See Saturn at Its Best In the Weekend Night Sky

In the early hours of Sunday morning (April 28), the planet Saturn reaches opposition. This places it exactly opposite the sun in our sky.

Opposition has several effects on Saturn. Most important, it marks its arrival in the evening sky. It is now visible all night long, a treat for the many people who consider this the most beautiful object in the sky. On Saturday and Sunday night, Saturn can be found in the southeastern sky, weather permitting.

Saturn's opposition also marks the planet's maximum brightness for the year, and the brightest it has been for a number of years. At magnitude 0.2, the ringed planet now outshines the first magnitude star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Astronomers measure the brightness of night sky in terms of magnitude, with lower numbers denoting exceptional brightness. [Photos of Saturn's Dazzling Rings]

You can easily spot Saturn and Spica by following the old rule: "Arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica." Start by following the arc formed by the handle of the Big Dipper away from the Dipper's bowl in a broad arc across the sky, first reaching Arcturus in kite-shaped Bo?tes, and then on to Spica and Saturn in Virgo. Sparkling Spica is on the right, steady Saturn on the left. Starlight, coming from a distant point, is deflected by the Earth's atmosphere and twinkles. A planet like Saturn is larger than a star in apparent size, and so is less affected by atmospheric turbulence, so shines with a steady light.

Saturn is most famous for its magnificent set of rings. All the outer planets have rings, but Saturn's are the brightest and most easily seen. Composed of small pieces of rock and ice, these rings are thin and transparent. When the rings pass in front of a star, the star's light shines through undiminished.

How much magnification do you need to see Saturn's rings? Although some people claim to have seen them with their unaided eyes, most people need a magnification of about 25 power to see that Saturn is an oval rather than a disk. For a really good view, 100 power is much better. Even so, Saturn appears much smaller in a telescope than most people expect. Although tiny, Saturn's perfection astounds all first-time viewers.

Besides its rings, Saturn has an amazing collection of moons, 62 in all. Its brightest moons are mostly in orbits in the same plane as the rings, as you can see in the chart. Its largest moon, Titan, is one of the two largest moons in the solar system; Jupiter's Ganymede is the other. These are the only two moons large enough to have extensive atmospheres. Titan is also the farthest object from Earth on which a spacecraft has landed, the unmanned Huygens probe in 2005.

Titan can be seen easily in almost any telescope. Rhea, Tethys, and Dione can be seen with a 90mm telescope. The innermost moons, Mimas and Enceladus, are more challenging because the lie so close to the bright rings.

Iapetus is Saturn's most interesting moon. Its orbit is not in the plane of the rings, but is tilted at a steep angle. Like all large moons in the solar system, it always keeps one face turned towards its planet, but one side of Iapetus is coated with a dark sooty material. This results in Iapetus being much brighter when west of the planet that when it is to the east.

Because Saturn's moons can appear at any angle from the planet, you will need to use a planetarium software program to identify the individual moons and to distinguish them from background stars. Watching them change positions from night to night is fascinating.

Saturn holds something for every skywatcher. Everyone can enjoy spotting it in the sky, and those with telescopes can admire its rings and track the dance of its many moons.

Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing photo of Saturn and its rings and would like to share it with SPACE.com for a story or image gallery, please send comments and images to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. Original article at SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/see-saturn-best-weekend-night-sky-161250439.html

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Graham blocks vote on Obama energy nominee

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is blocking a Senate vote on President Barack Obama's energy secretary nominee to protest proposed budget cuts to a nuclear processing facility in Graham's home state.

The Senate was expected to vote as soon as this week on physics professor Ernest Moniz's nomination to lead the Energy Department. The Senate Energy Committee endorsed Moniz in a 21-1 vote last week.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott cast the only dissenting vote. Like Graham, Scott opposes Obama's plan to cut about $200 million from a project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into nuclear reactor fuel. The plant is being built at the Savannah River nuclear site.

A spokesman confirmed that Graham has placed a "hold" on the nominee and plans to meet with Moniz.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/graham-blocks-vote-obama-energy-nominee-195055141--politics.html

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NTSB probes safety testing of Boeing 787 batteries

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As airlines prepare to resume flying Boeing's beleaguered 787 Dreamliners, federal investigators looked Tuesday at how regulators and the company tested and approved the plane's cutting-edge battery system, and whether the government cedes too much safety-testing authority to aircraft makers.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also asking how problems with the aircraft's lithium-ion battery system that led to a fire aboard one plane and smoke in another escaped the notice of regulators and company officials who certified the plane's safety.

"We are here to understand why the 787 experienced unexpected battery failures following a design program led by one of the world's leading manufacturers and a certification process that is well-respected throughout the international aviation community," NTSB's Chairman Deborah Hersman said at the opening of a two-day board hearing. Officials with the FAA, Boeing and Boeing subcontractors responsible for the battery system were scheduled to testify.

"We are looking for lessons learned not just for the design and certification of the failed battery, but also for knowledge that can be applied to emerging technologies going forward," Hersman said.

To save manpower, the FAA designates employees at aircraft makers to oversee the safety testing of new planes. Every item that is part of an airplane, down to its nuts and bolts, must be certified as safe before the FAA approves that type of plane as safe for flight. Boeing won FAA safety certification for the 787 in August 2011.

"In a way, the designee system is admitting the FAA doesn't have the manpower to do what is required, and also that they may not have the expertise," said John Goglia, a former NTSB board member and aviation safety expert.

The FAA has used designated company employees to oversee and validate some safety testing for more than two decades, a practice critics complain has inherent conflicts of interest. The agency significantly expanded its use of designees in recent years under pressure from manufacturers, who complained it was taking the agency too long to approve new planes because they didn't have enough staff.

"If industry had to wait for government employees to be available to do the testing" and to develop enough technical knowledge to assess new aviation technologies, "we would just never get any products certified," Goglia said.

The 787, Boeing's newest and most technologically-advanced plane, is the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium-ion batteries. It has long been known that lithium batteries are more susceptible than conventional nickel-cadmium batteries to extreme, uncontrolled temperature increases and fires that are very different to put out. But lithium batteries weigh less, store more energy and recharge faster than conventional batteries, making them attractive to airlines.

