Tuesday, 23 October 2012

UPDATE 2-Qatar visit breaks Gaza ice, delights Hamas - Reuters [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

UPDATE 2-Qatar visit breaks Gaza ice, delights Hamas - Reuters [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Experiment #29: Banana Jory decides to go with another viewer request, in an attempt to find a new way to make tasty Banana bread. So, you're probably wondering, Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This? Tune in to find out. Each week, microwave specialist Jory Caron microwaves different objects... so you don't have to! The "Jory Caron Microwave Laboratory II" is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with tinfoil shielding, a proper ventilation system, emergency surge protector, and of course - another Sharp Carousel microwave. ** New Episodes Every Monday & Friday! ** +++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++ Support The Show +++++ FAQ Video - bit.ly T-Shirts ----- bit.ly ideo App ---- apps.facebook.com Live Show -- bit.ly Donate $ $ -- bit.ly +++++ Connect With Us +++++ ::: Jonathan Paula ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: Jory Caron ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: ideo Production s ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly +++++ Video Credits +++++ Starring: Jory Caron & Jonathan Paula Filmed & Edited By: Jonathan Paula An ideo Production - © 2010. ~

Is It A Good Idea To Microwave A Banana?

Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:45am EDT

* Qatar breaks Gaza ice with first visit

* Hamas hails emir's arrival as end of Gaza blockade

* Israel astounded Qatar takes sides in Palestinian rift

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Emir of Qatar embraced the Hamas leadership of Gaza on Tuesday with an official visit breaking the isolation of the militant Palestinian Islamist movement, to the dismay of Israel and rival, Western-backed Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

Israel said it was "astounding" that Qatar, a U.S.-allied Gulf state whose oil and gas permit it to punch way above its diplomatic weight, would take sides in the Palestinian dispute and endorse Hamas, branded as terrorists in the West. The emir had "thrown peace under the bus", an Israeli spokesman said.

The Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean coast, is all but cut off from the world, under blockade by Israel and Egypt by land and sea to obstruct the import of arms and military equipment.

In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas's arch-rival, said it hoped the visit would not undermine efforts to rebuild Palestinian unity or signal approval for a separate Palestinian territory in Gaza.

Embarking on what was a state visit in all but name, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah crossed from Egypt at the head of a large delegation, to be greeted by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and an honour guard.

Hundreds of Palestinians lined his route, waving Palestinian and Qatari flags as the convoy with the sheikh in a black Mercedes limousine bumped along the rutted main highway that Qatar has promised to rebuild.

"You are today, by this visit, declaring the breaking of the unjust blockade," Haniyeh told the Qatari leader in a speech at the site of a new town to be built with emirate money.

"Today we declare victory against the blockade through this historic visit," he said. "We say thank you, Emir, thank you Qatar for this noble Arab stance ... Hail to the blood of martyrs which brought us to this moment."

Hamas rejects a peace treaty with Israel and has poured scorn on Abbas for his futile efforts to negotiate his way to a Palestinian state.

This was the first visit to Gaza by any national leader since Hamas seized control of the enclave and its 1.7 million people from Abbas's forces in 2007. Israel had pulled out its troops and settlers from the territory two years earlier.

Qatar has called the visit a humanitarian gesture, to inaugurate reconstruction projects financed by the emirate. After initially earmarking $ 250 million for the schemes, a smiling Haniyeh announced the fund now stood at $ 400 million.

QATAR'S AMBITIONS

The tiny Gulf emirate, whose native population is only about the same size as that of the Gaza Strip, has ambitions to parlay its vast natural gas wealth into diplomatic and regional influence. It was a major supporter of Islamist groups who have been the biggest beneficiaries of the Arab Spring.

Though giving up none of his absolute power as monarch at home, the Qatari ruler has promoted popular uprisings elsewhere and Qatar's Al Jazeera television has provided a platform for critics of many Arab governments.

It was the leading Arab power to provide political cover for the NATO-led operation that help rebels oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and it has led Arab opposition to Bashar al-Assad in Syria, providing arms and funds to Sunni rebels.

But its dual policy has perplexed regional and international players, with its strong support for Islamist groups including Hamas running in parallel with close ties to the United States.

Qatar hosts one of the biggest U.S. bases in the region.

Analysts see the visit as an attempt by the emir to use his leverage with Western capitals to help rehabilitate Hamas in Western eyes, and move them into mainstream politics, using their falling out with Shi'ite Iran over the conflict in Syria as a stepping stone to break Tehran influence on them for good.

Little damage has been repaired in Gaza since a devastating three-week offensive by Israeli forces in the winter of 2008-2009 to stop Hamas and other Islamic militant groups firing rockets and mortars at southern Israel communities.

