form an LLC, although some states require other documents. The Articles of Organization is the basic document that states the company's information such as business name, address, names of members and their addresses, name and address of registered agent, and the life of the company. There is a filing fee for Articles of Organization and the fee depends on the state where the business will be established.

What is the business structure of an LLC?

During the LLC formation, the structure of the company will be determined by the owners. One feature of the limited liability company is the flexible management structure. It means that the number of owners (called members) is not limited. The company can have a sole owner, partners, or many members as long as their rights and responsibilities are clearly stated in their documents.
The members can also decide on how the company will be managed. The company can also be run by managers instead of members.

Who can be members?

This is a typical question in LLC formation since the company has flexible management structure. In most of the states, the members are the managers by default but the members can also be owners only and not managers especially if they are not knowledgeable on how the business should be managed.
Since there are no restrictions on ownership, members can be individuals, partnerships, corporations or even another LLC. But this should be verified with the LLC filing office if the state allows such ownership.

How are LLCs taxed?

The federal government classifies limited companies in order to determine how the company will be taxed. Since an LLC enjoys the tax benefits of partnerships, double taxation is prevented unlike in corporations. But there are times when the company files for an election for corporation during or after the LLC formation. In this way, the government will treat the company as a corporation just for the federal income tax purposes.

If the LLC is treated as a sole proprietorship or partnership, the taxation is passed-through. This means that the members of the company will declare the profits or losses of the company in their income tax return. In this way, the company is not taxed at a business level but as income of the owners.

What is a registered agent?

A registered agent should be determined during the LLC formation. This is the designated person to receive legal documents especially for the future lawsuit that involves the company. The name of the registered agent together with his or her address should be included in the Articles of Organization.

Source: http://bythepeople-fairfield.blogspot.com/2013/02/frequently-asked-questions-on-llc.html

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Mid-2013 expansion for Internet names targeted

FILE- In this Wednesday June 13, 2012, file photo, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, President and Chief Executive Rod Beckstrom, speaks on expanding the number of domain name suffixes during a press conference in London. Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ?.com? should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. (AP Photo/Tim Hales, File)

FILE- In this Wednesday June 13, 2012, file photo, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, President and Chief Executive Rod Beckstrom, speaks on expanding the number of domain name suffixes during a press conference in London. Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ?.com? should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. (AP Photo/Tim Hales, File)

(AP) ? Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ".com" should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday.

The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

That will be followed within weeks by English suffixes that do not have competing bidders. Although the specific names won't be announced until late April, they will come from a pool of single-bidder proposals ? among them, ".aetna," ''.cadillac" and other brand names sought by companies, regional monikers such as ".vegas" and ".quebec" and generic suffixes such as ".like" and ".vacation."

Many proposed suffixes, such as ".app," ''.music" and ".tech," will likely take longer, however, because multiple groups have submitted bids to run them and must work out disputes.

ICANN is overseeing the largest expansion of the Internet address system since its creation in the 1980s. Last year, nearly 2,000 businesses and groups submitted bids for about 1,400 different names. Proponents of the new suffixes are hoping the expansion will lead to online neighborhoods of businesses and groups around specific geographic areas or industries. And with easy-to-remember ".com" names long taken, they hope to offer Internet newcomers more choices.

In preparation for that expansion, Chehade said Monday that businesses and other trademark holders will be able to declare names they want protected, starting March 26, for an annual fee of up to $150 per name. IBM Corp. and Deloitte will run that system, known as the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Trademark holders will have a chance to register names ending in one of the new suffixes before registration opens to the general public. If a company chooses not to register the name right away, the Trademark Clearinghouse will notify the company when someone else tries to do so. The system, however, will not block that name from going through, and parties must work out disputes themselves, such as through arbitration.

Still to be determined is whether the system will cover variations such as misspellings or the use of a trademark as part of a longer suffix, as in "iPhoneCases." In an interview with The Associated Press, Chehade said ICANN did not want to restrict free speech or other legitimate uses.

From a technical standpoint, computers don't really care what the names are, as long as they match to a numeric Internet address that computers need to send email and locate websites.

From a business and cultural standpoint, however, the names have come to mean much more. Names are central to many companies' branding. And the Internet feels less global when Chinese, Arabic and Russian speakers have to use English characters as part of their Internet address.

ICANN received more than 100 proposals for names in other languages, the bulk of them for the Chinese equivalent of words such as "company" and "online." ICANN's board had agreed to review those first.

Proposals for about a thousand English suffixes have only one bidder, so those would be next in line. In making its recommendations, ICANN is considering the bidder's financial and technical capabilities, as well as any objections raised by the public.

Chehade said ICANN's initial recommendations are expected in late April, after which the winning bidders will work out operational and contractual details. The first of the new names are expected to be activated within months, with additional ones coming at a rate of about 20 a week.

For suffixes with multiple bidders, there is no deadline for which parties must reach agreement. ICANN plans to ultimately hold an auction if competing bidders cannot reach a compromise.

Meanwhile, ICANN said Monday that it would spread its operations to three locations around the world to cover all time zones. Headquarters will remain in Los Angeles, with hubs expected in Singapore and Istanbul, Turkey, by mid-2013. In an interview from Singapore, Chehade said the change would help ICANN avoid hiring a U.S.-centric staff as the Internet address system expands to accommodate users worldwide.