Boeing did some of the safety testing on the 787 battery system, but much of the testing was done by a subcontractor, Thales of France, which made the 787's electrical system, and by battery maker GS Yuasa of Japan, according to a previously released NTSB report. The testing concluded there was no chance that short-circuiting would lead to a fire, and the odds of a smoking battery were one in every 10 million flight hours.

Instead, there were two battery failures when the entire 787 fleet had clocked less than 52,000 flight hours. The first was on Jan. 7 aboard a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport shortly after landing following an overseas flight. Firefighters reported two small flames and dense clouds of white smoke streaming from the battery. It took over an hour before they declared the incident under control.

Nine days later a smoking battery aboard an All Nippon Airways 787 led to an emergency landing in Japan. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all U.S.-registered 787s grounded the same day, and aviation authorities in other countries swiftly followed suit.

The NTSB, which is investigating the Boston incident, hasn't yet determined the root cause of the fire and may never be able to do so. The insides of the battery were severely charred, leaving few clues for investigators.

Boeing has since developed and tested a revamped version of the battery system, with changes designed to prevent a fire or to contain one should it occur. FAA officials approved the revamped batteries last week and agreed to lift the grounding order. The company has been working furiously to install the new system on the 50 Dreamliners in service worldwide. Boeing has orders for 840 of the planes from airlines around the globe.

What the NTSB uncovers regarding the FAA's safety certification program could have important implications for the agency's ability to handle other technology challenges, including the transition to a new air traffic control system and the introduction of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace, said Jim Hall, a former safety board chairman.

"It's important to know that the government has oversight capability," Hall said. "Our aviation safety, which is unparalleled at the moment in the world, has been built on having active oversight by the FAA."

___

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ntsb-probes-safety-testing-boeing-787-batteries-071419182--finance.html

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Feds delay plolicy to allow small knives on planes

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Airline passengers will have to leave their knives at home after all. And their bats and golf clubs.

A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats, and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said Monday.

The delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration said in a brief statement. The statement said the delay is temporary, but gave no indication how long it might be.

TSA Administrator John Pistole proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day.

The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition from flight attendant unions and federal air marshals, who said the knives can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong passengers. Some airlines and members of Congress also urged TSA to reconsider its position.

The delay announced by TSA doesn't go far enough, a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide said Monday.

"All knives should be banned from planes permanently," the group said in a statement.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who opposed the policy, said TSA's decision is an admission "that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea." He also called for a permanent ban.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent, said he will continue to push TSA to drop the proposal entirely.

"People with radical ideas can use everyday objects to cause great harm," Markey said. "If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes."

The proposed policy would have permitted folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) or less in length and are less than 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) wide. The policy was aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.

Passengers also would have been be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the agency said.

Security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, already call for passengers to be able to carry those items. Those standards are non-binding, but many countries follow them.

The proposal didn't affect box cutters, razor blades and knives that don't fold or that have molded grip handles, which are prohibited.

Passengers were prohibited from carrying the small knives onboard planes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Some of the terrorists in those attacks used box cutters to intimidate passengers and airline crew members.

It's unlikely in these days of hardened cockpit doors and other preventative measures that the small folding knives could be used by terrorists to take over a plane, Pistole told Congress last month.

There has been a gradual easing of some of the security measures applied to passengers after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, the TSA changed its policies to allow passengers to carry on airplanes small scissors, knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers and up to four books of matches. The move came as the agency turned its focus toward keeping explosives off planes, because intelligence officials believed that was the greatest threat to commercial aviation.

And in September 2011, the TSA no longer required children 12 years old and under to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints. The agency recently issued new guidelines for travelers 75 and older so they can avoid removing shoes and light jackets when they go through airport security checkpoints.

___

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-22-US-Knives-on-Planes/id-5e26717959e5474e80cacb132b3df7b5

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'American Psycho' musical to open in London

Kerry Hayes / AP

Christian Bale in the film "American Psycho."

By Belinda Goldsmith, Reuters

A musical based on Bret Easton Ellis's "American Psycho," the disturbing tale of a Wall Street banker turned sadistic serial killer, will have its world premiere in London in December.

A spokesman for London's Almeida Theatre said on Friday that the show would open on December 3 and run until January 25.

American playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, best known for his work on the U.S. television series "Glee," is producing the script and the show is directed by Briton Rupert Goold.

The music and lyrics will be produced by American singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, who wrote the music for "Spring Awakening" but is best known for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing."

Easton Ellis's novel, published in 1991, is a satire about the 1980s yuppie boom and follows Wall Street investment banker Patrick Bateman, an obsessive materialist who by night commits murders -- or at least imagines he commits them -- while losing himself in drugs and prostitution.

On its release, "American Psycho" shocked readers with graphic content that included Bateman torturing a woman with a rat. In Australia the book was shrink-wrapped and could not be sold to anyone aged under 18.

The book was adapted into a film in 2000 starring Christian Bale, while a project to adapt the book into a musical for the United States was first announced in 2008.

Producer Jesse Singer said the team behind the musical had decided to move it to London where Goold is based and is associated with the Almeida Theatre and to try the show off-Broadway first.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/21/17850221-american-psycho-musical-to-premiere-in-britain?lite

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Using black holes to measure the universe's rate of expansion

Apr. 22, 2013 ? Radiation emitted in the vicinity of black holes could be used to measure distances of billions of light years, says TAU researcher

A few years ago, researchers revealed that the universe is expanding at a much faster rate than originally believed -- a discovery that earned a Nobel Prize in 2011. But measuring the rate of this acceleration over large distances is still challenging and problematic, says Prof. Hagai Netzer of Tel Aviv University's School of Physics and Astronomy.

Now, Prof. Netzer, along with Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du and Chen Hu of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. David Valls-Gabaud of the Observatoire de Paris, has developed a method with the potential to measure distances of billions of light years with a high degree of accuracy. The method uses certain types of active black holes that lie at the center of many galaxies. The ability to measure very long distances translates into seeing further into the past of the universe -- and being able to estimate its rate of expansion at a very young age.

