How to remove old Android devices from the Play store

Similar to how it keeps track of your downloaded and purchased applications, Google also keeps track of your Android devices. Each smartphone or tablet you register to your Google account is automatically synced with the Play store, giving you the ability to install new apps from your Web browser.
There doesn't appear to be a limit to the number of devices Google stores, which means things can start to get a little crowded as you begin to upgrade to the latest and greatest gadgets. There is no need to fret, though; a simple solution makes it easy to organize or even remove old Android devices you no longer use from the Play store.
Here's how to do it:
Removing old devices
Go to the Google Play store from your computer's Web browser, click on the gear icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen, and select the Settings option. You will be brought to a page titled "My Devices," which lists all the smartphones and tablets you have registered to your Google account.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dan Graziano/CNET)

Next, deselect the devices you wish to remove from your account under the Visibility option. This will hide select devices from appearing in the Play store when you are attempting to download a new app.
Renaming your devices
Alternatively, you can also rename devices for better organization. This can be done in the Google Play settings on the My Devices page. Click on the "Edit" option at the right-hand side of the screen, enter a new name, for example "Dan's Nexus 7," and click the "Update" button.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dan Graziano/CNET)

This will make it easier to download apps on shared accounts or to organize multiple devices. When attempting to download a new app you will be presented with three options: the app is compatible with all of your devices, some of your devices, or none of your devices. Clicking one of these three options will display a drop-down menu with your newly organized device list.

SOURCE : http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57600778-285/how-to-remove-old-android-devices-from-the-play-store/

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Lamar Odom accused of DUI in California

After days of increasing speculation about the state of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s marriage and Odom’s possible drug addiction, the NBA player was arrested early Friday morning and accused of driving under the influence.
A California Highway Patrol officer said he saw Odom’s white Mercedes-Benz traveling erratically on a San Fernando Valley freeway about 4 a.m.
“Mr. Odom showed objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests,” the officer’s report said. Authorities said he later declined to take a chemical test.
■ Related: Lamar Odom arrested on suspicion of DUI
Odom, 33, was booked on a charge of investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He was jailed and released after posting bail of $15,000.
This was just the cherry on top of a bad week that included the release of Eminem’s new single “Berzerk,” in which he refers to Khloe as “the ugly Kardashian.”
According to a report at www.usmagazine.com, the Detroit rapper also addresses Odom in the single: “Lamar O, sorry. We done both set the bar low.”
There’s been no word from the Kardashian family about either incident.

Hecklers silence Dave Chappelle

Fans are upset after Dave Chappelle stopped his headlining set at a U.S. comedy show because of hecklers and left the stage after telling only a few jokes.
Chappelle was the closing act Thursday night at the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival in Hartford, Conn.
Fans say he stopped his routine after only a few minutes. He sat on a stool making comments about the situation and responding to hecklers until the end of what apparently was his contractually mandated time onstage.
■ Related: Dave Chappelle heckled at Connecticut show, stops performance
The Oddball Fest posted a tweet asking people to “pipe down and let Dave Chappelle do his thing!”
Some fans say the whole thing was awkward, and some say they should get refunds.
The touring festival, featuring Chappelle and Flight of the Conchords, is due Sunday at DTE Energy Music Theatre.

Briefly

■ MSNBC host and NBC news correspondent Tamron Hall will delve into a metro Detroit killing in the premiere of her new show, “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall.” The episode, scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Sunday on the Investigation Discovery channel, features the 2011 slaying of Ruth Pynes of Highland Park.
■ Clint and Dina Eastwood have separated, according to a report at www.usmagazine.com. The Oscar-winning director and former television news reporter married in 1996 and have a daughter Morgan, 16.
■ The wife of rock musician Ted Nugent was arrested and taken into custody Thursday after a handgun was found in her carry-on luggage at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Shemane Ann Nugent’s attorney, David Finn, says she either forgot or never knew the gun was in her bag. Finn says Nugent has a license to carry a concealed weapon.
■ RoboCop is back in Detroit. According to a report at www.motherjones.com, the statue of RoboCop arrived Wednesday in the D. The statue, which was originally suggested as a joke on Twitter, is the result of a Kickstarter campaign by Detroit nonprofit Imagination Station. The 1987 flick “RoboCop” was set in a futuristic Detroit.

SOURCE : http://www.freep.com/article/20130831/ENT07/308310012/names-faces-celebrities

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7.0 quake recorded in Alaska's Aleutian Islands

