Meteor vs. asteroid? Terms can get tangled

Dozens were hospitalized and nearly 1,000 residents suffered minor injuries from fallen debris and the impact of the meteor's powerful landing. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

What exactly fell on Russia's Chelyabinsk region on Friday? Was it an asteroid, meteor, meteoroid, meteorite or fireball? You could make a case for "any of the above," depending on your definitions and the precise part of the phenomenon you're trying to describe.

The Chelyabinsk incident is the biggest known cosmic impact since another Russian blast that occurred a century ago, the Tunguska incident of 1908. There's good reason for that notoreity: Hundreds of injuries were reported. NASA estimated that the energy released by the Chelyabinsk impact amounted to 300 kilotons of TNT, which suggests the blast was more than 10 times as powerful as the atom bombs that were dropped on Japan at the end of World War II.

NASA's assessment put the Chelyabinsk object's width at 15 meters (50 feet), and its mass at 7,000 tons. Much of that mass burned up during the object's atmospheric entry at a velocity of 40,000 mph (18 kilometers per second). "The fireball was brighter than the sun," the space agency said in a statement.

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Astronomers use different terms to describe cosmic objects of different sizes: When the rock is no wider than a meter (3.3 feet), it's known as a meteoroid. But once you start getting into the 1- to 10-meter range, the term "asteroid" applies. Earlier estimates suggested the Chelyabinsk object was a meteoroid, but the latest assessment would put it in the class of a small asteroid.

Bill Cooke, who heads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Center, said the object was "a small asteroid or a large meteoroid, depending on how you want to define it."

When pieces of the meteoroid (or asteroid) survive their fiery fall through the atmosphere and hit the surface, those pieces are called meteorites. Russian authorities say a hole in the ice on Chebarkul Lake, near Chelyabinsk, marks a spot where at least one meteorite left its mark. There are already reports of Chelyabinsk meteorites turning up on online auction sites, but those are more likely to be "meteor-wrongs"?? rocks wrongly assumed to be meteorites.

Yekaterina Pustynnikova / Chelyabinsk.ru via AP

A huge meteor flares through the skies over Russia's Chelyabinsk region, triggering a powerful shock wave that injured nearly a thousand people, blew out windows and reportedly caused the roof of a factory to collapse.

The term "meteor" refers to the fiery aerial display created by a falling meteoroid or asteroid. Meteors are called fireballs if they shine brighter than the planets in the night sky (magnitude -4), and bolides if the blast is even brighter (around magnitude -14). There's no question that the Chelyabinsk meteor qualifies as a bolide.

Some asteroids are made of iron and nickel, and survive their fall more easily. However, the fact that the Chelyabinsk object appeared to break up into pieces while it was still miles high indicates that it was made of less dense stuff. The stresses of atmospheric entry caused the rock to break apart explosively, creating the midair flash and generating a shock wave. The shock wave produced the loud "bang" that set off car alarms, blew out windows and apparently collapsed the roof of a zinc factory warehouse. Flying glass from all those broken windows caused many of the injuries that were reported.

What about the asteroid flyby?
The Chelyabinsk object streaked through Russian skies just hours before a 150-foot-wide (45-meter-wide) asteroid known as 2012 DA14 was due to make a remarkably close approach, coming within 17,200 miles of Earth's surface. However, the two objects were in dramatically different orbits, and that's one of the factors that led NASA to conclude that the two cosmic events were "not related."

"It's clearly coincidental, but it's a pretty amazing coincidence," said former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, a co-founder of the B612 Foundation. For years, Schweickart and his colleagues have been trying to raise awareness about the hazards posed by asteroids, and Friday's double dose of cosmic reality certainly serves as a consciousness-raiser.

"It's a torpedo across the bow," Schweickart told NBC News, "and it serves as an indication that these things really do happen."

Objects as small as the Chelyabinsk asteroid are difficult to detect ? but the feat is?not impossible, given the right circumstances. In 2008, a 2- to 5-meter-wide asteroid known as 2008 TC3 was spotted using the Catalina Sky Survey 1.5-meter telescope in Arizona, 20 hours before its impact in the Sudanese desert. The Chelyabinsk object would have been particularly hard to spot because it came in from the blind spot on Earth's sunlit side.

The Chelyabinsk object is no more, but there are still lots of other space rocks to be found. In 2011, NASA estimated that there are a million potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids smaller than 100 meters (330 feet). Several organizations ??including NASA, the B612 Foundation and Planetary Resources?? are working on plans to detect and track more of the threats that are out there. To learn more about those efforts, click on the links below:

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Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

This story was originally published on Fri Feb 15, 2013 1:34 PM EST

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/15/16975311-meteor-vs-asteroid-size-matters-when-describing-rocks-from-space?lite

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Craig Elliot: 'Steve Jobs gave me a Porsche because I sold the most Macs' (PHOTO)

Ex-Apple executive Craig Elliot, who is now the CEO and co-founder of cloud networking start up Pertino, has told the story of the day Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, gave him a Porsche.