Published in the journal Physical Review Letters, this system of measurement takes into account the radiation emitted from the material that surrounds black holes before it is absorbed. As material is drawn into a black hole, it heats up and emits a huge amount of radiation, up to a thousand times the energy produced by a large galaxy containing 100 billion stars. For this reason, it can be seen from very far distances, explains Prof. Netzer.

Solving for unknown distances

Using radiation to measure distances is a general method in astronomy, but until now black holes have never been used to help measure these distances. By adding together measurements of the amount of energy being emitted from the vicinity of the black hole to the amount of radiation which reaches Earth, it's possible to infer the distance to the black hole itself and the time in the history of the universe when the energy was emitted.

Getting an accurate estimate of the radiation being emitted depends on the properties of the black hole. For the specific type of black holes targeted in this work, the amount of radiation emitted as the object draws matter into itself is actually proportional to its mass, say the researchers. Therefore, long-established methods to measure this mass can be used to estimate the amount of radiation involved.

The viability of this theory was proved by using the known properties of black holes in our own astronomical vicinity, "only" several hundred million light years away. Prof. Netzer believes that his system will add to the astronomer's tool kit for measuring distances much farther away, complimenting the existing method which uses the exploding stars called supernovae.

Illuminating "Dark Energy"

According to Prof. Netzer, the ability to measure far-off distances has the potential to unravel some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, which is approximately 14 billion years old. "When we are looking into a distance of billions of light years, we are looking that far into the past," he explains. "The light that I see today was first produced when the universe was much younger."

One such mystery is the nature of what astronomers call "dark energy," the most significant source of energy in the present day universe. This energy, which is manifested as some kind of "anti-gravity," is believed to contribute towards the accelerated expansion of the universe by pushing outwards. The ultimate goal is to understand dark energy on physical grounds, answering questions such as whether this energy has been consistent throughout time and if it is likely to change in the future.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du, David Valls-Gabaud, Chen Hu, Hagai Netzer. Super-Eddington Accreting Massive Black Holes as Long-Lived Cosmological Standards. Physical Review Letters, 2013; 110 (8) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.081301

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/space_time/astronomy/~3/6XRfCgxonw8/130422123040.htm

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China's bird flu death toll rises to 20

GENEVA (Reuters) - Two more people have died from a new strain of avian influenza, bringing to 20 the number of deaths from the H7N9 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

Chinese authorities have notified the WHO of six new cases, bringing the total to 102. Of those, 70 are still in hospital and 12 have been discharged. Five of the new cases were in Zhejiang province and one was in Shanghai.

"Until the source of infection has been identified, it is expected that there will be further cases of human infection with the virus in China," the WHO said In a statement.

The WHO's China representative, Michael O'Leary, issued data on Friday showing that half of the patients analyzed had had no known contact with poultry, the most obvious potential source, but he said it appeared human-to-human transmission was rare.

China announced the first case of human infection of the H7N9 in late March.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-bird-flu-death-toll-rises-20-203639260.html

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Congress pushes for ?Internet Freedom? as U.N. showdown looms

The House is pushing forward in an effort to block a United Nations-related group from potentially allowing countries to censor the Internet, before an international showdown this fall.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a draft bill, with little fanfare last week, that repeated a claim that ?it is the policy of the United States to preserve and advance the successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet.?

Congress had passed a resolution to that effect last year, but now it?s seeking to get an official law on the books before a big international conference in October in South Korea.

Some contentious language was struck from the bill that might have affected the current policy of net neutrality, which allows the federal government to make sure Internet providers provide equal access to companies that want to stream video and other content.

But the basic gist of the bill was to make sure a message was sent to U.N.-sponsored International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Last December, the United States and its key allies didn?t sign a draft ITU treaty in Dubai that proposed that individual nations had the power to potentially censor the Internet.

The last-second addition of wording about the rights of all nations to have a role in controlling the Internet sparked outrage from Western nations.

This February, departing Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell warned the House committee that the ITU had plans that weren?t in the best interest of the United States.

?Last year?s bipartisan and unanimous congressional resolutions clearly opposing expansions of international powers over the Internet reverberated throughout the world and had a positive and constructive effect,? he said.

?The dramatic encroachments on Internet freedom secured in Dubai will serve as a stepping stone to more international regulation of the Internet in the very near future. The result will be devastating even if the United States does not ratify these toxic new treaties,? he added.

McDowell said the meeting this fall in South Korea will be ?literally a constitutional convention? to ?define the ITU?s mission for years to come. Its constitution will be rewritten and a new Secretary General will be elected. This scenario poses both a threat and an opportunity for Internet freedom. The outcome of this massive treaty negotiation is uncertain, but the momentum favors those pushing for more Internet regulation.?

The ITU is seeking to update a 1988 document called the International Telecommunication Regulations Treaty. It is considering controls over the Internet as an expansion of its current mandate over telephones, television, and radio networks.

A late nonbinding provision tacked on to the treaty last year stated: ?The Internet is a central element of the infrastructure of the information economy, and recognizes that all governments should have an equal role and responsibility for international Internet governance, the security and stability of the Internet, and its future development.?

The addendum was sponsored by a bloc of African nations, and Iran led the effort to get it passed by a majority vote.

At the time, former U.S. ambassador Terry Kramer bluntly said his country had no interest in signing the treaty.

?The Internet has given the world unimaginable economic and social benefit during these past 24 years. All without U.N. regulation,? Kramer said.

The event was serious enough that in a highly charged partisan environment of Washington, the Obama administration, top Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and even top tax fighter Grover Norquist all agreed the Internet should be kept free when it comes to access and taxes.

In reality, some countries already block Web access, but an official mandate to let ITU members control how Internet access points are assigned and monitored would make the whole process much easier to manage?and censor.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages domains and controls the Internet?s backbone. ICANN operates as a nonprofit company at the direction of the U.S. Department of Commerce. (Prior to 1998, the U.S. government managed Internet domain names directly.)

Some critics say the real issue is a power grab by the ITU (and the U.N.) to take ICANN away from any swaying influence exerted on it by the U.S. government.

