Sunday, June 30, 2013

Voyager 1 comes closer to leaving the solar system...again

Scientists have detected one of the critical signs that the Voyager 1 is nearly in interstellar space. But this has happened before.

By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 27, 2013

This artist's concept shows NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft exploring a turbulent region of space known as the heliosheath.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Reuters

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No, we aren?t there yet. But we're closer.

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Spacecraft Voyager 1 is closer to being the first human-made object to leave the solar system ? but what exactly ?closer? means is still unknown.

Researchers are waiting for Voyager 1, launched some 35 years ago and now more than 11 billion miles away, to exit the heliosheath,?a region that extends past all the planets in our solar system by about 8 billion miles, into interstellar space. But ?about? is the critical word here, because the trouble is that scientists don?t know exactly how big that region is.?

Still, three papers, published in Science, report that scientists have observed one of the signs that they expect to see as Voyager 1 nears the solar system?s edge: the total disappearance of charged particles, known as termination shock particles, that had been steadily present for seven years.

That means Voyager 1 entered a previously unknown space region called the magnetic highway, or the depletion region, on August 25th, 2012, when the disappearance was observed. In that zone, the charged particles travel in and out of the heliosheath along a smooth magnetic field line. Scientists believe that it is the final zone through which the spacecraft must pass before it reaches the heliopause, the exact boundary between the heliosheath and interstellar space.?

?We entered an entirely new region on August 25th,? Ed Stone, lead project scientist for the Voyager spacecraft told the Monitor. ?We think this is the zone that connects to interstellar space.?

Scientists have not yet seen the critical third sign that would mark Voyager 1?s actual passage into interstellar space: a shift in the direction of the magnetic field. The heliosheath's queen is our sun, and the sun?s east-west magnetic field governs the zone. As the space probe exits the solar system, scientists would expect to see a magnetic shift as it enters a regional field with a completely different orientation.

Another sign that Voyager 1 is still in our solar system is that the cosmic rays the craft has begun to detect from interstellar space are traveling unevenly in multiple directions. In interstellar space, scientists expect those rays to be distributed uniformly, Stone said.

Voyager 1 was launched with its sibling, Voyager 2, in 1977, and both craft have already made tours of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune before veering toward interstellar space in 1990. Even though it was launched 15 days earlier, Voyager 2 is some 2 billion miles Voyager 1.

Voyager 1?s triumphant departure has been heralded before. In December 2004, the Voyager reached what is now known as the termination shock boundary, where particles blown outward from the sun suddenly slow down.?

Voyager 1 saw this solar wind hit a dead calm in April 2010, which again suggested that the craft was coming tantalizingly close to the edge of the solar system. That region is now known as the stagnation zone. At that time, the existence of the depletion zone up ahead was unknown.

Scientists aren?t being deliberately cruel by repeatedly announcing that Voyager 1 has departed. The heliosheath is a baffling, mysterious place, and information about its outer reaches is collected only as Voyager 1 continues its unprecedented journey.

So we don't know how long it will be before Voyager 1 leaves for good.

?It could be several more months, or it could also be several more years,? said Stone. ?There could be things we still don?t know about out there. Almost every day we?re learning something new.?

?That?s the nature of exploration ? you find out how nature really does things,? he said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/n8A8OM11KiA/Voyager-1-comes-closer-to-leaving-the-solar-system-again

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Egypt protests set for showdown, violence feared

By Alastair Macdonald and Tom Perry

CAIRO (Reuters) - Mass demonstrations across Egypt on Sunday may determine its future, two and half years after people power toppled a dictator they called Pharaoh and ushered in a democracy crippled by bitter divisions.

The protesters' goal again is to unseat a president, this time their first freely elected leader, the Islamist Mohamed Mursi. Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - have signed a petition calling for change.

But with the long dominant, U.S-funded army waiting in the wings, and world powers fearing violence may unhinge an already troubled Middle East, Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.

Several people have been killed, including an American student, and hundreds were wounded in days of street fighting.

Mursi calls opponents bad losers backed by "thugs" from the rule of Hosni Mubarak. He is banking on the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power a year ago on Sunday.