Speaking to Business Insider, Elliot explained that in 1984, at the age of 23, he was working at his local computer shop when the Macintosh came out. "I sold more Macintoshs than anyone in the United States," he said, which led to him receiving a letter from Apple asking him to visit Cupertino, California.

"I had dinner with Steve Jobs, spent a week with the Apple executives and Steve gave me a Porsche," said Elliot, who remembered that the dinner got off to a rocky start when Jobs asked how many Macs he had sold. When Elliot replied with 125, Jobs wasn't too impressed.

"I leaned over and said, 'Steve, remember, I'm your best guy'," Elliot described. "Jobs said, 'Oh, you're right.' And for the rest of the dinner we had a really nice time."

Elliot went on to work at Apple for more than 10 years as the head of Apple's internet and ecommerce business, during the time when Steve Jobs wasn't running the company. When Jobs returned, Elliot went to act as CEO for networking startup Packeteer, which he later sold for $269 million.

Below if a photo of Elliot with Jobs in 1984, along with his brand new Porsche. (Credit: Pertino)

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See also:

Bill Gates: 'Steve Jobs was always cooler than me'

Will Apple ever build the iCar Steve Jobs wanted to make?

jOBS Steve Jobs biopic premieres to mixed reviews, blasted by Steve Wozniak

Turkey man owns trademark 'Steve Jobs', plus Apple meets with Turkish president

Working for Steve Jobs: 'for technology to make sense, it had to touch lives'

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Microsoft Launches New Anti-Google Video

Microsoft keeps attacking Google on a weekly basis, so the company rolled out one more video to show users that Gmail is actually infringing users? privacy by looking into every mail to deliver relevant ads.

Basically, Microsoft claims that the Mountain View-based search company is opening every single email that lands in your inbox and scans the content in order to show relevant ads while reading messages.

?Google goes through every Gmail that's sent or received, looking for keywords so they can target Gmail users with paid ads. And there's no way to opt out of this invasion of your privacy. Watch the video to see how you get Scroogled,? Microsoft said when it relaunched the Scroogled campaign earlier this month.

Surprisingly, Google is yet to issue a statement on the matter, so Microsoft can continue encouraging users to make the move to Outlook.com with no opposition coming from Mountain View.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Launches-New-Anti-Google-Video-329582.shtml

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Huge news everyone - we're heading back to London's Olympic Stadium on 28 July -...

London's Olympic Stadium to host para-athletics event on 28 July | IPC

www.paralympic.org

British Athletics has announced that London's Olympic Stadium will host some of the world's leading para-athletes at a meeting on 28 July 2013, as part of the London Anniversary Games.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/ParalympicGames/posts/463039387083854

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Executive Speech Coach - Business Presentations: Who is the ...

When you look at your friends you probably can easily indentify those who are clearly extraverts and those who are clearly introverts. There might be a group about which you are not sure. The most likely reason might be that they are of one color but have learned to adapt their communication style to the other side when required.

I?m biased. I?m an introvert. That means that I see the world better from the perspective of introverts. However, I?ve learned how to express myself both in writing and in a presentation. People in my audience might not believe that I?m an introvert.

Ask an extravert ?Tell me about yourself? and he immediately starts talking. ?I was born in a log cabin?? When he?s done, he believes that he answered the question better than anyone else. Naturally, the extravert doesn?t ask, ?Did I answer your question??

Ask an introvert, ?Tell me about yourself? and she will likely ask you a few questions before and after she replies.

There are exceptions. Sometimes an introvert is so passionate about her topic that she transforms herself into an extravert for that conversation.

Extraverts seem to find it very difficult to transform themselves into an introvert.

Who makes a better presenter? Introverts or extraverts?

Extraverts can be attention grabbing and entertaining. Introverts can learn to do that and more importantly, introverts listen to the audience better.

What could be more important than that?

In my opinion as an introvert ? extraverts get out of the starting blocks quicker, but introverts can overtake them. Consider it the race between the tortoise and the hare.

Presentation Tips on Twitter Presentation Skills Club on Facebook Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives

Source: http://executivespeechcoach.blogspot.com/2013/02/who-is-better-presenter-extraverts-or.html

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A&E network brings free full-length episodes and movies to the iPhone

Good news for Rick and Corey fans. A&E's brought its streaming app across from the iPad to the iPhone. Better still, it has all the full length content from favorites like Storage Wars and Pawn Stars. Both the History and Lifetime have followed suit, and there's even some extra A&E content found within the app, the kind that's typically found on the show's dedicated site -- expect plenty of behind-the-scenes antics. If you're also in possession of an Xfinity Comcast account, the app will open up access to previous seasons of the network's top shows. There's still no AirPlay support, although 9to5Mac reports that it's certainly in the works. Hopefully, that means dozing off in front of A&E content on your Apple TV shouldn't be far away. In Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson's immortal words: work hard, nap hard.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile

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Via: iDownload blog, 9to5Mac

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Syrian air base falls, Assad forces under pressure

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian opposition fighters captured a military airport near the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday in another military setback for President Bashar al-Assad's forces which have come under intensifying attack across the country.

The airport is the latest military facility to fall under rebel control in a strategic region situated between Syria's industrial and commercial center and the country's oil- and wheat-producing heartland to the east.