McClatchy/Tribune - MCT Information Services

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-25-Beyond%20Dot-Com/id-b389a4ac462d4ba8aacd81fc558fa68d

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Sunday 24 February 2013

Hathaway, Waltz win supporting-acting Oscars

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Anne Hathaway has gone from propping up leaden sidekick James Franco at the Academy Awards to hefting a golden statue of her own with a supporting-actress Oscar win as a doomed mother-turned-prostitute in the musical "Les Miserables."

Christoph Waltz won his second supporting-actor Oscar for a Tarantino film, this time as a genteel bounty hunter in the slave-revenge saga "Django Unchained."

Hathaway, whose perkiness helped carry her and the listless Franco through an ill-starred stint as Oscar hosts two years ago, is the third performer in a musical to win supporting actress during the genre's resurgence in the last decade.

"It came true," said Hathaway, who joins 2002 supporting-actress winner Catherine Zeta-Jones for "Chicago" and 2006 recipient Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls." Hathaway had warm thanks for "Les Miz" co-star Hugh Jackman, with whom she once sang a duet at the Oscars when he was the show's host.

Hathaway's Oscar came for her role as noble but fallen Fantine in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway smash that was based on Victor Hugo's epic novel of revolution, romance and redemption in 19th century France.

In a choked voice, Waltz offered thanks to his character and "to his creator and the creator of his awe-inspiring world, Quentin Tarantino."

Waltz also offered gracious thanks to his supporting-actor competitors, who included two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Oscar recipient Tommy Lee Jones, who had been considered a slim favorite over Waltz for the prize.

A veteran performer in Germany and his native Austria, Waltz had been a virtual unknown in Hollywood when Tarantino cast him as a gleefully evil Nazi in 2009's "Inglourious Basterds," which won him his first Oscar.

Waltz has since done a handful of other Hollywood movies, but it's Tarantino who has given him his two choicest roles. Backstage, Waltz had a simple explanation for why the collaboration works.

"Quentin writes poetry, and I like poetry," Waltz said.

The foreign-language prize went to Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke's old-age love story "Amour," which had been a major surprise with five nominations, including picture, director and original screenplay for Haneke and best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, who turned 86 on Sunday and would be the oldest acting winner ever.

The top prize winner at last year's Cannes Film Festival, "Amour" follows the agonizing story of an elderly man (Jean-Louis Trintignant) tending his wife (Riva) as she declines from age and illness.

Haneke thanked his own wife for supporting him in his work for 30 years.

"You are the center of my life," Haneke said.

The Scottish adventure "Brave," from Disney's Pixar Animation unit, was named best animated feature. Pixar films have won seven of the 12 Oscars since the category was added.

"I just happen to be wearing the kilt," said "Brave" co-director Mark Andrews, who took the stage in his trademark Scottish garment.

The upbeat musical portrait "Searching for Sugar Man" took the documentary feature prize. The film follows the quest of two South African fans to discover the fate of acclaimed but obscure singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who dropped out of sight after two albums in the 1970s and was rumored to have died a bitter death.

"Thanks to one of the greatest singers ever, Rodriguez," said "Sugar Man" director Malik Bendjelloul.

There was a rare tie in one category, with the Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" and the James Bond tale "Skyfall" each winning for sound editing.

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane opened with a mildly edgy monologue that offered the usual polite jabs at the academy, the stars and the industry. He took a poke at academy voters over the snub of Ben Affleck, who missed out on a directing nomination for best-picture favorite "Argo," a thriller about the CIA's plot to rescue six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis.

"The story was so top secret that the film's director is unknown to the academy," MacFarlane said. "They know they screwed up. Ben, it's not your fault."

William Shatner made a guest appearance as his "Star Trek" character Capt. James Kirk, appearing on a giant screen above the stage during MacFarlane's monologue, saying he came back in time to stop the host from ruining the Oscars.

"Your jokes are tasteless and inappropriate, and everyone ends up hating you," said Shatner, who revealed a headline supposedly from the next day's newspaper that read, "Seth MacFarlane worst Oscar host ever."

The performance-heavy Oscars also included an opening number featuring Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum, who did a classy dance while MacFarlane crooned "The Way You Look Tonight." Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt then joined MacFarlane for an elegant musical rendition of "High Hopes."

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron lined up a top-notch cast of stars as presenters, including "The Avengers" co-stars Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner. They presented two prizes that went to the shipwreck tale "Life of Pi," cinematography and visual effects.

"Life of Pi" also won for Mychael Danna's multicultural musical score that blends Indian and Western instruments and influences.

"I share this wondrous award with our visionary captain, Mr. Ang Lee," Danna said of the film's director.

Halle Berry introduced a tribute to the Bond franchise, in which she has co-starred, as the British super-spy celebrated his 50th anniversary on the big-screen last year with the latest adventure "Skyfall." Shirley Bassey sang her theme song to the 1960s Bond tale "Goldfinger." Later, pop star Adele performed her theme tune from "Skyfall," which won the best-song Oscar.

Barbra Streisand injected some musical sentiment into the show's segment memorializing Hollywood figures who died in the past year as she sang "The Way We Were," the Oscar-winning song she did in the film of the same name.

A salute to the resurgence of movie musicals in the last decade included Oscar winners Zeta-Jones singing "All That Jazz" from "Chicago" and Hudson doing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls." Hathaway and Jackman joined cast mates of best-picture contender "Les Miserables" to sing songs from their musical.

Academy officials said all performances were sung live.

Fans had pondered how far MacFarlane the impudent creator of "Family Guy," might push the normally prim and proper Oscars. MacFarlane was generally polite and respectful, showcasing his charm, wit and vocal gifts.