Scott Bomboy is the editor-in-chief of Constitution Daily.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congress-pushes-internet-freedom-u-103827845.html

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Taste of West Seattle update: 45 food and drink ... - West Seattle Blog

April 21, 2013 at 3:12 pm | In How to help, West Seattle news | No Comments

45 local food-and-beverage businesses are signed up to be part of this year?s Taste of West Seattle, the West Seattle Helpline fundraiser that?s now just under a month away (May 16th, The Hall at Fauntleroy) ? the poster at right (click it for a full-size PDF) just went up around the area, and the full list of participants can be seen on page 2 of this PDF. Helpline executive director Tara Luckie told us at this past week?s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting that tickets are still available ? $45 general (cheaper than the door price IF they don?t sell out, which they did last year), $90 for VIP (early admission, special seating, special raffle). ?Not only are the food and drinks amazing,? Tara says, ?but it?s a community effort of local establishments and West Seattle residents coming together to raise funds for families in need in West Seattle.? Tickets are available online here (note it?s a 21+ event).

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FBI appeals for help solving marathon bombings

Lizzie Lee, 56, of Lynwood, Wash., who was participating in her first Boston Marathon and 11th overall, holds a candle and a flower at Boston Common during a vigil for the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions, Tuesday, April 16, 2013, one day after bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Lizzie Lee, 56, of Lynwood, Wash., who was participating in her first Boston Marathon and 11th overall, holds a candle and a flower at Boston Common during a vigil for the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions, Tuesday, April 16, 2013, one day after bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Emma MacDonald, 21, center, cries during a vigil for the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions at Boston Common, Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Twin explosions near the marathon?s finish line Monday killed three people, wounded more than 170 and reawakened fears of terrorism. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Two fans embrace while singing "Sweet Caroline" as a tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions after the third inning of a baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium in New York, Tuesday, April 16, 2013. The song by Neil Diamond has been a longtime fixture as a fan sing-along during the bottom of the eighth inning of Boston Red Sox games. The Yankees won 4-2. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Ben Revere runs off the field with tape on his glove that says 'Pray for Boston,' for the victims of the Monday bombings at the Boston Marathon, in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 16, 2013, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Lacey Brown placed 176 eyeliner dots on her face one for every injured person and three dots on the other side for the fatalities of the Boston Marathon explosions to carry them with her during the weekly McGinley's Pub Run in Anchorage on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. About 350 people took part in the 3-mile run that began with a moment of silence near the start at Skinny Raven Sports. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

BOSTON (AP) ? A bomber may have been seen amid the Boston Marathon revelers carrying an unusually heavy nylon bag, weighed down with shrapnel-packed explosives, the FBI has suggested. Or perhaps someone heard something beforehand as a culprit tested explosives or expressed an interest in attacking the race.

Law enforcement agencies pleaded Tuesday for the public to come forward with photos, videos or any information that might help them solve the twin bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170 a day earlier. Investigators circulated information about the bombs, which involved kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel ? but the FBI said nobody had claimed responsibility.

"Someone knows who did this," Richard DesLauriers, FBI agent in charge in Boston, said at a news conference where he detailed the type of clues a bomber might have left. "Importantly, the person who did this is someone's friend, neighbor, co-worker or relative."

President Barack Obama branded the attack an act of terrorism but said officials don't know "whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual." Obama plans to attend an interfaith service Thursday in the victims' honor in Boston.

Scores of victims of the Boston bombing remained in hospitals, many with grievous injuries. Doctors who treated the wounded corroborated reports that the bombs were packed with shrapnel intended to cause mayhem. A 9-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were among 17 victims listed in critical condition.

Heightening jitters in Washington, where security already had been tightened after the bombing, a letter addressed to a senator and poisoned with ricin or a similarly toxic substance was intercepted at a mail facility outside the capital, lawmakers said.

There was no immediate indication the episode was related to the Boston attack. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the letter was sent to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

In the Boston case, an intelligence bulletin issued to law enforcement includes a picture of a mangled pressure cooker and a torn black bag that the FBI said were part of a bomb that exploded during the marathon.

DesLauriers said cooperation from the community will play a key role in the investigation. He said the range of suspects remained wide open, but by midday Tuesday more than 2,000 tips had been received.

The bombs exploded 10 or more seconds apart, tearing off victims' limbs and spattering streets with blood. The blasts near the finish line instantly turned the festive race into a hellish scene of confusion, horror and heroics.

The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, of Boston, and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Medford. The Shenyang Evening News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, identified the third victim as Lu Lingzi. She was a graduate student at Boston University.

Officials found that the bombs in Boston consisted of explosives put in ordinary, 1.6-gallon pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails, according to a person close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still going on.

Both bombs were stuffed into black bags and left on the ground, the person said.

At Massachusetts General Hospital, all four amputations performed there were above the knee, with no hope of saving more of the legs, said Dr. George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery.

"It wasn't a hard decision to make," he said. "We just completed the ugly job that the bomb did."

DesLauriers confirmed that investigators had found pieces of black nylon from a bag or backpack and fragments of BBs and nails, possibly contained in a pressure cooker. He said the items were sent to the FBI laboratory at Quantico, Va., for analysis.

Investigators said they have not yet determined what was used to set off the explosives.

DesLauriers said there had been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

In the wake of the attack, security was stepped up around the White House and across the country. Police massed at federal buildings and transit centers in the nation's capital, critical response teams deployed in New York City, and security officers with bomb-sniffing dogs spread through Chicago's Union Station.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the stepped-up security was a precaution and that there was no evidence the bombings were part of a wider plot.

Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in international terrorism, and have been recommended for lone-wolf operatives by Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen.

But information on how to make the bombs is readily found online, and U.S. officials said Americans should not rush to judgment in linking the attack to overseas terrorists.

Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to a July 2010 intelligence report by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department. One of the three devices used in the May 2010 Times Square attempted bombing was a pressure cooker, the report said.

"Placed carefully, such devices provide little or no indication of an impending attack," the report said.

The Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the 2010 attempt in Times Square, has denied any part in the Boston Marathon attack.

Investigators in the Boston bombing were combing surveillance tapes from businesses around the finish line and asking travelers at Logan Airport to share any photos or video that might help.

"This is probably one of the most photographed areas in the country yesterday," said Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis. He said two security sweeps of the marathon route had been conducted before the bombing.

Boston police and firefighter unions announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests.