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Alaska's Aleutian Islands with a jet-like rumble Friday that shook homes and sent residents scrambling for cover.
"I heard it coming," said Kathleen Nevzoroff, who was sitting at her computer in the tiny Aleutians village of Adak when the major temblor struck at 8:25 a.m. local time, getting stronger and stronger. "I ran to my doors and opened them and my chimes were all ringing."
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the earthquake, which occurred in a seismically active region. It was strongly felt in Atka, an Aleut community of 64 people, and the larger Aleutian town of Adak, where 320 people live. The quake was followed by multiple aftershocks, including one measuring magnitude 5.4.
The earthquake didn't trigger a tsunami warning, but Michael Burgy with the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said the center is monitoring for potential tsunamis caused by landslides, either on land or under water.
The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the primary earthquake was centered 67 miles southwest of Adak, about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage. Shaking lasted up to one minute.
The quake occurred offshore in the subduction zone where plates of the Earth's crust grind and dive. By contrast, California's most famous fault line, the San Andreas, is a strike-slip fault. Quakes along strike-slip faults tend to move horizontally.
In Adak, city clerk Debra Sharrah was upstairs in her two-story townhome getting ready for work when she heard a noise.
"I thought it was my dog running up the stairs," she said. "It kept making noise and then it got louder. So then all of a sudden the rumbling started."
The four-plex of townhomes was shaking and swaying as Sharrah and her dog, Pico, dashed out the door. It seemed like the building moved for a long time, but the only thing disturbed in her home was a stepstool that fell over.
"Nothing fell off my walls, and the wine glasses didn't go out of the hutch or anything," said Sharrah, who moved to the island community from Montana's Glacier National Park area almost two years ago.
In Atka, Nevzoroff manages the village store and expected to find goods had flown off the shelves. But nothing was amiss.
"Everything seems to be okay," she said.
The communities are located in a sparsely populated region and both played roles in World War II.
Atka residents were displaced during the war, relocating to Southeast Alaska so the U.S. government could demolish the village to prevent the Japanese from seizing it as they had other Aleutian communities. After the war, the U.S. Navy rebuilt the community and residents returned. Today, the community is a cluster of solidly built utilitarian buildings scattered over rolling hills that turned emerald green in warmer months.
Adak, 110 miles to the west, had been home to U.S. military installations that allowed forces to wage a successful offense against the Japanese after they seized the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu. After the war. Adak was transformed into a Naval air station that served as a submarine surveillance center during the Cold War. Later, the facilities were acquired by the Aleut Corp. — a regional native corporation — in a federal land-transfer agreement. It became a city in 2001 and today retains its military appearance.

SOURCE : http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/30/earthquake-alaska-aleutian-islands/2745149/

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War Powers debate arises again around possible action in Syria

Washington (CNN) -- As President Barack Obama considers military action in response to Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, a debate over whether he must seek Congress' consent has surfaced. It's a debate with which the president is extremely familiar.

As a senator, Obama was a staunch critic of President George W. Bush for not obtaining renewed authorization for the war in Iraq. He blasted his predecessor in 2007, saying, "The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

Additionally, as a candidate for president, Obama reaffirmed that sentiment. He told the Boston Globe in a questionnaire, "The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

"It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action," Obama added at the time.

Syria: Western intervention looms after reported chemical attack

As a senator, Vice President Joe Biden had a similar take. During a campaign speech in Iowa in 2007, he said "the consequences of war -- intended or otherwise -- can be so profound and complicated that our founding fathers vested in Congress, not the president, the power to initiate war, except to repel an imminent attack on the United States or its citizens."

Although they have held such strong views in the past, their positions have dramatically changed. They did not seek Congressional consent when the United States engaged its military in Libya, nor when Obama expanded the war in Afghanistan. In both instances, members of Congress complained loudly, but the president defended his decision.

Iran: U.S. military action in Syria would spark 'disaster'

In the case of Libya, the president said at the time that U.S. troops would not be on the ground and so the law didn't apply.

Why the change of heart?

"Where you stand on this issue depends on where you sit, and right now (Obama) is sitting in the Oval Office," said Kal Raustiala, professor of law at UCLA.

It's a long-running battle of checks and balances. And it's one that the president usually wins.

Opinion: On Syria, learn from U.S. mistakes in Iraq

The debate revolves around the War Powers Resolution.

Congress passed the measure in 1973, overriding a veto by President Richard Nixon. It was meant to rein in the president's ability to involve the United States in overseas conflict.

The law requires that the president seek consent from Congress before force is used or within 60 days of the start of hostilities and that the president provides Congress with reports throughout the conflict.

It hasn't really worked that way.

Many in Congress want consultation before action in Syria

It's a debate that has played out time and time again in U.S. history: a president is considering intervening in an international conflict, Congress wants a say. Specifically, congressional opponents want the ability to block the intended military action.

Since 1973, the United States has used military force in Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989, Iraq in 1991, Haiti in 1994 and Kosovo in 1999. In all those instances, presidents -- both Democrats and Republicans -- sidestepped Congress and committed U.S. military forces without obtaining Congressional approval.

Congress did, however, provide Bush with its approval for the war in Iraq in 2002 and the war in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Like a replay of the past, some members of Congress are demanding the president seek the legislative branch's approval before any action is taken in Syria. But it's highly unlikely the president will take that formal step.

Warnings of quagmire in Syria as U.S. contemplates military action

Congress complains, sometimes loudly, but has rarely done anything about it. It could pass laws further restricting the president's authority, but hasn't done so. The legislative branch could also withhold funding of any military conflict, but that's another avenue it has failed to take. Additionally, the judiciary has been reluctant to settle the dispute.

In the White House's daily briefing, press secretary Jay Carney said the administration is consulting with Congress. Obama "had discussions with relevant members of Congress, and leaders of committees and leaders of the Congress at large," he said.

Who wants what after chemical weapons horror

In response to Carney's statement, Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan, who called military action without congressional approval "unconstitutional" and is among a group of lawmakers who are demanding the president seek their approval, tweeted, "yeah right."

But while members are likely to write letters, pontificate and even challenge the president to seek consent, the president is likely to continue to sit on the winning side of the issue.

SOURCE : http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/28/politics/syria-obama-war-powers/index.html

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Study shows men just as likely to be depressed as women

Depression can look very different in men and women. And many of its hallmarks — rage, risk-taking, substance abuseand even workaholism — can hide in plain sight.

Now researchers say that when these symptoms are factored into a diagnosis, the long-standing disparity between depression rates in men and women disappears.