MacFarlane did press his luck a bit on an Abraham Lincoln joke, noting that Raymond Massey preceded "Lincoln" star Daniel Day-Lewis as an Oscar nominee for 1940's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois."

"I would argue that the actor who really got inside Lincoln's head was John Wilkes Booth," MacFarlane wisecracked, earning some groans from the crowd. "A hundred and 50 years later, and it's still too soon?"

Affleck's "Argo" looks like it will be an uncommon film to claim best picture without a directing nomination, while "Lincoln" filmmaker Steven Spielberg and star Day-Lewis are favored to join exclusive lists of three-time Oscar winners.

"Lincoln" won for production design, while "Argo" won for film editing.

Affleck was not counting on anything, though.

"We don't expect to depart with anything but our integrity," Affleck said before the show.

"Argo" has won winning practically every top prize at earlier honors. Hollywood was shocked that Affleck was snubbed for a directing nomination, possibly earning the film some sympathy votes, particularly from actors, who love it when one of their own succeeds behind the camera.

The story of how Hollywood, Canada and the CIA teamed up to rescue six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis, "Argo" would become just the fourth film in 85 years to claim the top prize without a best-directing nomination and the first since 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy."

___

Online: http://www.oscars.org

___

AP writers Christy Lemire, Sandy Cohen, Beth Harris and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hathaway-waltz-win-supporting-acting-oscars-033140341.html

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London Underground Anniversary Celebrated With 150 Vintage Posters [Pics]

London is celebrating 150 years of its underground system, and pulling out all the stops. First, was the announcement of permanent artwork by Mark Wallinger to be displayed in stations, and now comes an exhibition by the London Transport Museum showing 150 posters that have been created for the transportation service over the years.

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London tube posters have always been notable for using a commercial platform to display unique and interesting works of art. These are not mere advertisements and PSAs, they are a history of graphic design and artistic style.

Trawling through 3,300 posters, experts chose 150 pieces that most vividly expressed the cultural vibrancy of the city. The exhibition include designs by famous artists such as Man Ray (above) and?L?szl? Moholy-Nagy and is shown thematically including ?Brightest London? (nights out and sporting events), ?Finding your way? (maps, etiquette and reassuring messages), ?Love your city? (the best of the capital?s landmarks? and ?Keeps London going? (developments, technology, improvements etc).

Although Londoners may grumble about it, the tube is the heart of the city, carrying two million people a day through its tunnels. An exhibition highlighting the artistic commissions of the underground is a fitting anniversary present to its city-dwellers.

If you are in London, pop by:?Poster Art 150 ? London Underground?s Greatest Designs?is at the London Transport Museum until October 27.

See some posters below:


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?London Transport Museum

Source: http://flippies.com/adflipoff/archives/37677

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Thursday 21 February 2013

Sony further details PlayStation 4 hardware specs | Joystiq

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Introduces PlayStation?4 (PS4?)

PS4's Powerful System Architecture, Social Integration and Intelligent Personalization, Combined with PlayStation Network with Cloud Technology, Delivers Breakthrough

Gaming Experiences and Completely New Ways to Play

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today introduced PlayStation?4 (PS4?), its next generation computer entertainment system that redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, deeply integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features. Combined with PlayStation?Network with cloud technology, PS4 offers an expansive gaming ecosystem that is centered on gamers, enabling them to play when, where and how they want. PS4 will be available this holiday season.

Gamer Focused, Developer Inspired

PS4 was designed from the ground up to ensure that the very best games and the most immersive experiences reach PlayStation gamers. PS4 accomplishes this by enabling the greatest game developers in the world to unlock their creativity and push the boundaries of play through a system that is tuned specifically to their needs.

PS4 also fluidly connects players to the larger world of experiences offered by PlayStation, across the console and mobile spaces, and PlayStation? Network (PSN).

The PS4 system architecture is distinguished by its high performance and ease of development. PS4 is centered around a powerful custom chip that contains eight x86-64 cores and a state of the art graphics processor.

The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has been enhanced in a number of ways, principally to allow for easier use of the GPU for general purpose computing (GPGPU) such as physics simulation. The GPU contains a unified array of 18 compute units, which collectively generate 1.84 Teraflops of processing power that can freely be applied to graphics, simulation tasks, or some mixture of the two.

PS4 is equipped with 8 GB of unified system memory, easing game creation and increasing the richness of content achievable on the platform. GDDR5 is used for this memory, giving the system 176 GB/second of bandwidth and providing a further boost to graphics performance.

The end result for gamers is new games with rich, high-fidelity graphics and deeply immersive experiences that shatter expectations.

Shared Game Experiences

Social interaction is central to PS4 experiences, so new features were built into the actual foundation of the system's hardware architecture. PS4 provides dedicated, "always on" video compression and decompression systems that enables seamless uploading of gameplay. For the first time ever, gamers can share their epic triumphs with the press of a button. Gamers simply hit the "SHARE button" on the controller, scan through the last few minutes of gameplay, tag it and return to the game-the video uploads as the gamer plays. Gamers can share their images and videos to their friends on social networking services such as Facebook.

PS4 also enhances social spectating by enabling gamers to broadcast their gameplay in real-time to friends using live internet streaming services such as Ustream. During live broadcasts, friends can make comments on the streamed gameplay and, if a gamer gets stuck on a challenging level, friends can also join the game in completely new ways. For example, friends can offer health potions or special weapons when a player needs them most during actual gameplay.

Furthermore, users can connect their Facebook account with Sony Entertainment Network account. Through PS4, users are able to deepen their connections through co-op play or "cross-game chat".