The visit coincided with another round in the low-level conflict between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli officer was badly injured by an explosion on the Gaza border and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a "strong response", which often comes in the form of Israeli air strikes.

"NO SIGN" OF HAMAS CHANGE

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the emir, who has met Israeli leaders but not visited the Palestinian Authority of Abbas and his secular Fatah movement in the West Bank, had "never dignified the PA with a visit".

"No one understands why he would fund an organisation which has become notorious with committing suicide bombings and firing rockets on civilians. By hugging Hamas, the Emir of Qatar is really someone who has thrown peace under the bus," he said.

Hamas refuses to renounce violence or to recognise Israel's right to exist and is ostracised by the West, the United Nations and Russia of the Middle East "Quartet".

However, Hamas has softened its position to a degree, by saying it would accept a decades-long truce with Israel in return for a state along lines established before the 1967 war.

It also denies any desire to create a separate state in Gaza, a 40-km (25-mile) sliver of coastline with few resources.

Hamas has loosened its ties to Iran since the Syrian revolt, in which Assad's state forces backed by Tehran are fighting Sunni rebels. At the same time it has strengthened relations with its mentor, the Muslim Brotherhood now in control of Egypt.

Iran's nuclear programme has raised the prospect of a war with Israel, with potential Hamas involvement in the south and attacks by Iranian-backed Hezbollah on the northern border.

Sheikh Hamad has also previously sought to mediate between Hamas and Fatah to end the divisions that have weakened the Palestinian cause. But Palestinian analysts say there is for now no prospect of reconciliation between the two factions.

Palmor said Hamas had not accepted the Quartet provisions required to be regarded as a legitimate interlocutor. However, Israel acknowledges that Hamas is trying to clamp down on renegade Islamic militant groups that refuse to accept its unwritten moratorium on firing rockets at the Jewish state.

Yossi Kuperwasser, who directs Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, says "most of the activity is coming now not from Hamas. It comes from other sources".

"As we have seen in other places when Islamic forces come to power, they have to take into consideration other things and not (just) terrorism. They find themselves in a bit of an awkward position," he told reporters last week.


Find More UPDATE 2-Qatar visit breaks Gaza ice, delights Hamas - Reuters Issues


Question by momo Ụterus Police Officer: What is it about "separation of church and state" do Conservatives not understand? Why do Conservatives want to make our laws based on ONE religion that many people don't follow? I think Christianity (and all the other religions) are a bunch of crap, and were just invented to keep women in line. Why are Conservatives trying to force me to believe in something that is obviously imaginary? Barney is more real than any god. love, momo Best answer for What is it about "separation of church and state" do Conservatives not understand?:

Answer by 0-bow-ma's biggest fan!
Who, specifically, is trying to force a religion on you?

Answer by The Tall Man
Separation of church and state is good. Separation of blacks and whites is even better. Just say no to mudsharking.

Answer by Gazer
Please, tell me the name of the person who came to your house and told you that you must believe in christianity? I must know because as an atheist I'd like to have a word with them.

Answer by CROM-
I tend to think that the human capacity for understanding God 's word is inherently fallible, so basing societal laws and norms based on what has been interpreted as the word of god is a very dangerous thing to do. That's the way i look at it when i'm not just picking a fight, at least.

Answer by Satellite
It'd be wise not to brand all conservatives as social conservatives (religious).

Answer by Jesus Hates You
They understand it fine. They just don't like it. It gets in the way of their political objectives.

Answer by Divided We Fall
And it's not like kids can't pray in school, it's that the school cannot leads kids in prayer. How would Christians like it if a Muslim teacher led the kids in prayer?

Answer by Et Tu Brute
The hard line conservatives believe this. They have little understanding of or use for our constitution.

Answer by opso
They used to hide their religion behind crap arguments. (Such as homosexuality breaks apart families) But now it seems the case that they are creating laws with religion on the mind, and american news organizations are doing nothing about it...

Answer by grandma zaza
And what should laws be based on? I think "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not steal" are pretty standard beliefs.

Answer by gatorw
What specific law are conservative trying to make to establish a religion? Nobody is forcing you to be part of any religion in this country. Trying going to any Islamic state and see if the same is true.

Answer by TheOrange Evil
Religion keeps people in line. Sometimes we're better off for it; sometimes we're worse. I'm not a religious person and I don't want Christianity or any other religion forced on me, but I feel like Christians are just upset that they're being marginalized and made to feel bad that they have a religion at all.