That conclusion overturns long-accepted statistics indicating that, over their lifetimes, women are 70% more likely to have major depression than men. In fact, when its symptoms are properly recognized in men, major depression may be even more common in men than in women, according to a study published Wednesday by the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

The findings help unravel a mystery that has long puzzledmental health authorities: If men are so much less likely than women to be depressed, why are they four times more likely to commit suicide?

"When it comes to depression in men, to some extent we have blinders on," said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, a psychiatrist who studies depression at UCLA. "We have not been asking about and taking into account a range of symptoms that may be gender-specific."

Health policy researchers from the University of Michiganand Vanderbilt University set out to test the feasibility of two new checklists that might diagnose depression in men as well as women with greater accuracy.

In addition to familiar depression symptoms such as sadness, difficulty sleeping, feelings of guilt or worthlessness and loss of interest in pleasurable activities, the researchers expanded the list to include anger attacks, aggression or irritability, substance abuse, risk-taking behavior and hyperactivity. They devised two scales — one designed to be gender-neutral and one tuned toward the way the disease manifests itself in men.

The researchers tested these diagnostic criteria in a group of nearly 5,700 American adults who had been interviewed as part of a long-term study of mental health organized by researchers at Harvard Medical School; 41% of the participants were men.

The results of the analysis were striking.

When assessed using the "gender inclusive depression scale" that included widely recognized depressive symptoms such as sadness and hopelessness as well as symptoms commonly seen in men, 30.6% of men and 33.3% of women were found to have experienced a depressive episode at some point in their lives. In research terms, that gap between men and women was so narrow it may have been a statistical fluke.

And when the subjects were evaluated with the "male symptoms scale," 26.3% of men and 21.9% of women were said to have experienced a major depressive episode in their lifetimes. That difference was large enough that it could not be due to chance, the researchers reported.

"Everything we think we know about depression is a reflection of how we defined it to begin with," Leuchter said.

That bias, he added, may have fostered the perception that depression is predominantly a "woman's disease" — and that men don't need treatment for emotional suffering.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, portrayed depression as rage turned inward. But for many men today, depression's rage appears not so much directed at oneself as it is spat outward — at spouses, co-workers and friends.

While women may not feel shame in acknowledging their sadness and sagging self-esteem, mental health experts find that depressed men often respond to such feelings with actions that look like their opposite: They bluster and bully. They throw themselves into harm's way. They numb themselves with sex, drugs and endless workdays.

If the emotional pain of many men is to be understood for what it is, depression's definition should be expanded to include these "externalizing" symptoms — the opposite of "internalizing" symptoms that have long defined depression, some mental health professionals argue.

"These findings could lead to important changes in the way depression is conceptualized and measured," the study authors concluded.

If psychiatrists update their official diagnostic criteria to reflect these gender differences, that would be only a first step, Leuchter said.

Doctors, including primary care physicians who now diagnose most depression, would have to be educated to look for an expanded set of symptoms, he said. Researchers would not only need to understand how seemingly separate diseases such as substance abuse and depression relate to each other, they would also need to assess whether the treatments currently available — antidepressants and talk therapy — would help men with these symptoms, he said.

For men as well as women, the checklists now in wide use to diagnose depression may fail to capture the experience and language of the emotional distress they feel, said study leader Lisa Martin, a health policy studies professor at the University of Michigan.

"Word choice matters," she said.

SOURCE : http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-depression-men-20130829,0,2605342.story

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Obama administration takes executive gun control actions

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday it had closed a loophole in the gun laws that allowed the acquisition of machine guns and other weapons and had banned U.S. military-style firearms that were sent overseas from returning to this country.

The announcement of the two executive actions came as Vice President Joe Biden swore in the new head of the federalBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden pledged that the White House would not give up its effort for more gun control since the shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school last year.

"The president and I remain committed to getting these things done," Biden said at the White House ceremony installing B. Todd Jones as the ATF's first permanent director in seven years. "If Congress won't act, we'll fight for a new Congress. It's that simple. But we're going to get this done."

In the past, individuals seeking to avoid personal background checks to buy machine guns and short-barreled shotguns had claimed to be "trusts or corporations." But a new ATF regulation will close that loophole and require them to pass background checks. Last year, the ATF said it received more than 39,000 requests for transfers of these firearms to trusts and corporations in ruses to skirt the checks.

The other executive action was aimed at keeping U.S. military weapons sold to foreign governments from being re-imported to individuals in this country. Since 2005, the U.S. government has authorized requests to re-import more than 250,000 such firearms. Under the new rule, only firearms re-imported for museums and other such exceptions would be allowed.

"We're ending the practice," said Biden, who after theshooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was given the job of overseeing an effort to come up with gun control and mental health measures. "The new policy is going to help keep military-grade firearms off our streets."

The executive actions drew quick criticism from gun rights organizations, which said the requirements would not lower gun violence but only continue the president's fight against legitimate gun enthusiasts.

"Evidently he's been elected king and not president," said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America. "He's made it fairly clear that he doesn't like the 2nd Amendment."

Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said: "This is an outrage. The only people being hurt are law-abiding citizens." He added that legislation was pending in Washington to prevent the changes.

Others welcomed the executive orders.

Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said that 90% of the American public demanded stronger background checks, and that "today the Obama administration locked one backdoor used to get around" those firearm inspections.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York said in a statement that they hoped the executive actions would spur Congress to adopt even more gun control measures.

"Every day, 33 people are murdered with guns in our country," they said. "It's time for Congress to stop dragging its feet."

Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. praised Jones for his service as acting director and for helping rebuild the bureau. Jones was appointed after the bureau became mired in fallout from the flawed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation that led to the departure of numerous top officials.