___

Sullivan reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy, Rodrique Ngowi and Meghan Barr in Boston; Julie Pace and Lara Jakes in Washington; Paisley Dodds in London; Lee Keath in Cairo; and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report along with investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-17-US-Boston-Marathon-Explosions/id-a57d43fdef74457696b617a05e1b13d4

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RBC apologizes for outsourcing arrangement with iGate | FP Street ...

Royal Bank?s top executive moved to salvage the bank?s reputation Thursday, issuing a public apology over a week-long outsourcing controversy that has also rebounded on the federal Conservative government.

Terence Corcoran: RBC victim of CBC/PR/HR hysteria over everyday outsourcing

It?s been a battle between two giant Canadian institutional forces. In one corner the CBC and the labour left. In the opposing corner, RBC and the Canadian banking industry. Guess who won.

Continue reading.

Speaking to reporters in Calgary, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his government will bring in a series of reforms ?in very short order? to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure there are no more abuses.

While not commenting on the specific RBC issue, Harper said he has been concerned about media stories of abuses of the program, as well as the ballooning numbers of foreign workers that have been brought into the country.

?I think it is important for Canadians and all businesses to understand that the purpose of this program is to provide temporary, temporary help in cases where there are absolute and acute labour shortage. It does not have broader purposes than that,? he said.

The mea culpa by RBC chief executive Gord Nixon and move by the government follows a backlash after Canadian information technology workers at the bank complained they were being replaced by foreign workers, some of whom were being brought to Canada for training.

Nixon said in an open letter, to be published in Friday newspapers, that the bank is also reviewing its supplier arrangements and policies to balance its desire to be a successful business and a ?leading corporate citizen.?

He repeated assurances that all of the affected workers ? about 45 people ? will be offered comparable job opportunities at the bank, which is Canada?s largest bank by assets.

?RBC has been in the news this week in a way no company ever wants to be,? Nixon said in a letter distributed Thursday afternoon.

?While we are compliant with the regulations, the debate has been about something else. The question for many people is not about doing only what the rules require ? it?s about doing what employees, clients, shareholders and Canadians expect of RBC. And that?s something we take very much to heart.?

But critics were not letting RBC off the hook so easily, nor the federal government under whose Temporary Foreign Workers Program the bank?s contractor, iGate, received permission to use foreign workers to replace Canadian ones.

IGate brought its own employees into Canada on temporary foreign worker visas so they could be trained for the services they?ll be providing to the bank.

Online reaction on Facebook and Twitter was scathing.

?(Y)our apology first sounds like ?sorry we got caught? and second, we are shifting blame to the supplier. Disingenuous dirtbags,? tweeted one user from the @securityintern account.

?Would this have happened if the public wasn?t aware of the hiring practice in the first place?? read another from @MINITee.

The United Steelworkers, which represents workers employed by chartered banks across Canada, said it was launching a legal challenge in Federal Court over the federal government?s approval for iGate to use temporary foreign workers.

The Steelworkers argued the conditions were not met in the iGate case.

NDP finance critic Peggy Nash called on the federal government to also apologize and close the loopholes that allowed iGate to obtain the visas.

She noted that in a soft labour market, where the unemployment rate remains more than a full point higher than it was before the 2008-09 recession, the number of foreign temporary workers being brought into the country exploded. According to Immigration figures, the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada as of Dec. 1 was 338,189, more than double the figure seven years earlier.

?The reality is Canada has lost hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs in manufacturing, IT, (and) some value added services in processing industries in a race to the bottom,? Nash said.

Queens University law professor Sharry Aiken called the RBC apology a damage control exercise, saying the company likely made the calculation the public relations black eye wasn?t worth it. In earlier statements and an interview that Nixon gave to CBC, the bank had said it expected and believed that its outsourcing supplier had complied with all relevant Canadian rules.

The reality is Canada has lost hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs

?I think it became increasingly clear over the past 48 hours that the bank had a major public relations fiasco on its hands because Canadians were irked in the extreme to hear than in a region like Toronto, where the unemployment rate is not insignificant, jobs were being outsourced,? she said.

In March, Toronto?s jobless rate stood at 8.4%, well above the 7.2% national average.

?Mr. Nixon is an intelligent individual and no doubt came to appreciate quite quickly that maintaining the line was actually damaging the reputation of the bank.?

Aiken said the optics appeared to violate the spirit of the federal program, which was designed to allow firms to fill a temporary need for workers, not replace permanent jobs.

?If in fact these jobs are not temporary, but permanently outsourced, fine let them outsource. But you don?t need to hire them through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.?

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has asked officials to review documents submitted by iGate after apparent discrepancies appeared between public statements made by RBC and information previously provided to the government by iGate.

Harper?s pledge to fix the program was first announced in the March budget, which promised to ?take action to reform Canada?s Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure that Canadians are given the first chance at available jobs.? As well, it said it will introduce user fees for employers applying under the program.

A spokeswoman for Finley said in an email that the program is only intended to allow foreign workers when no Canadians are available to fill the job.

?Employers cannot pay temporary foreign workers less than a Canadian would earn in the same job,? said Alyson Queen.

?It is a requirement of the program that employers will only be able to pay temporary foreign workers 15% less than the average prevailing wage if there are Canadians being paid 15% less. Therefore, no Canadians will be undercut.?

In his letter, Nixon issued four commitments, starting with the apology.

?All will be offered comparable job opportunities within the bank,? he said.

He also committed to a review of the bank?s supplier agreements and to keep its call centres that support the bank?s domestic and U.S. business in Canada.

?Fourth, we are preparing a new initiative aimed at helping young people gain an important first work experience in our company, which we will announce in the weeks ahead,? Nixon said.

Read RBC?s full statement below. It will appear in Friday?s national newspapers.

An Open Letter to Canadians

RBC has been in the news this week in a way no company ever wants to be.

The recent debate about an outsourcing arrangement for some technology services has raised important questions.

While we are compliant with the regulations, the debate has been about something else. The question for many people is not about doing only what the rules require ? it?s about doing what employees, clients, shareholders and Canadians expect of RBC. And that?s something we take very much to heart.

Despite our best efforts, we don?t always meet everyone?s expectations, and when we get it wrong you are quick to tell us. You have my assurance that I?m listening and we are making the following commitments.