PS4 Second Screens

PS4 integrates second screens, including PlayStation?Vita (PS Vita), smartphones and tablets, to wrap gamers in their favorite content wherever they are. A key feature enabled by second screens is "Remote Play" and PS4 fully unlocks its potential by making PS Vita the ultimate companion device. With PS Vita, gamers will be able to seamlessly pull PS4 titles from their living room TVs and play them on PS Vita's beautiful 5-inch display and intuitive dual analog sticks over Wi-Fi networks*1. It is SCEI's long-term vision is to make most PS4 titles playable on PS Vita*2.

A new application from SCE called "PlayStation?App" will enable iPhone, iPad, and AndroidTM based smartphones and tablets*3 to become second screens. Once installed on these devices, users can, for example, see maps on their second screens when playing an adventure game, purchase PS4 games while away from home and download it directly to the console at home, or remotely watch other gamers playing on their devices.

Immediate Gameplay

PS4 radically reduces the lag time between players and their content. PS4 features "suspend mode" which keeps the system in a low power state while preserving the game session. The time it takes today to boot a console and load a saved game will be a thing of the past. With PS4, gamers just hit the power button again and are promptly back playing the game at the exact point where they left off. Additionally, users can boot a variety of applications including a web browser when playing a game on PS4.

PS4 also enables games to be downloaded or updated in the background, or even in stand-by mode. The system takes it one step further by making digital titles playable as they are being downloaded. When a player purchases a game, PS4 downloads just a fraction of the data so gamers can start playing immediately, and the rest is downloaded in the background during actual gameplay.

Personalized, Curated Content

On the newly designed PS4 menu screen, players can look over game-related information shared by friends, view friends' gameplay with ease, or obtain information of recommended content, including games, TV shows and movies. The long-term goal of PS4 is to reduce download times of digital titles to zero: if the system knows enough about a player to predict the next game they will purchase, then that game can be loaded and ready to go before they even click the "buy" button. PS4 will further enrich users' entertainment experiences, by meeting their potential needs.

Gaming in the Cloud

Launched in November 2006, PlayStation Network, a network service for PlayStation users, now operates in 67 countries and regions*4 around the world with the total number of downloaded content of more than 2.8 billion*5. In addition to a variety of games available in PlayStation?Store, PS4 users will be able to enjoy a variety of services offered by PSN, such as Sony Corporation's Music Unlimited, a cloud-based music subscription service and Video Unlimited, a premium video service, as well as various content distribution services.

By combining PlayStation Network with Gaikai Inc's cloud technology, it is SCE's goal to make free exploration possible for various games. In the future, when a gamer sees a title of interest in PlayStation Store, they can immediately start playing a portion of the actual game - not a stripped down version of the game. With Gaikai and PlayStation Store, gamers will be able to experience appealing games and only pay for the games they actually love. PlayStation Network and the cloud will offer additional value to PlayStation gamers. SCE is exploring unique opportunities enabled by cloud technology with the long-term vision of making PlayStation libraries including an incredible catalog of more than 3000 PS3 titles*6 that is unmatched in the industry, mostly ubiquitous on PS4.

SCE will announce new details of PS4 and its robust lineup of games from 3rd party developers and publishers, the independent gaming community and SCE Worldwide Studios, as well as further enhancements to the entire PlayStation ecosystem between now and the holiday 2013 launch.

*1
Depending on network environment or titles, users may not be able to play games outside comfortably.
*2
Exept games that require peripherals such as PlayStation?4 Eye ).
*3
Depending on the version of OS or other conditions, users cannot use the application.
*4
Number as of December 31st , 2012
*5
Number as of February 19st , 2013
*6
Number as of December 31st , 2012, including free trials.

Main Processor
Single-chip custom processor
CPU : x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", 8 cores
GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon? based graphics engine
Memory
GDDR5 8GB
Hard Disk Drive
Built-in
Optical Drive
(read only)
BD 6xCAV
DVD 8xCAV
I/O
Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0) ?AUX
Communication
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth? 2.1 (EDR)
AV output
HDMI
Analog-AV out
Digital Output (optical)
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes, develop and markets the PlayStation?2 (PS2?) computer entertainment system, the PSP? (PlayStation?Portable) handheld entertainment system, the PlayStation?3 (PS3?) computer entertainment system and the PlayStation?Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system. SCEI has revolutionized home entertainment since they launched PlayStation in 1994. PS2? further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP? is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games with high-quality full-motion video and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3? is an advanced computer system, incorporating the powerful Cell Broadband Engine and RSX processors. PS Vita is an ultimate portable entertainment system that offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. SCEI also delivers the PlayStation? experience to open operating systems through PlayStation?Mobile, a cross device platform. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI, along with its affiliated companies, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC., and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and its division companies, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Sony Computer Entertainment Asia develops, publishes, markets and distributes hardware and software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide.

PlayStation and PS3 are registered trademarks and PS4 is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Facebook is a trademark or registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Ustream is a trademark or registered trademark of Ustream, Inc. iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark or registered trademark of Google.Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/sony-further-details-playstation-4-hardware-specs/

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Wednesday 20 February 2013

Office Secretary Jobs in Lahore, Pakistan

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Job Description
(a) Manage all office work and assist M.D relatively
(b) Organize meetings of M.D. with Clients (online & abroad)
(c) Administration of all projects on behalf of M.D.
(d) Manage all correspondence of M.D.