[state]

Watch Zeldathon from July 7th to July 12th! - zeldathon.net â–² Follow MC Gamer Twitter - http Facebook - facebook.com Blog - supermcgamer.com Website - http â–² General Information Currently, I create videos on my custom-built computer that has an i7 2600k processor, 16GB of RAM and a GTX 580 graphics card. I record my console gameplay using the Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card which I later edit using Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5. I also use Audacity and Adobe After Effects for additional post-production work. I currently use a Rode Podcaster microphone. I am an entrepreneurial geek who is running a non-profit organization in my home state of Pennsylvania. I enjoy chicken. â–² Video Credits All content within is owned by their respected companies, developers and publishers.

MC Gamer Let's Plays - Super Mario World - Episode 3

Earthquake predictions and a triumph of scientific illiteracy in an Italian court (+ ... - Christian Science Monitor [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Earthquake predictions and a triumph of scientific illiteracy in an Italian court (+ ... - Christian Science Monitor [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Question by JJRose: What's the best way to state "internet proficiency" on a resume? I'm very proficient w/internet stuff. I just want to add it to my resume so that it sounds professional and would help w/a job requiring research. Thanks in advance! Best answer for What's the best way to state "internet proficiency" on a resume?:

Answer by garyg7
If you're looking for a regular office job, employers believe that everybody knows how to use the Internet. What do you know that makes you special? That's what employers look for in a potential employee. I hope this helps. Gary

Answer by PiggiePants
How well you use the internet may be of interest to employers if it is a beneficial skill for the company. So try to phrase whatever it is you are good at in terms a business would find attractive, i.e. Proficient in use of the interest for client research and social network marketing, or whatever

Answer by mulauthoring
If the below paragraph applies to you, you may add it in the Summary section of your resume or in the Computer Skills section with a sub-section titled Internet: Proficient in using the advanced search techniques of major search engines and in using forums, blogs, and others to find information. Also, make sure your resume addresses the needs of the employer. Read the 10 Tips for Perfect Resume Writing at http://tinyurl.com/perfect-resume Best of luck!

[state]

Once again... BID on Summer's Microwave Door on eBay: tinyurl.com Poll: What's your favorite term for the brown stuff? www.micropoll.com Experiment #175: Fake Poop So yeah... we're microwaving some sh*t in today's episode... we figured: what the hell? So, you're probably wondering, Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This? Tune in to find out. Twice a week, microwave specialist Jory Caron microwaves different objects... so you don't have to! The "Jory Caron Microwave Laboratory 2.6" is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with tinfoil shielding, a ventilation system, emergency surge protectors, safety clothing, and many sexy microwaves. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks to Baron102786 for donating the fake poop! www.youtube.com +++++++++++++++++++++++ ~~ Links ~~ FAQ Video --------- bit.ly Merchandise ------- bit.ly Flagged Videos --- bit.ly ~~ Connect With Us ~~ ::: Jonathan Paula ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly ::: Jory Caron ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly ::: Riley McIlwain ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: Jogwheel Productions ::: Facebook --- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly ~~ Technical ~~ Created by ----- Jonathan Paula & Jory Caron Starring --------- Jory Caron, Jonathan Paula, & Riley McIlwain Camera --------- Panasonic DVX-100b, Canon Elura 100, & Canon S3-IS Software -------- Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Computer ------ bit.ly • Jogwheel Productions © 2009 • ~

Is It A Good Idea To Microwave Poop?!

An Italian court sentenced scientists to jail time for not having a functioning crystal ball ahead of the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila. The arguments of science and reason fell on deaf ears.

Rarely since a Catholic inquisition in Rome condemned Galileo Galilei to spend the remainder of his days under house arrest for the heresy of teaching that the Earth revolves around the sun, has an Italian court been so wrong about science. 

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Dan Murphy

Staff writer

Dan Murphy is a staff writer for the Monitor's international desk, focused on the Middle East. Murphy, who has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and more than a dozen other countries, writes and edits Backchannels. The focus? War and international relations, leaning toward things Middle East.

  • In Pictures: Earthquake in Italy

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Today, a court in the central Italian city of L'Aquila, 380 years after that miscarriage of justice, sentenced six scientists and a government bureaucrat to six years in jail on manslaughter charges for their failure to predict a 2009 earthquake that left more than 300 people dead.

This headline isn't the sort of thing that's generally expected from Italy anymore. The church quietly abandoned its objections to heliocentrism in the early years of the 18th century, and by the early 19th, had fully accepted the scientific facts.

But according to the BBC, a modern Italian secular institution is now the one struggling to grapple with science. The seven convicted men stood accused of "inexact, incomplete, and contradictory" information about the risks posed by tremors in the weeks ahead of the April 6, 2009, earthquake that caused so much destruction.