"I know this agency's work has, in many ways, never been more difficult," Holder said. "And I recognize that you've all been asked to do more and more with increasingly limited resources, while acting in a manner that is smart, effective and in keeping with our most treasured values."

SOURCE : http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-gun-control-20130830,0,4589659.story

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Suicide attack kills Afghan official at mosque

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber attacked people leaving a memorial service at a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing his apparent target, a district chief, while leaving several others dead or wounded, police said.

Exact casualty figures were not immediately available, but the attack underscored the tenuous security situation in Afghanistan as U.S. troops prepare to pull out by the end of next year.

The bomber struck in Dashi Archi district of Kunduz province. Afghanistan's north is generally considered one of the safer parts of the country, but in recent years it has seen increasing militant activity.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday morning's attack, though suspicion will likely fall on the Afghan Taliban, who have been behind many assassinations in the country.

Hussaini said the district chief, Sayed Sadruddin, was the suicide bomber's apparent target. The Afghan official was with tribal leaders and others at a memorial service for someone who had died earlier, the police spokesman said.

The bomber detonated his explosives as Sadruddin and his entourage were leaving the mosque Friday morning, Hussaini said.

SOURCE : http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/30/3595354/suicide-attack-kills-afghan-official.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/30/3595354/suicide-attack-kills-afghan-official.html#storylink=cpy

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Iraq war ghosts end UK plans to take part in Syria action

(Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's plans for joining a potential military strike on Syria were thwarted on Thursday night after Britain's parliament narrowly voted against a government motion to authorise such action in principle.

In a humiliating defeat for the British leader likely to damage Cameron's hopes of being re-elected in 2015 and set back traditionally strong U.S.-UK relations, parliament defied Cameron by 285 to 272 votes.

Commentators said it was the first time a British prime minister had lost a vote on war since 1782.

Speaking immediately after the vote, Cameron told lawmakers he would not seek to go against parliament's will.

"It is very clear tonight that while the House has not passed a motion, it is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action - I get that and the government will act accordingly," he said.

British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond later said he thought the United States, a key ally, would be disappointed that the UK "will not be involved.

He added: "I don't expect that the lack of British participation will stop any action." But, he told BBC TV, "It's certainly going to place some strain on the special relationship," referring to ties with Washington.

U.S. officials suggested President Barack Obama might be willing to proceed with limited action against Syria even without allied support, but that no final decision had been reached.

Veto-holding members of the United Nations have held inconclusive debates on a draft Security Council resolution that would authorize "all necessary force" in response to the alleged gas attack by Syria's government.

Cameron's defeat calls into question Britain's traditional role as the United States' most reliable military ally, a role that Cameron worked hard to cement, and underscores how bitter the legacy of Britain's involvement in the 2003 Iraq war remains a decade later.

On that occasion, Britain, under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, helped the United States invade Iraq after asserting - wrongly, it later turned out - that President Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Already embroiled in Afghanistan, Britain was then sucked into a second quagmire in Iraq, losing 179 soldiers in eight years after the 2003 U.S.-British invasion that toppled Saddam.

Speaking during an at times impassioned debate on Thursday that preceded the cliff-hanger vote, Cameron acknowledged that painful legacy.

"I am deeply mindful of the lessons of previous conflicts, and in particular the deep concerns in the country caused by what went wrong with the Iraq conflict in 2003," he said.

"One thing is indisputable: The well of public opinion was well and truly poisoned by the Iraq episode and we need to understand the public scepticism."

Cameron previously implored the world not to stand idly by over Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons but ran into trouble from sceptical lawmakers within his own party and from the opposition Labour party who demanded to see more evidence before voting in favour of military action.

Although some commentators hailed his defeat as proof that British parliamentary democracy was alive and well, others said he had put his credibility on the line and lost.

Earlier on Thursday, Cameron's government published legal advice it said showed it was legally entitled to take military action against Syria even if the United Nations Security Council did not approve such action.

It also published intelligence material on the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria's civil war, saying there was no doubt that it had occurred and that it was "highly likely" Syrian government forces were responsible. The nerve gas attack killed hundreds of civilians in an embattled suburb of Damascus.

The defeat was all the more galling for Cameron since he had cut his summer holiday short, recalled parliament for an emergency debate and held an extraordinary meeting of Britain's National Security Council as well as making numerous calls to Obama and other allies.

POISONOUS IRAQ LEGACY

Obama has set out the case for a limited military strike on Syria, but some U.S. lawmakers say they have not been properly consulted.

Speaking after the vote, the White House said Obama would decide on a response to chemical weapons use in Syria based on U.S. interests, but that Washington would continue to consult with Britain.

UK opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband, a man critics often impugn as being a lightweight political foe to the more statesman-like Cameron, played a big role in the prime minister's defeat.

He had unexpectedly announced on Wednesday night that he wanted important amendments to the government motion before he could back it.

Addressing parliament, Miliband struggled to find his composure but advised lawmakers not to rush to judgment "on a political timetable set elsewhere," a thinly disguised reference to the United States.

Domestically, Cameron's authority looks dented. Part of his problem is that he governs as part of a two-party coalition because his Conservatives lack an absolute majority in parliament, exposing him to such impromptu revolts.

Cameron's critics are already circling. Their main allegations: He is not a conviction politician and fails to prepare the ground properly for his policies.

But public opinion was never on his side.

A YouGov poll published on Thursday showed that 51 percent of the British public opposed a missile strike, with just 22 percent in favour of it.