The opposition said an army base situated near Aleppo Airport, which is both civilian and military, was overrun by rebels seeking to neutralize Assad's air power, which has been instrumental in preventing the rebels from taking over major urban centers.

The Syrian authorities have banned most independent media from the country, making verification of events on the ground difficult.

A Middle East-based diplomat following the military situation said the opposition "appears to be making significant advances" in Aleppo and along the Euphrates River to the east.

The diplomat said opposition fighting units have encroached on central Damascus by breaking through the ring road and establishing footholds in areas near the historic heart of the city of 2 million people.

Fighting in the nearly two-year-old conflict has intensified in the three weeks since the political leadership of the opposition offered to negotiate a departure for Assad.

In the first direct government response, Syria's minister for "national reconciliation", Ali Haidar, said he was willing to travel abroad to meet Moaz Alkhatib, the Cairo-based president of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group.

Authorities previously had said they would talk to the "patriotic opposition" - figures who have not allied themselves with the armed rebellion. But most centrist opposition figures have left the country since Abdel-Aziz al-Khayyer, a proponent of dialogue and non-violence, was arrested last year.

"I am willing to meet Mr Khatib in any foreign city where I can go in order to discuss preparations for a national dialogue," Haidar told the Guardian newspaper.

But he said the authorities rejected any dialogue that aims "to hand power from one side to another" and insisted that formal negotiation must take place on Syrian soil.

The main push for talks is coming from U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who helped mediate an end to civil war in neighboring Lebanon and warned that Syria could become a failed state.

The Syrian uprising is the bloodiest of the Arab revolts that toppled four autocrats in Libya, Egypt, Tunis and Yemen.

With the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, dominating power in Syria, the conflict has deepened the Shi'ite-Sunni divide in the Middle East.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Tuesday the death toll in Syria is likely approaching 70,000 with civilians paying the price for the U.N. Security Council's lack of action.

JETS OVER DAMASCUS

In the capital Damascus, residents and activists said the army had moved tanks to central Abbasid Square to shore up its defensive lines after rebels breached it last week and then struck several security targets in the heart of the capital.

Jets bombarded rebel held areas in the east of the capital and in an expanse of farmland and urban areas known as Eastern Ghouta, from where rebels have launched an attack to cut off the loyalist supply lines.

"The bombing has been terrible. The center of Damascus is shaking. You can hear the jets from here," said one woman.

Despite a large military arsenal - opposition activists reported several Scud missiles being fired at unknown targets from an army base north of Damascus - Assad's forces appeared to be on the defensive in many parts of the country.

The army and a plethora of security forces remain entrenched in fortress-like bases in Damascus and the provincial capitals, where their advantages in air power and heavy weaponry have kept the opposition from taking over the major cities.

Jarrah air base, 60 km (40 miles) east of Aleppo, came under the control of rebel units who have been surrounding it for weeks, and the highway linking Aleppo to the east of the country is in opposition hands, the Sham News Network said.

Video footage showed fighters from the Islamic Free Syria Movement inspecting the airport. Several fighter jets were shown on the ground at the airport and in concrete shelters.

Abu Abdallah Minbij, one of the opposition commanders who planned the attack, said by phone that two operational MiG jets and ammunition were found intact at the base, along with 40 disused fighter jets.

"The airport was being used to bomb northern and eastern rural Aleppo. By capturing it, we have cut the regime's supply line from Aleppo to the east," Minbij said.

He said the army will now struggle to send reinforcements to stop a rebel advance in the adjacent Raqqa province, where rebels have captured the country's largest hydro-electric dam this week.

"The airports have been a source of aerial bombardment and indiscriminate shelling on rural Aleppo and on the city itself," activist Abu Louay al-Halabi said by phone from Aleppo.

He said rebels have hit planes on the ground in the airport of Minbij, 70 km (45 miles) northeast of Aleppo and overran several buildings in Nairab airport, which is adjacent to the city and remains in government hands.

"Once the airports are neutralized, the opposition's grip on Aleppo will become less tenuous and the fighters can concentrate on taking the whole city," Halabi said.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-prepare-push-eastern-oil-city-080419848.html

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Chris Brown Community Service Scandal: Police Chief in Charge of Case Resigns

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/chris-brown-community-service-scandal-police-chief-in-charge-of/

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Bird Flu: New Cases Discovered In China, Sparking Fears Of Outbreak

Posted: February 11, 2013

The bird flu has been discovered in two new cases in China in what has become the second outbreak in that country this year.

The cases were discovered in Guiyang, located in Southwest China. There a 21-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man tested positive for the H1N1 bird flu virus over the weekend, the Global Post reported. Both were taken in to a hospital for treatment and were listed in critical condition.

?They are in critical condition and medical workers are carrying out emergency treatment. No epidemiological connections have been found between the two cases,? the Chinese health ministry stated (via Xinhua).

The two began developing symptoms on February 2 and February 3, and investigators believe neither had direct contact with birds before falling ill.

The new bird flu cases have sparked fears of an outbreak in China. From Reuters:

?China is considered one of the nations most at risk from bird flu epidemics because it has the world?s biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.?