The seven, all members of the "National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks," were convicted after an apparently emotional trial in which the testimony of people who had lost loved ones was allowed, as if it was relevant to the question of whether current science can predict earthquakes. No grief, no matter how great, can answer that question (which is a resounding "no," by the way).

The scientific consensus has been clear on this for some time. As much as the world would like the ability to predict earthquakes, it's eluded the best efforts of scientists for decades. The plate-tectonic revolution in geology held out some hope for greater predictive abilities as it gathered steam in the 1950s and 1960s. But while scientists have a much better understanding of why earthquakes happen and where they're likely to occur than at any point in human history, their predictive powers are so vague as to be practically useless â€" beyond recommending people shouldn't live in quake zones like L'Aquila. People are generally resistant to such advice though. The city was rebuilt after major earthquakes in the 15th and 18th centuries, just as it has been rebuilt now.

A seismologist can predict with reasonable accuracy that a certain area will have, say, a major earthquake every hundred years on average. "Area" of course being defined rather loosely. A prediction of an earthquake at 10:26 AM this coming Tuesday in Jakarta, say? Impossible. Even to promise a major quake within a one-week or one-month window is beyond human ability.

Alan Leshner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science put it this way in an open letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in June 2010, urging the trial be headed off:

Years of research, much of it conducted by distinguished seismologists in your own country, have demonstrated that there is no accepted scientific method for earthquake protection that can be reliably used to warn citizens of an impending disaster. To expect more of science at this time is unreasonable. It is manifestly unfair for scientists to be criminally charged for failing to act on information that the international scientific community would consider inadequate as a basis for issuing a warning.

Of course, smaller earthquakes â€" tremors â€" do often precede major ones, and can be useful indicators that major trouble is heading down the pike. Or not. Sometimes you can have a series of tremors and no major quake. Or a major quake that doesn't appear to be preceded by any unusual activity at all. What do geologists do when asked what a series of tremors means? Use their best judgment.

That's what the Italian scientists were convicted of today: exercising judgment in a murky area, getting it wrong, and being severely punished for it. If the verdict is upheld, that sends a message to scientists that they'd better keep their mouths shut when asked for their opinion in Italy.

Joel Cohen, a professor at Columbia and Rockefeller universities who applies mathematical models to complex environmental problems, explained how the decision was made in a piece earlier this year:

Italy’s National Commission for Prediction and Prevention of Major Risks, which comprised the seven men now on trial, met in L’Aquila for one hour on March 31, 2009, to assess the earthquake swarms. According to the minutes, Enzo Boschi, President of the

Suggest Earthquake predictions and a triumph of scientific illiteracy in an Italian court (+ ... - Christian Science Monitor Articles

Fighting flares in Lebanese city over Syria loyalties - Reuters [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Fighting flares in Lebanese city over Syria loyalties - Reuters [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Question by nathan_inks: Who said, "I can see Russia from my house"? Who said "I can see Russia from my house" during this past election cycle? Best answer for Who said, "I can see Russia from my house"?:

Answer by Galaxie Girl passed the PE exam!
Tina Fey.

Answer by Critical_rationalist
Tina Fey

Answer by truthistrue8
Tina Fey

Answer by me
Sara Palin, governor of Alaska and McCains vp nominee Ok for all of you idiots out there that actually get your political news from JOhn stewart the colbert reprot and snl. Tina fey was minquoting on the weekend report something sarah palin had said. Palin was asked about her inexperience in INternational affairs, and she responded with a few comments and then off the cuff sarcastically she said "YOu can actually see Russia from Land here in Alaska". She was trying to make the point that she deals with a foreign country on a regular basis. When did it become a sin for a politician to not take themselves so seriously. It was nice to see a human politician with a sense of humor.

Answer by Joshua H
The quote's incorrect. Sarah Palin said you could see Russia from Alaska -- which you can, if you stand on the end of an island chain.

Answer by Captain James T Kirk
Tina

Answer by Often Imitated, NEVER Duplicated
sarah "the empty skirt" palin

Answer by Chicken Littles Angry Brother
Tina Faye and a bunch of Russians.

Answer by Shadupp Obots!
Tina Fey on SNL. But who actually said "57 states".

Answer by Beckon Hollow
It was not Sarah Palin.

Answer by Dan G
So far you have only one idiot who didn't know it was Tina Fey who said it.

Answer by JEFF S
She can and what difference does that make?