SOURCE : http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/30/us-syria-crisis-britain-idUSBRE97R1BD20130830

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Greenland Mega-Canyon Grander than the Grand Canyon

For everyone who thinks there’s nothing new to know about or explore on the Earth, and long to head for other planets, news from Greenland proves that there are still a few surprises left right here. A massive mega-canyon, one bigger than the Grand Canyon, has been discovered beneath Greenland’s ice sheet, according to the journal Science. It might very well prove to be grander than Arizona’s Grand Canyon.

Just how large is the Greenland canyon? 

With thick ice still covering the canyon, people who are alive today might never see what the canyon looks like underneath Greenland’s ice sheet, unless global warming takes its toll as some scientists predict.

However, the canyon’s size can be approximately measured, and it is, in some areas, around 460 miles, which makes it longer than the Grand Canyon. It is 2,600 feet deep at some points, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon’s deepest points. Also, the mega-canyon might connect up with the ocean at one end of it.

According to scientists, the canyon was a part of Greenland’s landscape long before the ice sheet formed a few million years ago. It’s truly remarkable that a discovery of this magnitude can still be made on our planet, and the researchers who discovered it are amazed by the canyon’s immense size.

Expressing his amazement, the lead author of the study, Jonathan Bamber — who is a professor at Bristol’s School of Geographical Sciences — stated in a press release:

With Google Streetview available for many cities around the world and digital maps for everything from population density to happiness one might assume that the landscape of the Earth has been fully explored and mapped. Our research shows there’s still a lot left to discover.”

If it’s under Greenland’s ice sheet, how did scientists measure it?

Undetectable by using the naked eye, the way scientists measured the size of Greenland’s mega-canyon is by analyzing decades of radar data taken from the air by NASA as well as researchers from Germany and the UK.

The data the team collected came from radio waves. The radio waves were bounced off of the ancient bedrock beneath Greenland’s ice sheet. The frequency of the radio waves that were used does not detect ice.

The team believes that the end of the mega-canyon which leads to the ocean may have once carried melt water from the ice to the coast of Greenland, before the ice sheet grew too thick. The scientists think that the canyon’s melt water flow might be helpful in predicting what might happen in other examples which are similar.

Ice2sea coordinator David Vaughan, at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, stated about Greenland’s mega-canyon:

A discovery of this nature shows that the Earth has not yet given up all its secrets. A 750 kilometer canyon preserved under the ice for millions of years is a breathtaking find in itself, but this research is also important in furthering our understanding of Greenland’s past. This area’s ice sheet contributes to sea level rise and this work can help us put current changes in context.”

The mega-canyon recently discovered under Greenland’s ice sheet might be larger than even Arizona’s Grand Canyon, but people alive today might not ever know exactly how “grand” it is, unless the ice sheet covering it melts.

SOURCE : http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/greenland-mega-canyon-grander-than-the-grand-canyon/

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Education and Civil Rights, 50 Years After the March on Washington

I’ve often said that education is the civil rights issue of our time. I’m not the first to say it. But what does that mean?

A student at Schools Without Walls in Washington, D.C., listens to Secretary Duncan give remarks as part of the “50 Years of Struggle: Youth Driving Economics, Education and Social Change.”

Civil rights means having the same opportunities that other people do –regardless of what you look like, where you come from, or whom you love.
And in today’s world, to have real opportunity, you need a world-class education.
Fifty years after the March on Washington, how far has the struggle for young people’s civil rights come?
With Jim Crow segregation ended and an African-American president speaking tomorrow at the 50th anniversary of the March, our progress is undeniable.
Yet in a time when so many young people don’t enjoy rights as basic as safety from violence, and when so many children lack the educational opportunities they deserve, there is a lot of work still ahead of us. The vision that electrified the country in 1963 – the vision of Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and the other leaders of the March – remains ahead of us. And it will take struggle to get there – a struggle our  young people must lead.
Today, I had the privilege of speaking to students and civil rights leaders at the School Without Walls in Washington, D.C., about the state of civil rights for our young people. At the event, hosted by the King Center and Discovery Education, I urged the students to join a heroic struggle that began long before they were born.
You can read the speech here and watch it here.

SOURCE : http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/08/education-and-civil-rights-50-years-after-the-march-on-washington/

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Q-and-A: Back to School with Arne Duncan