The bird flu cases in Guiyang makes the second major city in China to be struck by the disease. In January, a 19-year-old migrant worker died in Beijing after contracting bird flu.

Since the first major outbreak in 2003, bird flu has been responsible for 365 deaths across the world, the World Health Organization noted. It is most commonly spread through direct contact between birds and humans, but health experts worry that it could mutate to spread by person-to-person contact.

While the cases in China were found, bird flu was also discovered at a farm in Kathmandu, the Himalayan Times noted.

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/519126/bird-flu-new-cases-discovered-in-china-sparking-fears-of-outbreak/

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Chris Brown Community Service Scandal: Police Chief in Charge of Case Resigns

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/chris-brown-community-service-scandal-police-chief-in-charge-of/

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Rome reacts: a city, a nation and a Church comes to terms with Pope Benedict XVI's resignation

Just two months after Pope Benedict?s fanfare about communicating to the modern world with the new-fangled Twitter, he chose to announce he was quitting in Latin before a council of hoary cardinals.

As the rain lashed down on St Peter?s Square from an equally grey sky, the faithful and the curious were both confused about events ? and the Pontiff?s motives, without knowing he had cited his failing physical capacity for the job.

Francesca Riga, 24, from Calabria in southern Italy, who was visiting Rome for a week, said she had heard the news of Ratzinger?s resignation only minutes earlier from? other tourists. ?I?m shocked. I don?t know what to say. I think probably he?s very ill.? The Pope wouldn?t resign otherwise.?

In the early evening, a storm swept across the capital and lightening bolts lit up the heavens, causing the dwindling crowds in St Peter?s Square to scatter. Among them were Alex and Maria Ruiz, a middle-aged couple from Mexico. ?We are very sad,? said Mr Ruiz, ?but I think the Pope must have a good reason to leave. This is not normal. But we must respect his decision.?

Filippo, a 48-year-old taxi driver speaking on the Vatican side of the Tiber, was also shocked. ?I?m still not sure what to say. I?m still stunned.? But he felt sure history would be kind to Pope Benedict. ?He wasn?t a showman like John Paul II. But I liked the fact that he was reserved; a modest man, and very traditional. He wasn?t very flamboyant, but that?s probably because he was German,? he said.

He added the Pope Benedict hadn?t had the best of luck. But it looks like the lame-duck Pontiff will get out alive. Exactly a year ago Italian papers were reporting claims of a plot to assassinate him.

Elsewhere on Rome?s streets other Italians expressed satisfaction that Benedict was stepping down, even if they too had doubts about his reasons.

Eva Benelli 56-year-old housewife said:? ?It?s was a surprise. But I?m asking myself, why has he resigned now. The other Popes carried on no matter how old or infirm they were. But I?m not sad he?s going. He was so far away from ordinary Italians.

?I?m not a practising Catholic, but let?s hope we can have a more progressive Pope, who pushes for better civil rights ? for gays and divorced people. The situation in Italy is already quite shameful.?

Another Roman, Romeo Bassoli, 58, also thought the resignation of Benedict offered the church to an opportunity to choose a more liberal leader. ?Or at least, I really hope that?s the case,? he said.

But despite being one of the least-loved Pope?s since Cesare Borgia, the great and the good lined up to pay their respects to the 85-year-old Pontiff.

Italy?s head of state President Giorgio Napolitano said: ?The Pope has shown great, courage, generosity and in my opinion great respect with this gesture.? He added that the papacy was an ?extraordinarily challenging weight to carry on one?s shoulders?.

Outgoing premier Mario Monti told journalists in Milan: ?I was very moved by this news.? He said he had had no idea the Pope?s resignation was on the cards.

There were also respectful comments from his political and social opponents, including Giuliano Pisapia, the left-wing mayor of Milan, the city whose archbishop Angelo Scola has already emerged as the favourite to succeed Benedict next month.

Mr Pisapia angered senior church figures last year by announcing token civil partnerships for gay couples in Milan, in defiance of the Vatican's stance on same-sex relationships, was as usual graceful in his choice of words. ?The decision of Pope Benedict to leave the Papacy in a few weeks has touched me. We must have maximum respect for his choice.?

Ezio Mauro, editor of big centre-left daily newspaper La Repubblica, said Benedict?s resignation was evidence that ?modernity was breaking out in the corridors of the Vatican?.

The theme of deliberate change was adopted by the Pope?s more natural supporters, including Pierferdinando Casini, head of the strongly pious Union of Christian Democrats. ?We are close to the Pope who has demonstrated with this gesture an authentic revolution,? he said.

Other catholic politicians joined the chorus saying that Pope Benedict would be remembered fondly, despite resigning. And there is a historical precedent. The hairshirt-wearing Celestine V, the last Pope to quit the job, some 600 years ago, was thought by some to have been depicted by Dante?s Divine Comedy as a soul sent to hell for his cowardice.

But shortly after in 1313, Celestine was declared a saint by his predecessor Pope Clement V. Filippo the taxi driver would have approved.