An economic crisis deepened by unrest and political deadlock may spur many less partisan Egyptians to join the rallies, due to start in the afternoon in Cairo. But many, too, are weary of turmoil and are skeptical that the opposition's demand to reset the rules of the new democracy is better than soldiering on.

U.S. President Barack Obama called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.

Liberal leaders, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mursi to relent and hand over to a technocratic administration that can organize new elections.

"We all feel we're walking on a dead-end road and that the country will collapse," said Mohamed ElBaradei, former U.N. official, Nobel laureate and liberal party leader. "All Egypt must go out tomorrow to say we want to return to the ballot box, and build the foundations of the house we will all live in."

'CIVIL WAR'

Religious authorities have warned of "civil war". The army has said it will step in if violence gets out of control but insists it will respect the "will of the people".

Mursi, who on Saturday met the head of the military he appointed last year, interprets that to mean army support for election results. Opponents believe that the army may heed the popular will as expressed on the streets, as it did in early 2011 when the generals decided Mubarak's time was up.

That would depend on a massive turnout, which is uncertain. Islamists suspect that agents of the old order are intent on shedding blood to trigger a military intervention.

In Cairo, thousands of people gathered on Tahrir Square, the seat of the January 25 uprising of 2011, some saying they will camp out until Mursi goes. Others gathered outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.

In a nearby suburban neighborhood, the Muslim Brotherhood and allies who include former militant organizations, have set up camp outside a mosque. Guarded by baton-wielding civilians in protective clothing, the Islamists say they will defend Mursi.

Both sides say they want to avoid violence but that has not prevented incidents in which the Brotherhood says several of its offices around the country have been attacked and at least five of its supporters killed in the past week.

"It will be imperative for peaceful protesters to clearly separate themselves from the thugs that use them as cover," an aide to Mursi said. "And it will be more important for the leaders calling for these protests to back away from the language of violence and demonization."

On Saturday evening, Mursi hosted representatives of the Islamist political parties that have been backing him on the streets for a meeting on the "current internal situation," a statement from the presidency said.

Mursi stressed the role of state institutions in protecting citizens and public and private facilities, it said.

Attendees from all of the major Islamist political forces in the country affirmed their adherence to "legitimacy," the statement read, echoing the word used by many Islamists in their recent rallies in support of the elected president.

U.S. CONCERN

The United States has evacuated non-essential diplomatic staff and families and Obama said protecting U.S. missions was a priority. He was criticized at home when the ambassador to Libya was killed last year in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi.

The Egyptian army, half a million strong and financed by Washington since it backed a peace treaty with Israel three decades ago, says it has deployed to protect key installations.

Among these is the Suez Canal. Cities along the vital global waterway are bastions of anti-government sentiment. A bomb killed a protester in Port Said on Friday. Beyond the canal, in the Sinai peninsula which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, a police general was gunned down in an ambush on Saturday.

Visiting the other end of Africa, Obama said in Pretoria: "Every party has to denounce violence ... We'd like to see the opposition and President Mursi engage in a more constructive conversation about how they move their country forward because nobody is benefiting from the current stalemate."

Mursi renewed an offer last week to include opponents in a new panel to review a controversial new constitution and has complained of a media campaign of vilification. The authorities have taken legal action against journalists and owners.

Opponents cite that among evidence that the Brotherhood, suppressed for decades under Mubarak, aims to use its organized, vote-winning power to entrench itself and its Islamic agenda deep in the state, in much the same way as the ousted leader.

Observers note similarities with protests in Turkey this month, where an Islamist prime minister with a strong electoral mandate has been confronted in the streets by angry secularists.

With much of the Arab world in turmoil after the uprisings that also brought sectarian civil war to Syria, the fate of its biggest nation may be determined by events in the coming days.

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif, Alexander Dziadosz, Shaimaa Fayed, Maggie Fick, Alastair Macdonald, Shadia Nasralla, Tom Perry and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo, Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia and Abdelrahman Youssef in Alexandria; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Alison Williams and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-protests-set-showdown-violence-feared-003343388.html

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Obama tells leaders to follow Mandela's example

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Saturday encouraged leaders in Africa and around the world to follow former South African President Nelson Mandela's example of country before self, as the U.S. president prepared to pay personal respects to relatives who have been gathered around the critically ill anti-apartheid icon.