With back-to-school season in full swing, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently sat down to respond to some pressing education questions from SmartBlog on Education. Below is the full Q&A:
What is the biggest challenge that teachers face as they go back to school this fall? What guidance would you give them to help them meet the challenge?
The large majority of states are now making the shift to the Common Core State Standards, a state-led effort to raise standards for which the U.S. Department of Education has provided some support. Educators across the country have embraced the enormous, urgent challenge that goes with this transition to more rigorous academic standards, new assessments, and updated teacher evaluation systems. Teachers are faced with a level of change and reform in schools and districts that is unprecedented.
Overwhelmingly, I’ve heard teachers say that it’s the professional challenge of a lifetime to raise standards so every American student can compete and succeed in the global economy. In discussions with more than 4,000 educators, my team at the U.S. Department of Education and I also have heard teachers say that it’s imperative that we, as a nation, get this right for our kids.
The  Common Core State Standards focus on college- and career readiness and have been adopted voluntarily by a majority of states. The new standards set the bar for student performance high. But they also give teachers the opportunity to go deep into content and innovate. In surveys, three out of four teachers say these standards will help them teach better.
At the same time, I’ve heard that teachers need time, models, and quality professional development so that they may effectively teach to the new standards.
To make this transition, states, districts, and schools should do as much as possible to provide teachers with support for professional learning tied to the new standards. It’s also critical for teachers to connect with and learn from each other.
In states where there is a strong commitment to collaboration, teachers generally feel more empowered and positive about education reforms. I look forward to working together with educators to ensure that all students learn at their highest level.
How can we prepare, support, and retain individuals who will become excellent teachers? What do you see as exemplars in traditional and alternative models?
Every teacher should receive the high-quality preparation and support they need, so that all students have the effective teachers they deserve. Unfortunately, across the U.S., the quality of teacher preparation programs is uneven. Almost two-thirds of novice teachers feel unprepared for the realities of their classroom. That, to me, is unacceptable. Teachers often tell me that they didn’t have enough hands-on experience or time to practice their craft during their initial training.
I’m a big fan of preparation programs that include internships where novices work with master educators in their classrooms over an extended period. Data shows this approach can yield increased teacher retention rates.
Many education schools run exemplary programs rooted in clinical experience, including Emporia State University in Kansas and Hunter College in New York City. The nonprofit Academy for Urban School Leadership in Chicago provides a great “alternative” route to the classroom, in which participants complete a yearlong residency working with effective mentor teachers.
Across the country, our schools and districts also have to do a better job of supporting teachers at every stage of their careers, which means providing teachers with a continuum of professional growth. Educators deserve a full career’s worth of opportunities to teach, mentor, and lead. I’m encouraged by “hybrid” positions for teacher leaders in which effective educators work with students and help to strengthen instruction across an entire school.
I believe that many of the answers for continuing to build and nurture our country’s teaching workforce lie with educators themselves. The Department of Education recently released A Blueprint for RESPECT, a framework for elevating the teaching profession developed through discussions with thousands of educators. Their thoughtful recommendations give me great hope for the future of teaching and learning in this country.
The U.S. Department of Education supports Connected Educator Month, slated for October. How can being “connected” help educators navigate the beginning of a new school year?
Online communities and learning networks can help teachers gain new skills and instructional techniques. They also provide “on-demand” access to knowledge and opportunities for collaboration and mentorship.
For new teachers, learning and problem solving with other educators through an online forum can reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety they may experience in their first days and months in the classroom.
But many educators aren’t “connected” yet because they haven’t taken advantage of opportunities for professional learning online or they aren’t realizing the full benefits. Many districts and states also haven’t done enough to recognize this essential learning as legitimate professional development.
For these reasons, the Department of Education convened the first-ever Connected Educator Month last August. Due to demand from educators, we’re organizing this year’s event in October, with an emphasis on helping districts to promote and integrate online social learning into their plans for formal professional development.
Technology has enormous potential for providing teachers with targeted support when and where they need it. Technology also can help to personalize the learning experience for students. By blending face-to-face and online learning, for example, students can work at their own pace and teachers can receive “real-time” information about student performance. Yet, today, fewer than 20 percent of educators say their school’s Internet connection meets their teaching needs.
That’s why I’m excited about President Obama’s call in June for a five-year effort that will provide high-speed broadband and wireless to 99 percent of students. The ConnectED initiative also aims to improve the skills of teachers, providing educators with support and training to integrate technology into their classrooms.
I hope that every educator will take full advantage of Connected Educator Month and — as the new school year begins — establish connections with colleagues that will support their teaching practice all year long.
What can educators expect from the U.S. Department of Education this school year? What new initiatives are on the horizon?
This school year, educators and families may hear a lot about the transition to more rigorous academic standards and assessments. Achievement of these standards will help students to thrive in an increasingly competitive, global economy. But, we will do little to put our students on a path to success if we do not make a concerted effort to help every child start out with the same basic competencies through high-quality early learning programs.
Research supports this notion. High-quality preschool can lead to higher graduation rates, less likelihood of being involved in crime or relying on public assistance, and better jobs at higher salaries. These are benefits for kids, families, and our nation.
But, among 4-year-olds in the U.S., fewer than three in 10 attend a high-quality preschool program. This opportunity gap confronts far too many American children — particularly those living in low-income communities. We need to work hard to reach many more students.
President Obama has put forward a plan to make high-quality, full-day preschool available to all 4-year-olds from families whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. This plan will help Americans struggling to balance work and family responsibilities and the cost of child care. And, states would receive incentives to provide voluntary, high-quality preschool with qualified teachers, low class sizes, and stimulating learning experiences.
All children deserve the best shot possible to succeed. So with the start of this new school year, I want to encourage every educator to be an outspoken advocate of quality early education programs that can continue to close achievement gaps and provide life-transforming opportunities to our children.
Last week, President Obama also announced an ambitious new agenda to keep college affordable. Through a focus on both ends of the education pipeline — early learning and college — we hope to ensure that education continues to be the ticket to the middle class in this country. The President’s plan will tie federal financial aid to college performance, so colleges must demonstrate that they provide good value to students. The Obama Administration is going to continue doing everything we can to make college affordable, and we’re looking forward to seeing colleges and states do their part as well.

SOURCE : http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/08/q-and-a-back-to-school-with-arne-duncan/

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U.S., U.K. Face Delays in Push to Strike Syria

Reuters

Free Syrian Army fighters carry their weapons as they escort a convoy of U.N. vehicles carrying a team of chemical-weapons experts at one of the sites of an alleged attack in Damascus's suburbs of Zamalka on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama declared that the Syrian government carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians last week and must pay the price, capping a day of stalled diplomacy that suggested any military strikes could be delayed.

Mr. Obama cautioned that he hasn't yet decided whether to launch an attack, saying in an interview with PBS that he wants to send a shot across Syria's bow without drawing the U.S. into a long conflict.