First, I want to apologize to the employees affected by this outsourcing arrangement as we should have been more sensitive and helpful to them. All will be offered comparable job opportunities within the bank.

Second, we are reviewing our supplier arrangements and policies with a continued focus on Canadian jobs and prosperity, balancing our desire to be both a successful business and a leading corporate citizen.

Third, our Canadian client call centres are located in Canada and support our domestic and our U.S. business, and they will remain in Canada.

Fourth, we are preparing a new initiative aimed at helping young people gain an important first work experience in our company, which we will announce in the weeks ahead.

RBC proudly employs over 57,000 people in Canada. Over the last four years, despite a challenging global economy, we added almost 3,000 full-time jobs in Canada. We also hire over 2,000 youth in Canada each year and we support thousands more jobs through the purchases we make from Canadian suppliers. As we continue to grow, so will the number of jobs for Canadians.

RBC opened for business in 1864 and we have worked hard since then to earn the confidence and support of the community. Today, we remain every bit as committed to earning the right to be our clients? first choice, providing rewarding careers for our employees, delivering returns to shareholders who invest with us, and supporting the communities in which we are privileged to operate.

I?d like to close by thanking our employees, clients, shareholders and community partners for your input and continued support.

Sincerely,

Gord Nixon

President and Chief Executive Officer,

Royal Bank of Canada

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/04/11/rbc-apology-outsourcing/

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BlackBerry to ask regulators to probe report on returns

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry plans to ask securities regulators in Canada and the United States to probe what it said is a "false and misleading" report that consumer return rates for its new Z10 smartphone have been high.

The Canadian company, which has pinned its turnaround hopes on its new BlackBerry 10 line of smartphones, went on the offensive on Friday after the report from little known Boston-based research and investment firm Detwiler Fenton sent its stock tumbling on Thursday.

BlackBerry said return rates for its flagship Z10 devices have been at, or below, its forecasts and in line with industry norms.

"To suggest otherwise is either a gross misreading of the data or a willful manipulation," Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said in a statement. "Such a conclusion is absolutely without basis and BlackBerry will not leave it unchallenged."

BlackBerry said Detwiler Fenton had so far refused to share its report or its methods. It said it would present a formal request for an investigation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and to the Ontario Securities Commission, which is Canada's major securities regulator, over the next few days.

Detwiler Fenton has not returned calls from Reuters seeking comment on its report or on the BlackBerry statement.

"We believe key retail partners have seen a significant increase in Z10 returns to the point where, in several cases, returns are now exceeding sales, a phenomenon we have never seen before," its report said. Detwiler Fenton gave no details on how it had gleaned this information.

TURNAROUND PLAN

BlackBerry is attempting to claw back market share lost to rivals such as Apple Inc's iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co's Galaxy line of smartphones with its new line of devices, powered by the revamped BlackBerry 10 operating system.

The new Z10 touchscreen smartphone, the first of its new devices, hit store shelves earlier this year. And the Q10, with BlackBerry's famed physical keyboard, will go on sale in Canada and the United Kingdom before the end of April.

BlackBerry, which has changed its name from Research In Motion, has yet to prove to the market that its new devices can trigger a turnaround. The company expects to report break-even results in the current quarter, but a true picture will not emerge until later this year.

BlackBerry stock has remained highly volatile as analysts are split on whether the turnaround plan will succeed. Research reports often bring major swings in the company's share price.

Shares of Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry, which fell 7.7 percent on Thursday, were up 1.3 percent at $13.72 by late morning on Friday.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha and Allison Martell; Editing by Janet Guttsman, Bernadette Baum and Peter Galloway)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-ask-regulators-probe-report-returns-124314017--finance.html

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Why going green is good chemistry

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Shaken, not stirred, is the essence of new research that's showing promise in creating the chemical reactions necessary for industries such as pharmaceutical companies, but eliminating the resulting waste from traditional methods.

James Mack, a University of Cincinnati associate professor of chemistry, will present this research into greener chemistry on April 9, at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans.

Instead of using solutions to create chemical reactions needed to manufacture products such as detergents, plastics and pharmaceuticals, Mack is using a physical catalyst -- high-speed ball-milling -- to force chemicals to come together to create these reactions. The mechanochemistry not only eliminates waste, but also is showing more success than liquids at forcing chemical reactions.

Traditional methods -- dating back thousands of years -- involve using solutions to speed up chemical reactions that are used to make products that we use every day. However, the leftover waste or solvents can often be a volatile compound, explains Mack.

Disposal and recycling is also becoming a growing and more costly challenge for companies as they follow increasing federal regulations to protect the environment. "The solvents comprise the large majority of chemicals that are handled, but the solvent doesn't do anything but serve as a mixing vehicle. For example, for every gram of pharmaceutical drug that is generated, 15 to 20 kilograms of solvent waste is generated in that process," Mack says.

"Mechanochemistry can develop new reactions that we haven't seen before, saving on waste and developing new science," Mack says.

Mack also will report on how he has used a metal reactor vial to create chemical reactions, allowing recovery of the catalyst used to make the reaction, which usually can't be achieved by using solutions. He also is exploring efforts at using natural chiral agents -- agents that are non-superimposable, mirror images of each other -- to successfully mix chemicals and eliminate waste such as oil.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Cincinnati. The original article was written by Dawn Fuller.

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

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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/l5Ubmw1QsCU/130408123302.htm

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O2 customers get free pass on Virgin Media's tube WiFi, last 12 stations go online this week

Unless you're an EE or Vodafone customer, you've either been shelling out for subterranean internet, or bid the London Underground's WiFi network a solemn farewell when free access ended in January. If you're with O2, however, your free pass has now been reinstated, as the bubble-loving carrier has become the latest passenger riding on Virgin Media's tube hotspots. Better yet, all O2 clientele have been automatically registered, so jumping online should be pretty simple once your device has found the source. Also, the underground network will shortly be meeting its 120-station target, as Virgin will be flipping switches at the final 12 locations throughout this week (the station list is available at the source link). So, should you start seeing more people in more places frantically hammering their smartphones during those 30-second pauses on the platform, you'll know why.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet, Mobile

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Source: Virgin Media

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/08/o2-virgin-media-tube-wifi/

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Japan increasingly nervous about North Korea nukes

TOKYO (AP) ? It's easy to write off North Korean threats to strike the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile as bluster: it has never demonstrated the capability to deploy a missile that could reach the Pacific island of Guam let alone the mainland U.S.