Job Specification
(i) Min. 14 years of Education
(ii) Min. 1 year?s relevant experience of Office Management
(iii)Strong Communication Skills (Spoken & Written) including MS Office
(iv) Extrovert & Pleasant Personality
(v) Work Load Management
(vi) Leadership skills & Analytical approach are must

Note: We require Male candidates only

Do not make any payment to any company, a genuine employer will never ask you to pay in any case. (read more)

Source: http://www.mustakbil.com/job/73855/

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Monday 18 February 2013

Apple iPod Touch 32GB

The iPod continues to improve and the latest generation is also impressive. Sporting wireless connectivity, NIKE+ integration, retina display and more the iPod touch will be music to your ears. Purchase this brand new iPod using our layaway iPod payment plan.

Audio & Battery Stuff

  • Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Music playback time: Up to 40 hours when fully charged
  • Video playback time: Up to 8 hours when fully charged
  • Charging times: Fast charge in about 2 hours (80% capacity), full charge in about 4 hours

Display

  • 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen display with Multi-Touch IPS technology
  • Retina display
  • 1136-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch
  • 800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
  • 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

More Details
We could go on and list more details but lets face it, the iPod is a MP3 player that has most of the functionality of the iPhone. If you do want more details, we recommend you check out Apple's website at http://www.apple.com/ipod/

In the Box

  • iPod Touch (32GB)
  • Touch loop
  • Earpods
  • Lightning to USB Cable

Electrical Requirements

Works worldwide.

Purchasing an iPod via Layaway has never been this easy with GoLayBy!

Source: http://www.golayby.com/products/apple-ipod-touch-32gb.html

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Raspberry Pi: Configuring the Android Debug Bridge (adb)

RaspPi-Androids.jpg

Two of my Androids connected via Android Debug Bridge on my Raspberry Pi

When I got my Raspberry Pi?Raspberry Pi from element14 almost four months ago, I never intended on running Android on it. Instead, my plans were to have my Raspberry Pi service my fleet of Androids. In order to do that, I need the Android Debug Bridge (adb).

ADVISORY: Only for Rooted Androids!

If your Android device is not rooted and/or you do not know what Android rooting means, this this article is not for you.

How to get adb on your Raspberry Pi

Here are the basic resources for getting adb installed onto your Raspberry Pi:

  1. Obtain the adb binary.
  2. Configure the permissions. (Only needed for direct USB connections to Android devices.)

Notice: This isn't necessarily for beginners. I recommend doing this the traditional way from the Android Debug Bridge site using an x32 Linux installation.

If you don't want to bother with those Linux permission, you can install adbWireless onto your Android device(s).

This article is only about basic configuration of using Android Debug Bridge on the Raspberry Pi. I never intended on posting any tutorials here. I figure, we are all humans with brains, so people that read this article can experience their self-learning abilities. :-) Have a nice day, everybody!

?

Marcos "Kuya Marc" Miranda

Source: http://www.element14.com/community/blogs/mirandasoft/2013/02/17/raspberry-pi-configuring-the-android-debug-bridge-adb

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Thursday 14 February 2013

Why gun ownership among US women is climbing

Fifteen percent of America's women own guns ? a small but pronounced increase from six years ago, a recent poll found. Personal safety is the motivation, but some argue that a gun at home makes women less safe.

By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / February 14, 2013

Anne Davis fires her 22-caliber revolver at targets on the Ferry Brook pistol Range so she can practice, last month, in Keene, New Hampshire. She says she learned how to shoot guns with her parents when she was a child and has taken it up again in light of the current political situation. Many gun enthusiasts are worried about more restrictions being placed on gun ownership since the Newtown school shooting.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor

Enlarge

Owning or carrying a gun remains mostly a guy thing, but American women who pack heat ? or at least keep a pistol in the nightstand drawer ??are often Exhibit A in the case for broad access to firearms for personal protection.

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The opposite contention, that having a gun in the house actually makes women less safe, is the rebuttal from those who say the country needs to make guns less accessible.

As Congress, President Obama, and the nation debate the need for stricter gun laws, women?s safety is emerging as a heated and emotional issue ? and one that is almost impossible to ?prove? on one side or the other. Every time gun rights defenders cite an incident of a young mother defending herself and her children by shooting an intruder, gun control advocates point to a woman fatally shot in a case of domestic violence.?

But it would appear that as women themselves do the calculus, a small but growing share is coming down on the side of having a gun. The gun-gravitation is not drastic: 15 percent of women in the US own guns. That, however, is up from 12 percent as recently as 2007, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month.

Julie Warren, a consultant in Colorado Springs, Colo., keeps a handgun in her house for safety and recreation. After serving in the Air Force, she doesn?t think twice about having it.

?There is peace of mind,? she says, ?knowing that you have something you can do to overpower anyone coming through the door.?

Broadly speaking, polls show women are more inclined than men to support new gun control proposals before Congress. Women support stricter gun laws in general ? 62 percent compared with 40 percent of men, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Feb. 7. Sixty-eight percent of women support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, versus 44 percent of men, and 65 percent of women favor a limit on high-capacity ammunition magazines, while 46 percent of men do, the poll found. Both women and men overwhelmingly support background checks for all gun buyers, 94 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

But the argument that women need guns for personal safety and home defense resonates with many women ? some of whom see government efforts to curtail gun access as a threat to their rights.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/btowM_YA9N0/Why-gun-ownership-among-US-women-is-climbing

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State of the Union: Obama's ambitious second-term agenda (+video)

Prospects are mixed for President Obama's second-term agenda, from immigration to climate change to economic recovery. Both Obama and the Republicans are walking a tricky political line.?