[house]



Lebanon's army soldiers hold their guns while securing an area, where clashes between the army and Sunni Muslim gunmen took place, in Beirut October 22, 2012. Lebanon's army said on Monday the nation faced a critical time after violent demonstrations against the killing of a senior intelligence officer, saying it would act decisively to curb tension and calling for calm from politicians and protesters. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

1 of 9. Lebanon's army soldiers hold their guns while securing an area, where clashes between the army and Sunni Muslim gunmen took place, in Beirut October 22, 2012. Lebanon's army said on Monday the nation faced a critical time after violent demonstrations against the killing of a senior intelligence officer, saying it would act decisively to curb tension and calling for calm from politicians and protesters.

Credit: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

TRIPOLI, Lebanon | Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:52am EDT

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Four people were killed and 15 wounded in overnight gun battles in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in a second night of fighting between Sunni and Alawite gunmen loyal to different sides in the war in neighboring Syria, a military source said on Tuesday.

In the capital Beirut, tension eased after troops fanned out across the city to clear the streets of gunmen who had clashed on Sunday night.

The violence flared after the assassination of senior Lebanese security official Wissam al-Hassan, who was opposed to the Syrian leadership, in central Beirut on Friday.

The bombing and the ensuing clashes brought the civil war in Syria into the heart of Lebanon and triggered a political crisis, with the opposition demanding the resignation of the mostly pro-Damascus cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The fighting in Tripoli took place between the neighboring areas of Bab al-Tabbaneh, a Sunni Muslim stronghold, and Jebel Mohsen, an Alawite district.

Three Sunnis and one Alawite were killed and 15 people were wounded, a military medical source told Reuters. Residents said combatants traded machinegun-fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

On Tuesday morning, Tripoli's center was busy and traffic moved freely. Lebanese army soldiers kept watch in armored vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns. But shops close to the combat zone were shuttered.

A fruit market on the front line was closed and residents said they feared snipers. Teenagers in t-shirts with guns hid behind buildings to peek out up the hill into Jebel Mohsen.

Tripoli's Sunni Muslims support the Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, who are mostly from Syria's Sunni majority.

Assad is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. He can count on the support of Hezbollah, a powerful Shi'ite Islamist armed group that is part of the Mikati government, as well as other Shi'ites and Alawites in Lebanon's complex sectarian and political mix.

BOUTS OF FIGHTING

The overnight violence in Tripoli - which has suffered previous bouts of fighting since the Syrian conflict started 19 months ago - brought the toll to at least 10 dead and 65 wounded since Friday.

Lebanon is still haunted by its 1975-1990 civil war, which made Beirut a byword for carnage and wrecked large parts of the city. Many Lebanese fear the Syrian war will propel their country back to those days, destroying their efforts to rebuild it as a center of trade, finance and tourism with a measure of democracy.

Opposition politicians have accused Syria of being behind Friday's killing of Brigadier General Hassan, who had worked to counter Syrian influence in Lebanon.

A Sunni Muslim, he helped to uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese minister.

He also led an investigation that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon.

Mikati, who is also a Sunni Muslim, had personal ties to the Assad family before he became prime minister in January last year. His cabinet includes Hezbollah as well as Christian and other Shi'ite politicians close to Damascus.

He offered to resign at the weekend to make way for a government of national unity but President Michel Suleiman persuaded him to stay in office to allow time for talks on a way out of the political crisis.

If he were to stand down before an alternative was worked out, it would mean the collapse of the political compromise that has kept the peace in Lebanon.

Free Patriotic Movement parliamentarian Michel Aoun, a Christian politician and an ally of Hezbollah, said Lebanon could not live with such a power vacuum, and noted that formation of a government could take six months or more.

"What happened (Hassan's assassination) constitutes a security setback but if there was a vacuum, maybe the country would be in chaos," he told the Beirut Daily Star newspaper.

(Writing by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)


Find More Fighting flares in Lebanese city over Syria loyalties - Reuters Articles

Before Aarti could reach her house, Brijbhushan and Pooja leave for the music composer's house. Aarti gets injured while going after Brijbhushan's car. Brijbhushan surprises Pooja with marriage proposal at a temple. While Brijbhushan and Pooja tie the knot at the temple, Aarti suspects something inauspicious.

Sapno Ke Bhanwar Mein - 20th April 2012

Lebanon army deploys in Beirut and Tripoli - BBC News [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Lebanon army deploys in Beirut and Tripoli - BBC News [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Ecco le migliori canzoni House di questa grande estate! Accompagnate da sfondi di spiagge stupende per ricordare l'atmosfera marittima! ;) TRACK LIST: 1. Keep On Rising 2. Love Is Gone 3. Shine On 4. No Stress 5. C'est La Vie 6. Rise Up www.estate2009.com

Musica House Estate 2008-LA MIGLIORE-THE BEST-

Lebanese Army soldiers check a car during clashes in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, 22 October 2012The army has often been required to stand between Lebanon's diverse political and religious factions

The Lebanese army has deployed on the streets of Beirut and Tripoli in a bid to calm deadly tensions.