Syria and Iran warned Wednesday of regional chaos should the U.S. launch strikes on Syria, and threatened to retaliate against Israel.

Mr. Obama's comments capped a day in which the U.S. and British push to gain approval for military strikes appeared to meet with resistance and possible delays. They also appeared to moderate U.S. officials' earlier signals that an attack could be mounted "in coming days" in response to what they call clear-cut indications that Syria used chemical weapons in attacks around Damascus early on Aug. 21. Activists and residents say more than 1,000 people died in the attacks. 

The current Syria debate recalled the positions of the U.S. and U.K. in 2003, when the countries built a case for going to war with Iraq, arguing that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, and ultimately invaded without a U.N. Security Council resolution. The U.S. was heavily criticized for entering into what became a yearslong campaign based on false intelligence.

American and British officials argue that the case of Syria is different, instead drawing parallels to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization attacks on Kosovo. The U.S. has said it isn't planning a ground invasion, but officials have suggested they could mount strikes against key military bases of President Bashar al-Assad from ships in the Mediterranean Sea. The intention of any strike, they have said, isn't to topple Mr. Assad but to diminish his military capability.

Late Wednesday in the U.K., Prime Minister David Cameron's government agreed to demands by politicians to hold a separate vote to approve any military action in Syria, reflecting a domestic desire to avoid a repeat of the country's swift backing for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The vote is expected early next week.

The process to be followed by British officials won't automatically affect the timing of any U.S. action.

A senior administration official said that while the U.S. and U.K. are coordinating closely, domestic British considerations won't necessarily slow the U.S. decision on military action. "We're making our own decisions in our own timeline," the official said.

In the U.S., House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) sent a letter to President Obama demanding a clear explanation of any military action against Syria before it starts, and criticizing the president's level of consultation with lawmakers. Separately, 116 House lawmakers—98 Republicans and 18 Democrats—signed a letter to Mr. Obama, demanding he seek congressional authorization for a military strike.

Mr. Boehner's letter called on Mr. Obama to inform Americans and members of Congress of his objectives, policy goals and overarching strategy in Syria before the first missiles are launched, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. 

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324463604579040421592941820.html

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Twitter changes to be 'more like Facebook

Twitter has begun rolling out a number of new features, which it says will make it easier to follow conversations.

Conversations will now be shown together rather than in a strictly reverse chronological order, in a feature which has already rolled out to some handsets and will now be updated in all iPhone and Android apps, as well as twitter.com.

Up to three tweets will be displayed in sequence, with a line connecting them to show they are part of the same conversation. If users want to view the whole conversation they can tap on the first tweet.

The company said in a statement on Thursday: “From buzz about the VMAs to debates around upcoming football games, people come to Twitter to take part in these real-time, global, public conversations.

“To date, such exchanges haven’t always been easy to follow. With this in mind, we’ve now made it easier for you to see conversations as they’re taking place.”

Some commentators have suggested the move will make the social networking site more like Facebook, with tweets becoming more like comments on a status posting.

Read more : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10273263/Twitter-changes-to-be-more-like-Facebook.html

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Clooney, Bullock space thriller opens Venice film fest

Hollywood high-rollers George Clooney and Sandra Bullock kicked off the Venice film festival on Wednesday with a harrowing space drama that opens a line-up flush with gloomy tales.
“Gravity”, a 3-D sci-fi thriller, sees Clooney and Bullock as astronauts who are flung into dark, deep space when a debris shower destroys their shuttle.
The stars were expected on the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the world’s oldest film festival, followed by an exclusive after-dinner party. Directed by Mexico’s Alfonso Cuaron of “Children of Men” fame, the film induces anxiety, with terrifying shots from inside the astronauts’ helmets as they spin wildly and lose all radio contact with Earth.
Cuaron has said he invented new filmmaking techniques to depict spacewalking - including shooting inside a giant cube to evoke constantly shifting light sources - and after months of delay and a huge budget, “Gravity” delivers a Hollywood punch. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first mission who relies on veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) to hold on to her sanity and try to survive despite her rapidly dropping oxygen levels.
A soundtrack dominated by her racing heartbeat and the deafening silence of space is punctuated by jokes cracked by Kowalsky: “Half of North America just lost its Facebook”, he quips as debris takes out communication satellites. While director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki produces stunning images which leave spectators gasping for air, the humour sometimes detracts from key scenes and the characters lack real depth. Other keenly awaited premieres include “Parkland”, Peter Landesman’s re-creation of John F Kennedy’s assassination and David Gordon Green’s brutal “Joe” with Nicholas Cage as a violent ex-con who teams up with a homeless teen.
“This festival draws its strength from the risks it takes,” this year’s jury president, Oscar-winning Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, said at a canalside cocktail party on the eve of the opening.

Read more : http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/entertainment/29-Aug-2013/clooney-bullock-space-thriller-opens-venice-film-fest

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How Twitter Dodged Attack That Took Down New York Times

While the New York Times and Google Inc. (GOOG) had visitors to their sites redirected this week by hackers, the microblogging service was better able to deflect attacks because of a simple tool called a registry lock. Like alerts sent to credit-card users when something bad happens, the feature notifies website managers of attempts by intruders to tamper with critical information, such as Web-address data.
The cost? As little as $50 a year.
Large banks, e-commerce companies, gambling sites and pornographers have used registry locks from VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) and NeuStar Inc. (NSR) to prevent unauthorized changes. Attacks by the Syrian Electronic Army routed New York Times readers to a site that displayed the group’s initials and altered some registration data. They underscore how vulnerable many companies are to relatively unsophisticated attacks, which can take down sites and harm their businesses.
“This is certainly an ah-ha moment,” said Rodney Joffe, a senior technologist at NeuStar. The Sterling, Virginia-based company began offering registry locks in 2010 and requires that website domain information be accompanied by two layers of verification, such as additional codes from security tokens.
“It is a niche business but there’s no reason for it to be,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing you have to do today.”
While Twitter’s site operated normally, twitter.co.uk was inaccessible for some users. The Syrian Electronic Army, which backs the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, claimed responsibility for the New York Times and Twitter intrusions, as well as the Washington Post this month and the Financial Times in early May. Unknown hackers altered Google’s website in the Palestinian territories, displaying a map without Israel.