"We as leaders occupy these spaces temporarily and we don't get so deluded that we think the fate of our country doesn't depend on how long we stay in office," Obama said.

Obama spoke at a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma in the midst of a weeklong tour of the continent that also included stops in Senegal and Tanzania. But many other African nations are embroiled in religious, sectarian and other conflicts.

Obama decided to avoid stopping in his father's home nation of Kenya because of international disputes there. The International Criminal Court is prosecuting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for crimes against humanity, including murder, deportation, rape, persecution and inhumane acts allegedly committed by his supporters in the violent aftermath of Kenya's 2007 elections.

"The timing was not right for me as the president of the United States to be visiting Kenya when those issues are still being worked on, and hopefully at some point resolved," Obama said. He noted he's visited Kenya several times previously and expects he will as well in the future.

Obama and Zuma appeared at the Union Buildings that house government offices and the site of Mandela's 1994 inauguration as the country's first black president after 27 years behind bars for his activism.

The 94-year-old Mandela has been in a nearby hospital for three weeks after being admitted with a lung infection. Zuma told reporters that Mandela is in critical but stable condition and the whole nation is praying that he will improve.

Obama and his wife planned to meet with some of Mandela's relatives later in the day but because of their wishes doesn't plan to see the man Obama on Saturday revered as "one of the greatest people in history."

Obama referred to Mandela by his clan name as he praised South Africa's historic integration from white racist rule as a shining beacon for the world.

"The struggle here against apartheid for freedom, Madiba's moral courage, this country's historic transition to a free and democratic nation has been a personal inspiration to me, it has been an inspiration to the world," Obama said.

"The outpouring of love that we've seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and this nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit, the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country," Obama said. "That's what Nelson Mandela represents, that's what South African at its best represents to the world, and that's what brings me back here."

Zuma told Obama he and Mandela are "bound by history as the first black presidents of your respective countries."

"Thus, you both carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed," Zuma said, reading from a prepared statement.

On other topics, Obama declined to commit to supporting South Africa's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He said the U.N.'s structure needs to be updated and it would be "odd" for an expanded Security Council not to have African representation.

"How we do that and what fashion is complicated, it's difficult and it involves all kinds of politics," Obama said.

"Everybody wants a seat at the table, but when it comes time to step up and show responsibility, sometimes people want to be free riders," Obama said, adding he wasn't referring to South Africa specifically.

Zuma responded that he wishes the process of change at the U.N. would speed up.

Obama also said he wants to boost trade with Africa and plans to renegotiate an African trade pact to improve it for American businesses. He said he welcomes competition from other nations who have been aggressive in pursuing commercial opportunities in Africa, including China.

"I don't feel threatened by it. I think it's a good thing," he said. He added: "Our only advice is make sure it's a good deal for Africa." He said that includes making sure foreign investment employs Africans and doesn't tolerate corruption or take its natural resources without compensation for Africans.

Obama also is paying tribute to South Africa's fight against apartheid by visiting the Soweto area Saturday afternoon for a town hall with students at the University of Johannesburg. At least 176 young people were killed in Soweto township 27 years ago this month during a youth protest against the apartheid regime's ban against teaching local Bantu languages. The Soweto Uprising catalyzed international support against apartheid, and June is now recognized as Youth Month in South Africa.

The university plans to bestow an honorary law degree on the U.S. president.

Protesters demonstrated outside the university against U.S. policy on issues including the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the war in Afghanistan and global warming. Hundreds marched to the U.S. Embassy on Friday, carrying signs that read: "No, You Can't Obama," a message inspired by Obama's "yes, we can" campaign slogan.

Obama has been trying to inspire the continent's youth to become civically active and part of a new democratically minded generation. Obama hosted young leaders from more than 40 African countries at the White House in 2010 and challenged them to bring change to their countries by standing up for freedom, openness and peaceful disagreement.