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Tornadoes wreck hundreds of homes, damage campus

Youtube video shows damage to power lines and buildings in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as a series of storms bring severe weather to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Msnbc's Milissa Rehberger reports.

By Emily Le Coz, Reuters

Updated at 3:37 a.m. ET: TUPELO, Miss. - A swarm of tornadoes tore through several counties in southern Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday, injuring at least 10 people and ripping apart hundreds of homes and other buildings, including parts of the University of Southern Mississippi, authorities said.

The Forrest County seat of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the adjacent town of Petal, both about 100 miles southeast of Jackson, the state capital, bore the brunt of storms that struck less than an hour before dark.

The tornado that plowed through the Hattiesburg area was believed to have reached three-quarters of a mile in diameter at times, said Anna Weber, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The weather service counted three separate twisters in south-central Mississippi on Sunday evening, Weber said.

In neighboring southwestern Alabama, authorities reported a flurry of seven tornadoes across three counties, including one that damaged 46 homes in Clark County, Weather Service meteorologist Keith Williams said.

About 100 houses or more were damaged or destroyed in Petal, Mississippi, alone, and several businesses were hard hit there as well, including a hardware store reduced to rubble, Mayor Hal Marx told Reuters.

'Shaken up and in shock'
He said a number of residents suffered minor injuries but no one was reported seriously hurt. "Mostly people are just shaken up and in shock," he said.

Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Agency, said he had reports of at least 10 people injured throughout four stricken Mississippi counties, including eight who were taken to hospitals in Marion County.

More coverage from weather.com

Emergency management officials said no firm estimates of property losses were immediately available. Power outages were widespread.

Emergency management spokesman Greg Flynn said a search-and-rescue team from the nearby town of McComb was being called in to help look through debris for anyone who might be trapped.

On the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, alma mater of retired National Football League star quarterback Brett Favre, the storm damaged several buildings, including a performing arts center and an alumni house, the university said in a statement.

PhotoBlog: Tornado hits college campus

The twister also heavily damaged a high school stadium complex and blew a truck onto the school's baseball diamond, officials said.

Kris Walters, 40, a Baptist minister for the USM campus, said he and two of his children took shelter in a closet with a mattress on top of them until the storm passed, adding that his house escaped serious damage.

"I have lived here 40 years, and this is the first tornado I have ever seen like this," he told Reuters.

Video footage showed what appeared to be a large, gray tornado, filmed from a distance, churning through town as a cloud of debris swirled around it.

Rent, the state emergency management spokesman, said Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant had declared a state of emergency in four Mississippi counties - Forrest, Lamar, Marion and Lawrence - and other areas hit by the storms.

The Hattiesburg area also suffered heavy property damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/10/16920029-tornadoes-wreck-hundreds-of-homes-in-mississippi-alabama-college-campus-damaged

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Rewiring Your Brain for a More Positive You | Mind|Body|Spirit ...

tetris-cover (Photo credit: DJ Malloc)

I think it always helps to get the same message in different formats, so here?s an article from LifeHacker?about using the way the brain learns to rewire it for greater happiness, which is something I tell almost anyone who will listen.

No, I?m not really suggesting you spend more time playing Tetris, which is one of the studies cited, but I think this article is good at explaining the practice effect, which is a neuroplasticity principle I never stop talking about with my clients, and that I myself could still take even fuller advantage of. It is simply this: the more you do something, the easier it gets to do it, which goes for seeking reasons for complaining as well as seeking reasons for gratitude, just like it does for playing an instrument, or Tetris, or tennis.

Shawn Achor, author of?The Happiness Advantage?is quoted in the post:

?Happiness is a work ethic? It?s something that requires our brains to train just like an athlete has to train.?

and?

?We can retrain the brain to scan for the good things in life-to help us see more possibility, to feel more energy, and to succeed at higher levels.?

People often complain to me that it?s ?so much work? to retrain for gratitude and self-compassion after I suggest undertaking the task. I like to remind them that the up front energy required to get started is the hardest ? it gets easier each time. But really, at some point, one has to ask, ?is it really more work than living with an excess of anxiety, depression, and negativity??. Plus you get so much more than the immediate bang for the buck of reframing your current experience to feel better. You get to feel better now, AND better in the future, AND it?s dose dependent ? the more you do it, the bigger the impact. Without side effects. No drug can make such a claim, and it?s unlikely one ever will.

Also note that the end of the article links to discussion of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Ten minutes of meditation daily and you could be on your way to to happier you! Contact me?if you?d like assistance or instruction, or join us for the Tuesday night beginners meditation class if you?re in the area.

Cynthia Clingan is a personal coach, licensed professional counselor, and blogger who teaches mindfulness meditation for beginners.

Source: http://mindbodyspiritacademy.org/2013/02/11/rewiring-the-brain-for-a-more-positive-you/

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Joe Danger: An iOS Game With a Console Punch | iPad.AppStorm

As iOS devices grow more and more popular as a gaming platform, we have started to see developers crafting their old console games into new, touchscreen friendly softwares. Joe Danger is no exception.