Several people were killed in gunfights between pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Tripoli on Monday after the death of a senior security official on Friday.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has been in Beirut for talks with President Michel Suleiman about the murder of Wissam al-Hassan.

She also met Prime Minister Najib Mikati in an apparent show of support.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a leader of the Western-backed 14 March opposition bloc, was also expected to meet the president later.

Over the weekend, Mr Suleiman rejected an offer of resignation from Mr Mikati - a Sunni Muslim who heads a cabinet dominated by the pro-Syrian Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah and its allies.

The decision prompted Mr Siniora to warn: "The Lebanese people won't accept, after today, the continuation of the government of assassination."

He made the remarks at the funeral of the security official killed on Friday, Gen Wissam al-Hassan, who had close links to the 14 March alliance and the family of its leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Opposition MPs were on Tuesday boycotting parliamentary sessions.

Resignation calls

On Monday, the army urged "all political leaders to be cautious when expressing their stances and opinions" and in attempting to mobilise public action "because the fate of the nation is at stake".

The army is a widely respected institution in Lebanon that has often been required to stand between the country's diverse political and religious factions.

The violence comes after the funeral of Gen Hassan - a Sunni and the head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces (ISF).

Continue reading the main story

Wissam al-Hassan

  • Head of the intelligence branch of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces
  • Sunni Muslim born in the northern city of Tripoli in 1965
  • Responsible for the security of former PM Rafik Hariri
  • Viewed as being close to the Hariris and the opposition 14 March coalition
  • Responsible for the August arrest of pro-Syrian politician and ex-information minister Michel Samaha

He was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - who is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam - and was killed in a car bomb on Friday, along with his bodyguard and at least one other person.

Opposition figures blamed the attack on the Syrian government.

On Monday, dozens of people set up camp outside Mr Mikati's office, calling for his resignation.

Gen Hassan led an investigation into the assassination in 2005 of Mr Hariri's father, Rafik, which implicated Damascus.

He also organised the recent arrest of Michel Samaha, a former minister accused of planning a Syrian-sponsored bombing campaign in Lebanon.

Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in the wake of Rafik Hariri's murder, ending a 29-year military presence.

Thousands attended Gen Hassan's funeral on Sunday, which became a political rally against both Mr Mikati and Syria.

Police scuffled with a group of protesters who attempted to storm the prime minister's office, and overnight into Monday protesters set up road blocks in Beirut, prompting exchanges of gunfire.

Related Lebanon army deploys in Beirut and Tripoli - BBC News Articles


Question by JoRdAn93: What does this mean "Your Mars Falls On Your Partner 8th House"? "Your Mars Falls On Your Partner 8th House" <--This is not mine by the way, Just an example~ How & where to find out something like this? Best answer for What does this mean "Your Mars Falls On Your Partner 8th House"?:

Answer by friend
Hello, It means that your mars is in 8th house from the ascendant (rising) of you partner. for example you mars is gemini then the rising of partner is acquires.this can be applicable from the position of moon also. This is useful in match making only.

Answer by Antares
Two possibilities: Mars is violence and partner's 8th is partner's death = Mars kills the partner. Or: Mars is irresponsible behavior partner's 8th is partner's money = Mars squanders partner's money. Be glad it isn't your 8th. ;-)

Answer by Sarah*
It means that there is probably a lot of sexual chemistry going on there. The two people were probably magnetically attracted to each other sexually. I'd say they were probably also sexually experimental and probably very lustful for each other. However, there might have been a dominance issue going on there with one of the people. There might have been fights regarding joint finances. A lot of sex, but fights over money.

[house]

Italian Quake Sentence to Have Chilling Effect, Scientists Say - Bloomberg [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Italian Quake Sentence to Have Chilling Effect, Scientists Say - Bloomberg [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Question by A Little Piece of Heaven: What does "state"mean in comparative politics? Hi can somebody please help me? 1.In the context of comparative politics, the best definition of the term "state is... a)subdivision of national gov. b)national gov. c)local gov. d)collection of decision makers with power e)the executive of the national gov. 2. The most important difference between interest groups and political parties it... a)only political parties normally run candidates in elections b)only interest groups normally run candidates in elections c)only political parties conduct public opinion polls d)only interest groups conduct public opinion polls e)only interest groups attempt to ppersuade governments to adopt their policy preferences 3. Systems theory in comparative politics is useful because... a)is based on biological models b)allows us to see how states' components interact c)ignores irrelevant aspects like international forces d)treats all components of states as equally powerful e)demonstrates why economic liberalization is the best way to the future Than Best answer for What does "state"mean in comparative politics?:

Answer by Josh T
1) d 2) a 3) d

[state]



An Italian court’s decision to sentence seven earthquake experts to six years in jail for failing to predict the deadly temblor in the town of L’Aquila will have a chilling effect on science, the head of the country’s main geological research institute said.