Obama wraps up his South Africa stay Sunday, when he plans to give a sweeping speech on U.S.-Africa policy at the University of Cape Town and take his family to Robben Island to tour the prison where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars.

Obama has visited the island before, but said it's a particular privilege to bring his daughters back to learn its lessons.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tells-leaders-mandelas-example-112000386.html

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Those We're the Best Day's of my Life

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Those We're the Best Day's of my Life

A group of high school graduate's, living in the early 1960's are getting ready to move on to college and go their separate ways in life, and are enjoying one last summer together. But what will happen when they end up all going to the same college?

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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NBC's Gregory: Why shouldn't Greenwald be charged? (The Arizona Republic)

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Snowden crash (Unqualified Offerings)

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'Mad Men' stars in not-so-'60s roles

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12 hours ago

They look sleek, sexy and dapper in their 1960s finery, but the cast of "Mad Men" isn't always so polished. In fact, sometimes when the stars who bring Don Draper, Roger Sterling and the rest of the characters to life aren't playing the roles they're most famous for, they're barely recognizable.

Before you say "so long" to the Sterling Cooper & Partners gang for the season on Sunday night, take a look at our roundup of some of the (not-so-) familiar faces.

Image: Jon Hamm as Don Draper on "Mad Men" and Abner on "30 Rock."

AMC / NBC

Jon Hamm as Don Draper on "Mad Men" and Abner on "30 Rock."

Don Draper's made some serious mistakes on "Mad Men" this season, but thankfully, the look on the right isn't one of them. No, that's just John Hamm spoofing old-timey, distasteful comedies in an "Alfie and Abner" skit from a live episode of "30 Rock."

Image: John Slattery as Roger Sterling on "Mad Men" and Dr. Norman on "Arrested Development."

AMC / Netflix

John Slattery as Roger Sterling on "Mad Men" and Dr. Norman on "Arrested Development."

If it looks like Roger Sterling has seen better days in the second shot, that's because the actor who plays him, John Slattery, took on the part of a washed up, dirty doctor in the recent return of "Arrested Development."

Image: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" and Cynthia Parks on "Picket Fences."

AMC / CBS

Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" and Cynthia Parks on "Picket Fences."

Peggy Olson's grown into quite the copywriter at Sterling Cooper & Partners, but way before that, actress Elisabeth Moss hit the small screen when she was still small. She made her first appearance in the quirky dramedy "Picket Fences" in 1992.

Image: Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on "Mad Men" and Connor on "Angel."

AMC / 20th Century Television

Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on "Mad Men" and Connor on "Angel."

Even Pete Campbell -- or rather Vincent Kartheiser -- had a fresh-faced look on TV back in the day. Long before joining "Mad Men," Kartheiser played Connor, the non-vamp son of the fang-bearing lead, on "Angel."

Image: Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on "Mad Men" and Saffron on "Firefly."

AMC / FOX

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on "Mad Men" and Saffron on "Firefly."

If you're a fan of Joan Harris' just-so hair, tailored dresses and crimson lipstick, then Christina Hendricks' turn on "Firefly" might not interest you. But if you want to see Hendricks' range (and don't mind seeing her in far fewer clothes), then be sure to catch both of her decade-old episodes.

Image: Jessica Pare as Megan Draper on "Mad Men" and Jennifer on "Suck."

AMC / Capri Films

Jessica Pare as Megan Draper on "Mad Men" and Jennifer on "Suck."

Yikes! Megan Draper goes from Don's secretary to wife on "Mad Men," but actress Jessica Pare went from alive to undead in the movie "Suck."

Image: Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell on "Mad Men" and Annie Edison on "Community."

AMC / NBC

Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell on "Mad Men" and Annie Edison on "Community."

When actress Alison Brie isn't playing the part of Pete's long-suffering wife, Trudy Campbell, she's laughing it up as the brainy and beautiful Annie on the sitcom "Community."

Image: Jared Harris as Lane Pryce on "Mad Men" and Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

AMC / Warner Bros. Pictures

Jared Harris as Lane Pryce on "Mad Men" and Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

Rest in peace, Lane Pryce. Fans of the fallen character can see actor Jared Harris back in action in the 2011 film "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," playing the ultimate match for the sleuth -- the devious Professor Moriarty.