By Linda Feldmann,?Staff writer / February 12, 2013

President Obama applauds after introducing outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Feb. 8, 2013. The president will give his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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What are the prospects for President Obama?s top goals??There are the discrete items ? measures on guns, immigration, climate change, health care ? while high unemployment and stagnant economic growth still hang over everything. At the heart of Mr. Obama's agenda remains his core campaign commitment to the middle class, a theme that ran through his second inaugural and will surely carry into the State of the Union message on Tuesday.

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Perhaps the biggest question ahead of the State of the Union message is whether Obama will offer new details on deficit reduction, particularly in Medicare and Social Security. If Republicans want to tie the president up in knots, they have the rope: looming deadlines for deep spending cuts known as "the sequester;" the expiration of the latest temporary budget extension, which could force a government shutdown; and the next debt ceiling.

But Obama is expected to hang tough.

"I think he's confident that the discussion can take place on his terms, with the majority House Republicans still exposed to the blame if something isn't done," says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

On the range of domestic issues, Obama is taking his case directly to the American people in a way he says he failed to do in his first term. "With public opinion, there's nothing you can't accomplish," he told The New Republic in January, citing his hero Abraham Lincoln.

Here are Obama's top domestic agenda items and their prospects:

Gun violence. The Newtown, Conn., school massacre shocked the nation ? and the president ? like no other recent tragedy. But Americans are far from consensus on how to address gun violence, and measures before Congress face a mixed future.

A renewed ban on military-style assault weapons is likely to go down. Even Vice President Joe Biden, head of Obama's gun task force, acknowledges that such weapons account for only a small percentage of firearm deaths, and he says he's more concerned about banning high-capacity ammunition magazines ? those with more than 10 rounds. But the powerful gun lobby opposes that ban as well.

A measure requiring background checks for all gun sales ? not just those by registered dealers ? to screen for people with criminal records and psychiatric problems has greater bipartisan support. Obama wants to move fast on gun control, as passions fade. But if even one significant gun measure reaches Obama's desk, he will have made his mark. No major gun-control law has passed since 1994.

Immigration. The dormant drive for comprehensive reform has come roaring back, following Obama's lopsided defeat of Mitt Romney among Latinos last November. Republicans such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush argue that many Latinos will not hear the GOP's message on economic opportunity and family values until the party adopts a more compassionate tone toward those in the country illegally.

But a plan by a bipartisan group of eight senators ? welcomed by Obama, who announced his own similar plan ? is far from assured passage. One sticking point is the inclusion of a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, deemed "amnesty" by conservatives. Proponents defend the plan by saying "earned citizenship" is contingent on securing US borders and better tracking of people in the United States on visas. The plan also calls for improved employment verification to discourage illegal workers, as well as reforms to the legal immigration system to better serve employers' needs.

Immigration reform is one of the big unfulfilled promises of Obama's first term. Some conservatives argue that Democrats would rather have the issue hanging than resolved. But if it passes, Obama will be the first to sign comprehensive reform since President Reagan in 1986. And it would mark a step in Obama's quest to be a transformational president, like Reagan.

Climate change. Another issue that had faded from Obama's rhetoric came back on Election Night and again in his second inaugural ? a sign that a second-term Obama is an Obama liberated from electoral concerns. On Inauguration Day, not only did he express enthusiasm for green energy and green jobs, but he also attacked climate-change skeptics ? those who "still deny the overwhelming judgment of science."

But don't expect a return of "cap and trade," the 2009 bill to create a market around greenhouse-gas emissions. (It passed the House but died in the Senate.) Instead, Obama is more likely to establish a climate legacy through executive action, including regulation.

One test will come over the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, which environmentalists oppose, saying it would exacerbate global warming and risk environmental damage on its route from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Obama says he favors an "all of the above" energy strategy ? and may approve Keystone for that reason, as well as for the jobs it promises. But he would break environmentalists' hearts.

Health care. In a big way, Obama has already cemented his legacy by enacting sweeping reform of the health-insurance system. And by winning reelection, he can ensure that Obamacare will not be repealed, at least for another four years.

But the US Supreme Court's ruling that made expansion of Medicaid optional for states means that many low-income people will remain uncovered,?though?six Republican governors have now agreed to expansion ? a sign that Obamacare is sinking roots.?Many states are also refusing to set up the "exchanges" that will allow individuals to join the new insurance system for coverage starting next Jan. 1.

In the State of the Union message, Obama may well include a pitch for his reform ? extraordinary, in a way, given that he signed the law nearly three years ago. But if growth in the ranks of the insured falls far below expectations by the time he leaves office, his legacy achievement might not be as big as he had hoped.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/politics/~3/_GBq1nBjVkE/State-of-the-Union-Obama-s-ambitious-second-term-agenda-video

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Video: State of the Union speech touches on guns, economy

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50793857/

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Deep space missions? Magnetic shielding of ion beam thruster walls may provide power

Feb. 13, 2013 ? Electric rocket engines known as Hall thrusters, which use a super high-velocity stream of ions to propel a spacecraft in space, have been used successfully onboard many missions for half a century. Erosion of the discharge channels walls, however, has limited their application to the inner solar system. A research team at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif., has found a way to effectively control this erosion by shaping the engine's magnetic field in a way that shields the walls from ion bombardment.