Joe Danger, the ?World?s Most Determined Stuntman,? is back and better than ever.?After three years of gracing your favorite video game consoles, it is time for you to help Joe Danger ascend to fame by helping him dodge perilous obstacles and perform jaw-dropping tricks right on your iPad.?Does Joe Danger prove to be victorious, or does he crash on the way? Read on to find out more.

Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

Training Wheels

Joe Danger employs simple and natural tap and touch controls, so you can begin play as soon as possible. The three basic gestures are taps, swipes, and holds. Each of these gestures will serve different purposes throughout the game as obstacles become more demanding. Whenever a new purpose is given to a gesture there is a tutorial on how to use it, which greatly minimizes the learning curve of the game.

Race your way through 59 beautifully crafted levels.

The game comes packed with 59 cleverly named levels that are grouped into worlds based on difficulty and the content. Every world has at least one bonus level where you can gain some extra coins that can go towards essential purchases within the app.

Also, each level has three objectives; these are often along the lines of landing every trick perfectly, collecting all of the coins or even just crossing the finish line. Fulfilling these objectives allows you to open up more levels. Additionally, by completing all three objectives on a level, you will be credited with a ?Pro? badge.

Motorcross Madness

Joe Danger channels your inner Evel Knievel, and now you are able to pull off the same jaw-dropping tricks without any of the danger (pretty cool, eh?). Well, at least you will need to channel that inner daredevil in order to jump the countless shark tanks, perform risky flips and duck under countless totem poles and tubes to earn the glory that you?d receive from crossing that finish line.

Fans and spikes are just two of the countless obstacles that you will have to work with in Joe Danger.

New obstacles are added every few levels, making the game more difficult as you go on. You will have to strategically duck, jump, wheelie, flip and more in order to avoid obstacles that could end the game. Gaming is often timing-based, which adds an extra nuance of challenge to the package. Sometimes a split-second reaction will determine whether or not you proceed.

The button in the top left corner allows you to easily restart the level when need be.

Which brings me to the point that in order to fully beat the game, you really have to pay attention to the surroundings. The knowledge of the locations of coins, tricky obstacles, and other things are crucial when trying to fulfill objectives, especially when you get to harder levels. That being said, levels are meant to be played time and time again, adding all the more replay value to the game.

Gameplay as a whole is generally fast-paced, although some levels can take a minute or two to run through completely. Still, this makes Joe Danger a great game to pick up when you?re in a squeeze, but you have to be careful because it can just as easily suck you in for hours. Gameplay grows stale for small periods of time, but it turns out that the quest to pick up that last coin or pull off that difficult trick isn?t particularly the easiest thing to drop.

Friendly Competition

It is impossible for Joe Danger to progress without a little help from his friends. As you play the game, you will notice that you need to purchase new characters in order to play certain levels. New characters can be purchased at any point in the game by pressing on the character you are playing with. Characters will set you back a few thousand coins each, but are necessary in order to progress in the game.

Different characters have different combo maxes and score and coin bonuses. To rake up maximum coinage or points, select your characters wisely!

Each character comes with their own perks, but the most prestigious ones will set you back a lot of coins.

If you?re really hankering to buy the next best character, you are able to buy packs of coins via in-app purchase. For anywhere from $0.99-$12.99, you can purchase packs of anywhere from 10,000 to 500,000 coins, which is a bit of a steal as far as in-app purchases go. Still, I?d only advise investing in these packages if you absolutely need to, as it doesn?t take too long for coins to rake up while you play.

The Graphics

If there is one thing that sticks out about Joe Danger, it?s the graphics. Like many of my favorite apps, the graphics are what initially drew me into buying it. The ?Wild West? theme is very detailed and adds loads of character to the game. Plus, the 3D art-style looks great on Retina devices, however, images can start to look a little bit edgy if you?re playing on a non-Retina device.

The user interface is very user-friendly and easy to read, and the Retina 3D graphics are stunning.

The user interface features a style similar to that of Run Roo Run! ? more playful than serious. Brightly colored buttons stud the menus of the application, but everything looks in place and it is not at all distasteful. The UI as a whole is clear and easy to read and navigate, which makes the game all the more pleasurable to play.

The Verdict

All in all, Joe Danger is a great game for the iPad. Unlike most iOS-counterparts to console games, I feel as if Joe Danger only benefit from the simple touch controls. Plus, gameplay is fast-paced, challenging, addictive and doesn?t lack any of the quality a console game would get; the sporadic staleness of the game can be overlooked due to the quality of the gameplay itself. Its beautiful Retina graphics only add to the overall experience.

I recommend this app to people of all ages, as controls are simple enough for a five-year old to pick up the game with ease, but it would be equally enjoyable to any adult. Joe Danger can be had for just $2.99.

Source: http://ipad.appstorm.net/reviews/games/joe-danger-an-ios-game-with-a-console-punch/

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Paternos challenge Freeh report on scandal at PSU

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Joe Paterno's family released its response to Penn State's report on the Jerry Sandusky scandal Sunday, attacking Louis Freeh's conclusion that the coach hid sex abuse allegations against his longtime assistant.0

In a report commissioned by the family, former U.S. Attorney General and Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh said the investigation by former FBI director Freeh resulted in a "rush to injustice." That report, authorized by the university, found that Paterno and other school officials accused Paterno and three former administrators of covering up child sexual abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Those findings last July were unsupported by the facts, said the family critique released Sunday.