A court in L’Aquila convicted the seven yesterday on charges of manslaughter for failing to predict the quake in April 2009 that killed more than 300 people.

“After today, it will be difficult to appear in public and talk about seismic activity in Italy because of the possibility that researchers can face accusation over any omissions,” Professor Stefano Gresta, president of the National Institute of Geophyisca and Vulconology, said in an e-mailed statement after the verdict.

“We are particularly struck by the sentence in L’Aquila because it risks undermining one of the cardinal truths of scientific research -- the freedom to investigate, to have open and transparent discussion and to share results -- things that are fundamental to scientific progress.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Davis in Rome at abdavis@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net

More Italian Quake Sentence to Have Chilling Effect, Scientists Say - Bloomberg Issues

tharangalil tharam 20-09-12

tharangalil tharam 20-09-12

Stolen Car Used in Beirut's Bombing - ABC News [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Stolen Car Used in Beirut's Bombing - ABC News [getdailynow.blogspot.com]



Lebanon's police chief says the car used in the Beirut bombing that killed a top anti-Syrian intelligence chief was stolen more than a year ago.

Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi also told a group of journalists late Monday that Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan was using a rented car that was not armored for camouflage.

APTOPIX Mideast Lebanon.JPEG

AP

A masked Sunni gunman stands guard on a road... View Full Caption
A masked Sunni gunman stands guard on a road leading to a Shiite neighborhood after overnight clashes that erupted between Sunni and Shiite gunmen in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Oct. 22, 2012. Lebanese security officials say overnight clashes in Beirut between Sunni and Shiite gunmen have wounded several people. The officials say troops managed to separate the gunmen and calm returned Monday morning to the two neighborhoods in the capital where fighting had erupted. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Close

Rifi said al-Hassan was killed while on his way back from one of his secret offices where he used to meet with informants.

Al-Hassan's killing in a Beirut car bomb on Friday has driven up political tensions and sparked violence between supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his opponents.

Al-Hassan was solidly in the latter group, and his supporters, many of them Sunni Muslims, blamed Damascus for the killing.

More Stolen Car Used in Beirut's Bombing - ABC News Issues


Question by The Undead Patriot: Do you agree or disagree with the theory of "you should cheer for the team in your state"? Do you think that if you live in NY you should cheer for the Jets, Giants, or Bills? If you live in Boston you should cheer for the Pats? If you live in San Diego you should rude for the Chargers? I am a Patriots fan living in New York and I hear people all the time saying "you have no business cheering for them if you don't live in Boston"? Agree or disagree with the theory? Best answer for Do you agree or disagree with the theory of "you should cheer for the team in your state"?: [state]

The family of a man who died in a three in the bed romp with a male and female friend who was not his wife have won million in damages against a doctor who failed to warn him about extreme physical activity. William Martinez, 31, suffered a fatal heart attack caused by the excitement and physical activity with a woman and another man. The married father-of-two died a day before he was due to have a heart stress test. A court in Georgia, heard that the women involved in the romp were not his wife. A jury in Gwinnett County State Court initially awarded Martinez to be 40 per cent liable for his own death, reducing the verdict to million. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com

Dude Died Doing What?!!????

Monday, 22 October 2012

Italy Orders Jail Terms for 7 Who Didn't Warn of Deadly Earthquake - New York Times [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

Italy Orders Jail Terms for 7 Who Didn't Warn of Deadly Earthquake - New York Times [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

A story about theft, both criminal and emotional, "Breaking & Entering" follows a disparate group of long-term Londoners and new arrivals whose lives intersect in the inner-city area of King's Cross. When a landscape architect's (Jude Law) state-of-the-art offices in a seedy part of town are repeatedly burgled, his investigations launch him out of the safety of his familiar world. "Breaking & Entering" is Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella's first original screenplay since his 1991 feature debut "Truly Madly Deeply". Minghella, Sidney Pollack and Timothy Bricknell are producing for Minghella and Pollack's Mirage Enterprises.

Breaking and Entering

ROME â€" Seven prominent Italian earthquake experts were convicted of manslaughter on Monday and sentenced to six years for failing to give adequate warning to the residents of a seismically active area in the months preceding a fatal earthquake that killed more than 300 people.