Ions are produced in Hall thrusters when electrons from an electric current collide with the propellant atoms to form a plasma in the discharge chamber. Thrust is then generated by the interaction of this current with an applied magnetic field that creates a strong electric field. The magnetic field is mostly perpendicular to the channel walls whereas the electric field is mostly parallel to the walls. This electric field then acts as the driving force on the ions, accelerating them to very high speeds (>45,000 mph) toward the exhaust opening. However, the presence of a plasma in the thruster's discharge chamber leads also to a small component of the electric field parallel to the magnetic field lines. This component then accelerates some ions toward the discharge chamber (rather than the exhaust opening) causing erosion by sputtering material from the walls.

Guided by theory and numerical simulations, the research team designed a thruster configuration in which the effect of the plasma on the magnetic field lines along the walls is minimized, forcing the electric field to be perpendicular to the lines. Based on the numerical predictions, the effect of this magnetic field topology would be to accelerate ions away from walls while also significantly reducing their energy adjacent to the walls. Erosion then would be reduced without degrading propulsive performance. The method now known as magnetic shielding was verified by experiments in a vacuum facility using a modified thruster. The combined results of the simulations and experiments demonstrated that there was 100 to 1,000 times less wall erosion when using magnetic shielding.

The results were published in the American Institute of Physics (AIP) journal Applied Physics Letters.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Institute of Physics, via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Ioannis G. Mikellides, Ira Katz, Richard R. Hofer, Dan M. Goebel. Magnetic shielding of walls from the unmagnetized ion beam in a Hall thruster. Applied Physics Letters, 2013; 102 (2): 023509 DOI: 10.1063/1.4776192

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/pg63a7wZpZE/130213114717.htm

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Wednesday 13 February 2013

Roux egg-spands his empire ? Shropshire Star

"Are you left-handed?" jokes Michel Roux Jr, as my right arm prods limply at the ingredients of my first ever creme patisserie.

Wincing from the heat of the stove, I am clearly a far cry from the professionals the two-star Michelin chef is used to scrutinising on TV.

And to make matters worse, we're tackling one of cooking's most fearsome tasks - the souffle. More precisely, it's an omelette souffle Rothschild, a Cointreau-enriched dream of a dessert that's been on the menu at Le Gavroche in various guises since Roux's father and uncle opened the restaurant in 1967.

"A lot of qualified chefs get worried about making souffles, so this is going to be a big step for you," Roux adds, with a characteristic twinkle in his eye. No pressure then.

I feel like a bit of a spare part in the presence of such culinary greatness. Roux has to step in a few times to rescue my wilting egg whites, but I'm determined to make the most of it.

After all, fans have to fork out an eye-watering ?895 for the privilege of spending the day with Roux at his new London cookery school, Cactus Kitchens.

Located above the studio where the BBC's Saturday Kitchen is filmed, the school is the brainchild of Cactus TV's Amanda Ross and also offers cooking experiences with the likes of Monica Galetti and Adam Byatt.

"I'd say it's extremely good value," insists the Masterchef: The Professionals judge. "You spend around ?900 for a full day with me. I think that's very good value, and we've sold out so far."

The project launched this year, and so far he's seen a "very broad range" of ages and standards take part.

"We're not trying to compete with L'Atelier des Chefs or Le Cordon Bleu. They do fairly rigid, structured cooking demos with a class. This is more of an experience. People should feel at ease and hopefully go away with lots of tips."

It's one of many strings to the sprightly 52-year-old's bow. He's still running Le Gavroche, preparing to tackle his 19th marathon this year ("I keep asking myself when I'm going to stop - the knees are still holding out but the calves are very painful") and can currently be seen fronting magazine show Food And Drink on BBC Two.

Roux says: "I wouldn't want to denigrate the old Food And Drink because I used to watch it and was an avid follower.

"But I felt that one was very structured and formal and a bit too serious, whereas this is lighter and far more accessible to viewers."

So how does today's Food And Drink stand out in a market that's already packed with food programmes?

"It has to be different," he says. "There are a lot of cookery competitions on television, MasterChef included, and the straight cooking programmes have their place as well.

"This show is topical. We choose a topic, such as feeding the world, and follow that theme through the programme."

Sadly, there was one red-hot issue they were unable to get their teeth into.

"It's a shame we weren't in the studios when the horsemeat story broke because we could have gone into that one in great depth," says Roux, who was horrified by the news of contaminated meat products.

"It's not the issue of whether we should be eating horsemeat or not. It's the labelling. And that is shocking. The consumer should know what they are eating. That's a basic right.

"And some products had traces of pork. Some people shouldn't be eating pork for religious reasons, so that's shameful. That's criminal."

Although he's frequently on the telly, Roux's busy schedule means he rarely gets a chance to watch it. Nonetheless, there are a number of TV chefs he admires.

"Some of Rick Stein's cooking programmes were stunning and he's such a nice man as well. But nowadays I love Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. What they do is fantastic and what it's done for baking is brilliant."

On the subject of baking, our omelette souffle Rothschild is coming along nicely - even the meringue, which Roux says is the bit that causes the most fretting.

"People are a bit scared of over-mixing the egg whites and then losing all the air in it but actually the first bit of mixing can be quite vigorous."

According to Roux, it's careful planning and methodical work that separates the professionals from the amateur chefs, and breaking a task down into stages can take the stress out of the most daunting recipe.

"This is a perfect example," he says, removing our fluffy, perfectly risen pudding from the oven, turning it onto a plate and scattering it with boozy apricots.

"The apricots can be made weeks in advance and kept in an airtight jar in the fridge. The sauce as well. Then before serving it's a five-minute job, then you put in the oven and it's done. It's all in the preparation."