"The lack of factual report for the ... inaccurate and unfounded findings related to Mr. Paterno, and its numerous process-oriented deficiencies, was a rush to injustice and calls into question the credibility of the entire Report," Thornburgh was quoted as saying in the family's analysis, posted on the website paterno.com.

Months in the making, the report was billed as an independent analysis of the work by Freeh, who defended his report Sunday.

"I stand by our conclusion that four of the most powerful people at Penn State failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade," he said in a statement issued through a spokesman.

The family's report concluded that observations related to Paterno in the Freeh report was unfounded, and were a disservice to Paterno, the university community and Sandusky's victims "and the critical mission of educating the public on the dangers of child sexual victimization."

The central claim that Paterno "was engaged in a conspiracy ... there's simply no basis anywhere in the report for that finding. That in my view renders the whole report of very little value," Thornburgh said in an interview with The Associated Press. "There's simply nothing in this record, in the Freeh report, that indicates he was involved in any way."

Freeh's findings also implicated former administrators in university president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and retired vice president Gary Schultz. Less than two weeks after the Freeh report was released in July, the NCAA acted with uncharacteristic speed in levying massive sanctions against the football program for the scandal.

"Taking into account the available witness statements and evidence, it is more reasonable to conclude that, in order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State University ? Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley ? repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse," Freeh wrote in releasing the report.

The former administrators have vehemently denied the allegations. So, too, has Paterno's family, though a detailed counter-offensive began in earnest this weekend.

The family's findings said that Paterno never asked or told anyone not to investigate or report an allegation made against Sandusky 12 years ago, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2001.

Paterno also never asked or told anyone not to discuss or hide information reported by graduate assistant Mike McQueary about the 2001 allegation, the critique said, and followed university protocol in reporting information to superiors and left it to them to "to investigate and report as appropriate."

Thornburgh said he found the report at points to be inaccurate, speculative and fundamentally flawed about the role ? if any ? played by Paterno.

Appearing on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program Sunday, Paterno family attorney Wick Sollers said it was too early to talk about legal action, though they were "evaluating all the legal options at this stage of the game."

Paterno's widow, Sue Paterno wrote in a letter Friday to former players that she sought a "full record of what happened."

The treatment of Paterno ? fired over a late-night telephone call ? as well as the handling of the Freeh report and the resulting NCAA sanctions by university leadership remain sensitive topics with some unhappy groups of alumni, ex-players and community residents.

Penn State said Sunday that Freeh was brought in to conduct an independent investigation of the school's response to the allegations, and not actions of entities unrelated to Penn State. Freeh offered 119 recommendations to strengthen governance and compliance, the majority of which have been implemented, the school said.

"It is understandable and appreciated that people will draw their own conclusions and opinions from the facts uncovered in the Freeh report," the school said.

Freeh, in his report, said his team conducted 430 interviews and analyzed over 3.5 million emails and documents. The former federal judge said evidence showed Paterno was involved in an "active agreement to conceal" and his report cited email exchanges, which referenced Paterno, between administrators about allegations against Sandusky in 1998 and 2001.

According to Thornburgh's findings, Freeh's report relied primarily on about 30 documents, including three notes authored by Paterno, and 17 emails. Four emails referenced Paterno ? none sent by the octogenarian coach who notoriously shunned modern electronic technology.

Sandusky, 69, was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison in October after being convicted last summer of 45 criminal counts. Prosecutors said assaults occurred off and on campus, including the football building.

His arrest in November 2011 triggered the turmoil that led to Paterno's firing days later. Under pressure, Spanier left as president the same day. Curley was placed on administrative leave, while Schultz retired.

Spanier, Curley and Schultz are awaiting trial on obstruction and conspiracy, among other charges. They have maintained their innocence.

Critics have said that Freeh's team didn't speak with key figures including Curley, Schultz and Paterno, who died in January 2012 at age 85. Spanier spoke to Freeh six days before the report was released July 12.

Freeh said he respected the family's right to conduct a campaign to "shape the legacy of Joe Paterno," but called the critique self-serving. Paterno's attorney was contacted for an interview with the coach, he said, and Paterno spoke with a reporter and biographer before his death but not Freeh's team. Paterno's attorney did provide documents.

Curley and Schultz declined numerous requests for interviews, Freeh said. They have been facing criminal charges since November 2011.

Freeh on Sunday cited grand jury testimony by Paterno in 2011 in which Paterno said McQueary relayed to him the 2001 allegation against Sandusky of a "sexual nature" with a child.

He referred to a key point in the July report in which he said the administrators drew up a plan that called for reporting Sandusky to state public welfare officials in 2001. Curley later write in an email that he changed his mind "after giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe," according to Freeh's findings.

Said Freeh on Sunday: "These men exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not even attempting to determine the identity of the child" in the 2001 allegation.