But what about Japan?

Though it remains a highly unlikely scenario, Japanese officials have long feared that if North Korea ever decides to play its nuclear card it has not only the means but several potential motives for launching an attack on Tokyo or major U.S. military installations on Japan's main island. And while a conventional missile attack is far more likely, Tokyo is taking North Korea's nuclear rhetoric seriously.

On Monday, amid reports North Korea is preparing a missile launch or another nuclear test, Japanese officials said they have stepped up measures to ensure the nation's safety. Japanese media reported over the weekend that the defense minister has put destroyers with missile interception systems on alert to shoot down any missile or missile debris that appears to be headed for Japanese territory.

"We are doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation," said chief Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga, though he and defense ministry officials refused to confirm the reports about the naval alert, saying they do not want to "show their cards" to North Korea.

North Korea, meanwhile, issued a new threat against Japan.

"We once again warn Japan against blindly toeing the U.S. policy," said an editorial Monday in the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of its ruling party. "It will have to pay a dear price for its imprudent behavior."

Following North Korea's third nuclear test in February, Japanese experts have increasingly voiced concerns that North Korea may already be able to hit ? or at least target ? U.S. bases and major population centers with nuclear warheads loaded onto its medium-range Rodong missiles.

"The threat level has jumped" following the nuclear test, said Narushige Michishita, a former Ministry of Defense official and director of the Security and International Studies Program at Tokyo's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

Unlike North Korea's still-under-construction intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, program, its arsenal of about 300 deployed Rodong missiles has been flight tested and is thought to have a range of about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles).

That is good enough to reach Tokyo and key U.S. military bases ? including Yokota Air Base, which is the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Air Force; Yokosuka Naval Base, where the USS George Washington aircraft carrier and its battle group are home-based; and Misawa Air Base, a key launching point for U.S. F-16 fighters.

Michishita, in an analysis published late last year, said a Rodong missile launched from North Korea would reach Japan within five to 10 minutes and, if aimed at the center of Tokyo, would have a 50-percent probability of falling somewhere within the perimeter of Tokyo's main subway system.

He said Japan would be a particularly tempting target because it is close enough to feasibly reach with a conventionally or nuclear-armed missile, and the persistent animosity and distrust dating back to Japan's colonization of the Korean peninsula in 1910 provides an ideological motive.

Also, a threat against Japan could be used to drive a wedge between Tokyo and Washington. Pyongyang could, for example, fire one or more Rodong missiles toward Tokyo but have them fall short to frighten Japan's leaders into making concessions, stay out of a conflict on the peninsula or oppose moves by the U.S. forces in Japan to assist the South Koreans, lest Tokyo suffer a real attack.

"Given North Korea's past adventurism, this scenario is within the range of its rational choices," Michishita wrote.

Officials stress that simply having the ability to launch an attack does not mean it would be a success. They also say North Korea is not known to have actually deployed any nuclear-tipped missiles.

Tokyo and Washington have invested billions of dollars in what is probably the world's most sophisticated ballistic missile defense shield since North Korea sent a long-range Taepodong missile over Japan's main island in 1998. Japan now has its own land- and sea-based interceptors and began launching spy satellites after the "Taepodong shock" to keep its own tabs on military activities inside North Korea.

For the time being, most experts believe, North Korea cannot attack the United States with a nuclear warhead because it can't yet fashion one light enough to mount atop a long-range ICBM. But Japanese analysts are not alone in believing North Korea has cleared the "miniaturization" problem for its medium-range weapons.

In April 2005, Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea had the capability to arm a missile with a nuclear device. In 2011, the same intelligence agency said North Korea "may now have" plutonium-based nuclear warheads that it can deliver by ballistic missiles, aircraft or "unconventional means."

The Pentagon has since backtracked, saying it isn't clear how small a nuclear warhead the North can produce.

But David Albright, a physicist at the Institute for Science and International Security think-tank, said in an email he believes the North can arm Rodong missiles with nuclear warheads weighing as much as several hundred kilograms (pounds) and packing a yield in the low kilotons.

That is far smaller than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima or Nagasaki but big enough to cause significant casualties in an urban area.

Japan also is a better target than traditional enemy South Korea because striking so close to home with a nuclear weapon will blanket a good part of its own population with the fallout.

Regardless of whom North Korea strikes ? with a nuclear or conventional weapon ? it can be assured of one thing: a devastating counterattack by the United States.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-08-Japan-NKorea's%20Nuke%20Threat/id-30d1f2695ba343a796008281a6486e10

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'Anti-government' couple may be sailing out to sea with kidnapped children

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office via AP

Joshua and Sharyn Hakken may be sailing out to sea after Joshua Hakken allegedly kidnapped their children.

By Ian Johnston and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

An ?anti-government? man alleged to have kidnapped his two young sons from their grandmother?s house may be trying to escape in a sailboat, according to officials.

Police say that Joshua Hakken, 35, apparently broke into his mother-in-law?s Tampa home after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, tied up his mother-in-law and then fled with the boys, Cole, 4, and Chase, 2.

Cole Hakken, 4, left, and his two-year-old brother, Chase.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said that Joshua Hakken and his wife Sharyn, 34, may be traveling together in a 25-foot, 1972 Morgan sailboat, NBCMiami.com reported Friday.

The vessel is blue and has the name ?salty? with a picture of a paw near the back of the hull on each side. It has a white sail with blue trim and its registration number is FL3717BK, the FDLE added.

The United States Coast Guard scoured a swath of sea spreading from Key West to Mobile, Ala. with helicopters and boats on Saturday in an ongoing search, said Petty Officer First Class Crystalynn Kneen, a USCG spokeswoman in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Coast Guard issued an ?urgent marine information broadcast? on Friday, Kneen said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office told NBC station WLFA.com that Hakken had recently bought the boat.

Deputies told the station a witness saw the boat going under the Johns Pass bridge a couple of hours after the abduction Wednesday.