Speaking in a hushed courtroom in L’Aquila, the city whose historic center was gutted by the earthquake, the judge, Marco Billi, read a long list of names of those who died or were injured in the disaster before he handed down the sentences to six scientists and a government official. The defendants, who said they would appeal the decision, will also have to pay court costs and damages of $ 10.2 million, and are banned from pursuing public office.

The seven, most of them prominent seismologists and geologists, were members of a National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, which met shortly before the quake struck but did not issue a safety warning, even after a period of heightened seismic activity in the area.

The decision jolted the international scientific community, which feared it might open the way to an onslaught of lawsuits against scientists who evaluate the risks of natural phenomena, particularly if a discipline with as spotty a record as earthquake prediction could be found liable.

“This is the death of public service on the part of professors and professionals,” Luciano Maiani, the current president of the risk commission, told the news agency Ansa after the verdict. The legal and media pressure sparked by the trial have made it impossible to carry out professional consultancies for the state, he said, adding: “This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world.”

Lawyers for the defendants were unanimous Monday in their condemnation of the sentence, which exceeded the prosecution request of four years in prison, and vowed to appeal.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” said Alfredo Biondi, one of the defense lawyers. He described the ruling as one of the most erroneous from a legal point of view that he had encountered in his long career.

“This was a trial that should not have been held in L’Aquila” because the emotional impact of the quake is still felt so strongly in the city, added Filippo Dinacci, who represents two of the defendants. Mr. Dinacci said he wanted to read the judge’s full opinion, which must be filed within 90 days of the verdict, before making a statement, but he acknowledged feeling “perplexed.” “I doubt that in the United States one would go on trial for not adequately communicating a natural event,” he said.

More than three years after the earthquake, L’Aquila still has not recovered fully. Its architecturally rich center is still largely abandoned, and residents are still mourning the dead. There are some sporadic signs of reconstruction around the center, mostly rebuilt after a 1703 earthquake, including the inauguration last month of an auditorium designed by Renzo Piano, but the overall mood in the city speaks more of discouragement and dismay.

The city and surrounding towns were felled by an earthquake measuring 6.3 in the early hours of April 6, 2009, leaving thousands homeless and killing 309, many of them in their sleep.

Six days before the quake, the major risks commission met to assess the situation after a period of intense seismic activity in the area. After the meeting, some commission members gave encouraging statements to the news media, which prosecutors said gave residents an overly reassuring picture of the risks they faced. The commission, prosecutors charge, did not uphold their mandate and consequently did not allow the population to make informed decisions about whether to stay or leave their homes.

In his closing arguments on Monday morning the prosecutor, Fabio Picuti, cited a United States court ruling that had blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for “monumental negligence” for some of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the news agency Ansa reported. That case, Mr. Picuti said, demonstrates that it is possible to fall short of preventing and predicting a risk, according to Ansa.

Among those convicted Monday was Enzo Boschi, former head of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

“I am crestfallen, desperate. I thought I would be absolved,” he told Ansa. “I still don’t understand what I’ve been accused of.”

Relatives of the victims cheered the decision. “It’s just a tiny bit of justice so that it doesn’t happen again,” sobbed one unidentified middle-aged blond woman on Sky Television.

“It is a very harsh sentence that condemns the superficial way in which the commission operated and approached the earthquake at the time,” said Fabio Alessandroni, a civil lawyer who represents the relatives of more than a dozen victims. “It is exemplary because it focuses the attention on the institutions. Citizens have to be able to trust institutions, and the institutions have to be credible and have to do their duty.”

The court did not rule on whether or not earthquakes can be predicted. But Mr. Alessandroni said the sentence showed that it is possible to have a “culture of prevention. “It is possible to predict a risk and to adopt measures that mitigate that risk. It’s what the commission is supposed to do,” taking various elements, like a city’s seismic history into account. “And this was not done in L’Aquila.”

Find More Italy Orders Jail Terms for 7 Who Didn't Warn of Deadly Earthquake - New York Times Articles


Amidst the legendary giant Redwood trees, the tallest trees in the world, sits a quaint town filled with Victorian houses, microbreweries, and unique friendly people. Come along as we mountain bike ride to spectacular Fern Canyon, help make a yoke for Paul Bunyan's oxen, whitewater raft through the Trinity Alps, horseback ride on giant Moonstone beach, kayak to visit harbor seals in fertile Humboldt Bay, stalk Bigfoot and visit the Bigfoot Museum, and hike among the resplendent California Redwoods.

Eureka, California