Raising Bar

The attacks exploited weaknesses in a registration network called the Domain Name System, exposing risks that site operators face because they’re relying on third parties to handle their online addresses. Weaknesses in DNS, which was created in the 1980s to help computers find websites using names instead of numbers, haven’t been seen as a significant threat outside of the financial-services and retail sectors up to now, according to John Pescatore, director of emerging-security trends at the SANS Institute in Stamford, Connecticut.
“There are still a lot of sloppy practices,” Pescatore said. “There’s a lot of room to raise the bar.”
Because Twitter, based in San Francisco, monitors its DNS information in real time and had implemented a registry lock, it was better prepared than the New York Times, according to HD Moore, chief research officer at Rapid7, a Boston-based security firm. Since the attacks, many other companies have moved to institute similar safeguards, he said.

DNS Flaw

Twitter has had its DNS records hacked before. The company acknowledged in 2009 that its DNS records were compromised by hackers who defaced the site with a message about Iran. Jim Prosser, a spokesman for Twitter, declined to comment on the company’s security measures.
A vast system that underpins how computers locate each other, DNS is often called the phone book of the Internet. In 2008, Dan Kaminsky, a security researcher, uncovered a flaw in the system that would let hackers easily impersonate legitimate sites. He worked with technology companies to fix it. The finding prompted several companies that process financial transactions online to adopt additional security measures to ensure their domain information is secure, while others stayed on the sidelines, according to SANS’s Pescatore.

Security Steps

NeuStar and VeriSign, another provider of registry lock services, declined to identify the companies using its registry lock services. Danny McPherson, chief security officer of VeriSign, said in a statement that the technology gives customers more control over who can change information.
Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times (NYT) Co., said the newspaper is looking at additional measures.
“In light of this attack and the apparent vulnerability even at what had been highly secure registrars, we are tightening all of our security,” she said.
Jay Nancarrow a spokesman for Google, declined to comment on the company’s security. The company’s Palestine site itself wasn’t hacked and Google is talking with the domain manager to resolve the issue, he said.
One complication of hosting sites with addresses of specific countries or regions is that many of the registration providers don’t use registry locks and other protective steps, said Paco Hope, a principal consultant with Cigital Inc.
“When you’re a company like the New York Times or Twitter or Google, your stock in trade is the Internet, it’s the service you offer, and that’s why it makes sense to put in a lot more security,” Hope said.
The rise in sophisticated hacking attacks is helping fuel a market for computer-security technology that is expected to exceed $65.7 billion this year, according to Gartner Inc.
Many companies that didn’t prioritize a threat involving their DNS records are now rethinking that approach, SANS’s Pescatore said.
“It’s one of several Achilles’ heels of using the Internet,” he said.

SOURCE : http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-29/how-twitter-dodged-attack-that-took-down-new-york-times.html

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iPhone 5S release dates, specs keep pouring in

Rendering of a champagne-colored iPhone 5S: It will be interesting to see if Apple still has some big surprises in store that analysts and the media haven't covered yet.

(Credit: Shop Le Monde)

We have iPhone 5S release dates, colors, and specs. Did I leave anything out?
Oh yeah, I forget to mention that they're all just rumors. But there's little left to the imagination these days when Apple rolls out a new product.
Apple is widely expected to hold an event unveiling the new iPhone on September 10. Japan's Nikkei said sales of the device will begin September 20 in that country, and then Chinese newspapers chimed in with a release date there of late November (due to China's verification process).
Here's what we've heard about prominent specs:

• Camera: Probably the most important feature for the consumer is a better camera. The latest speculation on the camera claims it will get a larger f/2.0 aperture (that would match the HTC One) with dual LED flash. If accurate, that aperture would be significantly larger than the iPhone 5's. That means more light gets through, improving image quality and low-light performance.
  
• Fingerprint scanner/reader in the home button: That technology is likely coming from AuthenTec, a fingerprint sensor technology company that Apple acquired last year. The larger point is the iPhone 5S may mainstream biometric technology, improving electronic payments and making it easier to get music and sensitive data from the cloud.
  
• Chips: A 128GB flash storage option is the freshest speculation. That seems like overkill for most consumers but then 16GB seemed like a lot when the iPhone 3G came out. An updated processor, Apple's A7, is also expected. The most salient (rumored) feature is that it's 64-bit. And, remember, the iPhone 4S got the new A5 processor when it was released in October 2011.
  
• New 3G/4G standard support: Versions of the 5S (and 5C) may support China's 4G TDD-LTE standard. That could mean a huge boost in market penetration in China (and global market share) for Apple. (That support may also include China's TD-SCDMA.)
  

It's almost needless to mention at this point that there may be a gold iPhone 5S along with the standard black and white versions. The important point is that it most likely won't be a garish gold but a more subtle champagne color.
I think that about covers it -- for now.

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