"We've said all along, making irrational decisions doesn't always make you unintelligent. We know he's a very intelligent individual. He's an engineer," Hillsborough County Sheriffs spokesperson, Larry McKinnon, told WFLA.com.

"Wouldn't put it past them to be able to pull into one of these coves or one of these inlets and then board a vehicle. So we're not gonna eliminate our land search, we're still maintaining the Amber alert. We're now expanding it into the Gulf of Mexico, " McKinnon said.

"Hopefully, we're going to find them soon. As we've mentioned before, our goal is to reach out to them in a peaceful manner and to allow them to open an exchange of communication and dialogue so we can get this resolved without anyone getting hurt. "

Craig Johnson, an experience boater and volunteer search and rescue participant, said, "If I was him, he's probably heading towards Cancun or Cuba. If he's going to Cuba, he's gotta go around Key West. That wouldn't be too smart."

In a previous release, the sheriff?s department said that "both suspects are anti-government and have attempted a previous abduction at gun point in Louisiana.??

Joshua Hakken was arrested in St. Tammany Parish, La. on June 17, 2012 after attending an ?anti-government rally,? the Hillsborough County Sheriff?s department said in a press release. He was charged with the unlawful sale of narcotics in the presence of minors and possession of marijuana and spent one day in jail before making bond, said Officer Ben Sciambra of the Slidell city jail.

The couple was acting ?in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers? during the arrest, according to press release issued by the Slidell Police Department on April 4. With both children present, the couple told officers that they were ?completing their ultimate journey? and planned to ?take a journey to the Armageddon,? according to the release.

The Louisiana Office of Child Services determined that the two young children needed to be placed in foster care after the arrest, according to the Slidell Police Department release. Officers also took several weapons at the time of the arrest.

NBC News' Craig Giammona contributed to this report.

Related:

Pickup found in suspected Florida double kidnapping

?Authorities: Man kidnaps his 2 young sons in Fla.

?Amber alert issued for Tampa siblings

This story was originally published on Sat Apr 6, 2013 8:29 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a67837a/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A60C176290A20A0Eanti0Egovernment0Ecouple0Emay0Ebe0Esailing0Eout0Eto0Esea0Ewith0Ekidnapped0Echildren0Dlite/story01.htm

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Visualized: AT&T's network-boosting Small Cell

WiFi used to be the only somewhat reliable way for a carrier to plug up holes in its network coverage. It's a tactic AT&T's used to great effect in many metropolitan areas where it offers wireless service. But short of acquiring more spectrum -- a costly and time-consuming process littered with legal roadblocks -- the operator's been exploring an alternative solution: small cells. Testing for these stopgap signal boosters (pictured above) has already been underway since late 2012, with a trial case study in Crystal Lake Park, MO that proved outdoor reception could improve by almost 100-percent. And that test site is just the start of a greater small cell rollout that should place over 40,000 of these units throughout AT&T's nationwide footprint by 2015. So if you're tethered to the operator's network and sick of spotty coverage, help is most definitely on the way.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Networking, Mobile, AT&T

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/jQsnFUQ20U8/

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Russian court brushes aside lawyer's protest in posthumous trial

By Maria Tsvetkova

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian judge said on Friday the posthumous trial of whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky would continue despite a protest from a court-appointed defense lawyer who argued the state had no right to try a dead man without his relatives' consent.

Judge Igor Alisov's decision appeared to underscore Russia's determination to press ahead with a trial that has caused an outcry among rights groups and added to Western concerns about human rights and the rule of law under President Vladimir Putin.

Magnitsky, a lawyer working for Hermitage Capital Management, once one of the biggest investors in Russia, was arrested shortly after accusing Russian officials of stealing $230 million from the state through fraudulent tax refunds.

He died in November 2009, after nearly a year in jail during which he said he was denied medical treatment. A Kremlin human rights council has aired suspicions he was beaten to death, but Putin has dismissed allegations of foul play.

Russia has abandoned investigations into Magnitsky's death, for which nobody has been held criminally responsible, and in 2011 reopened a tax evasion case against the dead lawyer despite opposition from his family.

Russia's first posthumous trial started last month.

Critics say it is an attempt by Putin's government to show the public that Magnitsky was a crook, not a hero, and to hit back at the United States for adopting legislation designed to punish Russians linked to his death.

"I have not found a single declaration from relatives requesting the case be reopened," said Nikolai Gerasimov, a lawyer appointed by the court to represent Magnitsky after his relatives refused to have anything to do with the trial.

FURTHER TENSIONS WITH U.S. LOOM

He echoed relatives of Magnitsky and other lawyers who say that Russian law does not allow prosecution of a deceased person without a request from the family, for the purpose of clearing the person posthumously of any wrongdoing.

"Because my participation contradicts the opinion and position of the defendant's relatives, I suggest that I do not have the right to participate in the trial," Gerasimov said in the courtroom, where the defendant's cage stood empty.

The judge, Alisov, said the court had already dealt with the issue of relatives' consent.

"We will continue in the same format," he said, and the hearing went ahead.

Gerasimov did not leave the courtroom, but sat down and doodled on a sheet of paper. A second appointed defense lawyer, Kirill Goncharov, said he supported Gerasimov but continued to participate, asking questions of a prosecution witness.

Hermitage owner William Browder, who is based in Britain, is being tried in absentia together with Magnitsky.

Browder has also refused to take part or appoint a defense team, saying the trial is a politically motivated effort to discredit him and Magnitsky and punish him for lobbying U.S. lawmakers to pass the Magnitsky Act in December.

The law requires the U.S. administration to bar Russians accused of involvement in Magnitsky's death and other alleged rights abuses from entering the United States and freeze any assets they hold there.

Under the law, the White House must publish by mid-April a list of Russians suspected of rights abuses or explain to Congress why their names can't be published. The reasons for not publishing must be tied to national security.

The release is all but certain to trigger angry reaction from Moscow, which was enraged when the law was first approved and has seen ties with Washington deteriorating over that, as well as other human rights and security disputes.

(Writing by Steve Gutterman; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-court-brushes-aside-lawyers-protest-posthumous-trial-114715842.html

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