The season six finale of "Mad Men" airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on AMC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/mad-men-stars-not-so-60s-roles-6C10411625

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How Messy Is Your Computer's Desktop?

How Messy Is Your Computer's Desktop?

We all aspire to a certain amount of digital desktop cleanliness, but I think rather few of us actually keep up on it. As the days go by, the clutter builds bit by bit, and it's just irritating enough to be unpleasant, but not a big enough deal to actually clean up.

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U.S. seeks Snowden's extradition, urges Hong Kong to act quickly

By Steve Holland and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Saturday it wants Hong Kong to extradite Edward Snowden and urged it to act quickly, paving the way for what could be a lengthy legal battle to prosecute the former National Security Agency contractor on espionage charges.

Legal sources say Snowden, who is believed to be hiding in Hong Kong, has sought legal representation from human rights lawyers since leaking details about secret U.S. surveillance activities to news media.

"If Hong Kong doesn't act soon, it will complicate our bilateral relations and raise questions about Hong Kong's commitment to the rule of law," a senior Obama administration official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon told CBS News the United States had a "good case" to bring Snowden back to America to face trial and expected Hong Kong to comply with its extradition treaty.

"We have gone to the Hong Kong authorities seeking extradition of Snowden back to the United States," Donilon said.

He added that U.S. law enforcement officials were in a "conversation" with Hong Kong authorities about the issue.

A senior U.S. law enforcement source said extradition "can, of course, be a lengthy legal process" but expressed optimism that Snowden would be sent back to the United States.

The South China Morning Post reported that Snowden was not detained or in police protection - as reported elsewhere - and instead he was in a "safe place" somewhere in Hong Kong.

The paper also quoted Snowden offering new details about America's spy activities, including accusations of U.S. hacking of Chinese mobile phone companies and targeting China's top Tsinghua University.

"The NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS (texting) data," Snowden was quoted by the newspaper as saying in a June 12 interview.

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

They also showed that the government had worked through the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to gather so-called metadata - such as the time, duration and telephone numbers called - on all calls carried by service providers such as Verizon.

On Friday, the Guardian newspaper, citing documents shared by Snowden, said Britain's spy agency GCHQ had tapped fiber-optic cables that carry international phone and internet traffic and is sharing vast quantities of personal information with the NSA.

ESPIONAGE CHARGES

The United States charged Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, according to the June 14 criminal complaint made public on Friday.

The latter two offenses fall under the U.S. Espionage Act and carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

Scores of Americans have been sent back home from Hong Kong to face trial under the extradition treaty. But the process can take years, lawyers say, and Snowden's case could be particularly complex.

America's use of the Espionage Act against Snowden has fueled debate among legal experts about whether that could complicate his extradition, since the treaty includes an exception for political offenses and Hong Kong courts may choose to shield him from prosecution.

Snowden says he leaked the details of the classified U.S. surveillance to expose abusive and illegal programs that trampled on citizens' privacy rights.

President Barack Obama and his intelligence chiefs have vigorously defended the programs, saying they are regulated by law and that Congress was notified. They say the programs have been used to thwart militant plots and do not target Americans' personal lives.

Stephen Vladeck, a professor at American University's Washington College of Law who studies national security issues, said there is no clear definition of what constitutes a political offense under the treaty.

"My intuition says it'll be easier for Snowden to argue espionage is a political offense than (the U.S. charge of) theft of government property," Vladeck said.

Should he return to the United States, Snowden would face trial in a federal court in Virginia that has a long track record of hearing cases related to national security and also to cyber crime.

In the past 20 years, the U.S. government has racked up remarkable success rates in winning convictions or guilty pleas from people brought before the federal court in Virginia who were accused of espionage or terrorism. Because of its speed, the court is considered a "rocket docket.

(Additional reporting by James Pomfret, Venus Wu and Grace Li in Hong Kong, Diane Bartz in Washington and Nate Raymond in New York.; Writing by Phil Stewart.; Editing by Eric Beech and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-seeks-snowdens-extradition-urges-hong-kong-act-072013134.html

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