I fear I may have been more of a hindrance than a help with the cooking, but when it comes to eating the thing, I'm more than happy to get stuck in!

Here's the recipe, plus a few more from Roux, for you to try at home...

Omelette souffle rothschild

(Serves 4)

250ml milk

3 egg yolks

50g caster sugar plus 1tbsp

40g plain flour

1 good measure Cointreau

8 egg whites

For the apricots:

250ml water

150g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod split

20 dried apricots

2 measures Cointreau

Boil the water, sugar and vanilla then pour over the apricots, add a measure of Cointreau, cover and leave to macerate overnight.

Remove 12 apricots and a little of the syrup and reserve for the garnish. Puree the remaining apricots with another measure of Cointreau to make a light sauce. If too thick, add a little syrup from the apricots.

Bring the milk to the boil. Whisk the yolks with 50g of sugar until creamy then add the flour, and pour on the boiling milk and mix well. Return to the pan and bring back to the boil stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in a measure of Cointreau.

Heat six to eight blini pans (12cm diameter) over a medium heat. Whisk the egg whites with 1 tablespoon of caster sugar until soft peaks form. Stir in half to the egg yolk mixture then lightly fold in the rest. Butter the blinis pan and spoon in the mixture and then cook in the oven at 180?C for 6-8 minutes. Then turn out onto the plates and serve immediately with the warmed apricots, sauce and if you like a little double cream.

Spicy aubergine salad with coconut

(Serves 6)

4 large aubergines

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt

Chilli powder

2tbsp tomato ketchup

1tbsp wholegrain Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

50g coconut chips, toasted

6 grilled king prawns for decoration (optional)

Trim off the ends of the aubergines. Cut lengthways into slices, about 15mm thick, then into cubes. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan with a generous amount of vegetable oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add the aubergine cubes. They will soak up all the oil, but don't worry - carry on cooking over a high heat until the aubergine is lightly browned. Turn down the heat and gently simmer until tender. The whole cooking process should take about 12 minutes.

Season well with salt and chilli powder to taste. Remember, if the salad is to be served cold it will need more seasoning than if eaten warm. Put the aubergines in a colander and leave to drain for about 10 minutes. Return the aubergines to the frying pan and heat gently. Fold in the ketchup, mustard and lemon juice. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove and chill. Just before serving, fold in the spring onions and toasted coconut chips.

(Recipe taken from Cooking With The Master Chef)

Duck confit and saute potatoes

(Serves 8)

1 Canard Gras or 8 large duck legs or 2 normal ducks

1kg good-quality coarse sea salt

1 sprig of sage

1 sprig of thyme

For the potatoes:

1kg potatoes (Amandine, Belle de Fontenay or similar), boiled in their skins and cooled

1kg duck or goose fat

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

If using a Canard Gras, remove the legs and breast, trimming off any excess fat. Chop off the head and discard. Remove the skin from the neck and add to the fat, and put the neck with the meat. Take out the foie gras, wrap in cling film and refrigerate to use for another recipe. Add the heart and gizzard, cut in half and washed.

Trim all the skin and fat off the carcass. Put all the fat in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a gentle simmer to render. This usually takes about 1 hour - the water should be evaporated and the fat clear. Pour the fat through a fine conical sieve without pressing. Liberally sprinkle the meat with the sea salt and chill for 90 minutes. Wipe off all the salt and moisture with a cloth and put the meat into the warm fat with the sage and thyme. Bring to a very gentle simmer, cover with greaseproof paper and cook for about 2 hours until tender. Cool in the fat then chill. It will keep for several weeks.

For the duck confit, preheat the oven to 180?C/gas mark 4. Place the meat in a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until golden. Put into the hot oven for 10 - 15 minutes.

For the saute potatoes, peel the potatoes when cool. Cut into 5mm slices and pan fry in the duck fat. Season and sprinkle with garlic and parsley.

(Recipe taken from Cooking With The Master Chef)

Banana and golden syrup tart

(Serves 6)

For the pastry:

220g plain flour (cake flour)

Pinch of sea salt

100g cold butter, cut into blocks

30g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

3tbsp water

For the filling:

180g soft white breadcrumbs

8 tbsp golden syrup

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

5-6 bananas

Sifted icing sugar, for dusting

Thick, sweetened cream, to serve

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and caster sugar, and rub into the flour until it looks like sand. Add the egg yolk and water, bring the dough together, and knead a couple of times. Shape into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry out to fit a 26cm tart tin, line neatly and trim off the excess. Cover with greaseproof paper, fill with dry beans or rice, and bake at 180?C for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, and bake for 5 minutes more.

While the pastry base is still warm, tip in the breadcrumbs; they should come right up to the edge. Warm the treacle in a small saucepan, mix in the lemon zest and juice. Pour evenly onto the breadcrumbs and leave for 5 minutes to settle. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. The filling should set and have a golden caramel colour. Allow the tart to cool a little. Arrange sliced, peeled bananas in a circular fashion on the tart. Dust with icing sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch or under a hot oven grill.

To serve, slice the tart and serve with a generous spoonful of sweetened cream.

For more information about cooking experiences at Cactus Kitchens, visit www.cactuskitchens.co.uk

Food And Drink continues on BBC Two on Mondays

Cooking With The Master Chef by Michel Roux Jr is published by Phoenix, ?16.99. Available now

Source: http://www.shropshirestar.com/lifestyle/food/2013/02/13/roux-egg-spands-his-empire/

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