The Paterno family report said Freeh chose not to present alternative and "more plausible" conclusions about Paterno's actions. Their attorney, Wick Sollers, responded Sunday that Freeh didn't take the time to read the family's critique, or address accusations of procedural shortcomings.

Sollers said he met with Freeh's team and pledged full cooperation. Joe Paterno's cancer diagnosis prevented he coach from being interviewed, but son and former assistant coach Jay Paterno spoke with Freeh's group.

"A failure to consider the facts carefully is exactly the problem our expert analysis highlights," Sollers said. "Everyone, including Mr. Freeh, should take the time to study this report."

Besides Thornburgh, Sollers also brought in former FBI profiler and special agent Jim Clemente, described as a child molestation and behavioral expert; and Dr. Fred Berlin, a psychologist from Johns Hopkins Hospital whose profile lists him as the founder of the institution's Sexual Disorders Clinic. The analysis included information from lawyers for the former school administrators.

Freeh's report ignored decades of research and behavioral analysis over how to understand and investigate child victimization cases, the critique said, and expert analysis showed Sandusky "fooled qualified child welfare professionals and law enforcement, as well as laymen inexperienced and untrained in child sexual victimization like Joe Paterno."

According to the family review, Paterno's last written words before his death focused on Sandusky's victims.

"Good side of scandal - it has brought about more enlightenment of a situation (sexual abuse of young people) in the country," the Paterno family report said..

The NCAA improperly relied on the report and never identified a rules infraction based on Sandusky's crime, let alone NCAA jurisdiction over ensuring competitive balance, the family analysis said. An NCAA spokeswoman said the organization stood by its previous statements and declined comment Sunday.

A four-year bowl ban and steep scholarship cuts were included among the sanctions, while 111 wins between 1998 and 2011 under Paterno were vacated. It meant Paterno no longer holds the record for most wins by a major college coach.

___

AP Radio correspondent Martin Di Caro in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Family report: http://paterno.com/

Freeh comment: http://www.freehgroup.com/news/29

Penn State statement: http://progress.psu.edu/resource-library/story/freeh-investigation-findings-used-to-improve-penn-state-operations

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paternos-challenge-freeh-report-scandal-psu-215547042--spt.html

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Looking for clues in the secret art work of George W. Bush

The critics weigh in

When hackers broke into former President George W. Bush?s email last week, they found photographs of unfinished self portraits of the former president in the shower and the bath tub.

Bush apparently sent the photos to his sister, and though they were never intended for public view, the art critics have already weighed in. A president never known for self-introspection, the find has many looking for clues into what the once most powerful man in the world thinks about himself and his record.

SEE MORE: The magnificent filth of politics

The Huffington Post says most formal art critics "were perplexed by the images."

Here are a few reviews:

New York Times: ?The two paintings could be said to depict the introverted self-absorption for which Mr. Bush is known. Perhaps, he is trying to cleanse himself in a more metaphorical way, seeking a kind of redemption from his less fortuitous decisions as president.?

New York Magazine: ?More impressive than the painting's aesthetic quality is the soul-searching introspection evident in the scene. Bush, slightly hunched, is standing out of the water, staring off into the corner of the shower, as if contemplating past sins that can never be washed away, no matter how much soap you use and how hard you scrub.?

American Prospect: ?The vanity of an older man who has maintained a lanky frame is there?he paints his naked torso, finely shadowing those 66 year old back muscles with pride, still taut from years of brush-clearing and bill signing. And yet, he can?t seem to look at himself in the mirror. Nor can he escape himself it seems?the mirror?s reflection is relentless, inescapable. Whatever your take, it?s clear that there?s a lot more than just singing going on in that shower. Even in the quiet inner sanctum of the bathroom, where a man is just a man, George W. Bush cannot escape his past.?

National Journal: ?But it?s the paintings that have caught the imagination of the public and of the critics, some of whom profess to like the former president?s work even as they patronize it. It?s because a sensitive Bush, an artistic Bush, a man who paints himself nude and vulnerable, is not the Bush we thought we knew. Although, of course, he did marry a librarian who loves to read. So maybe we should have suspected an artistic temperament all along??

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/looking-clues-secret-art-george-w-bush-143000563.html

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Jack Lew's Cayman Islands investment flagged

Talesha Reynolds and Rich Gardella , NBC News ? ? ? 4 hrs.

Jack Lew, President Barack Obama?s Treasury Secretary nominee, previously held up to $100,000 in investments in an offshore hedge fund located in the Cayman Islands, according to financial disclosure forms.

Lew?s financial disclosure forms, filed in 2008 and 2010, showed that Lew had invested between $50,000 and $100,000 in a fund called Citigroup Venture Capital International Growth Partnership (Employee) II, L.P. -- the very type of fund President Obama has repeatedly criticized.

The fund is an international venture capital fund for employees of Citigroup. According to his official White House biography, Lew served as managing director and chief operating officer of Citi Global Wealth Management and then Citi Alternative Investments (CAI) from 2006 to 2008.

Lew himself isn't commenting, but a person familiar with Lew?s investment told NBC News that Lew invested a total of $56,000 and sold it at a loss for $54,418 in November 2010 after being confirmed as director of the federal Office of Management and Budget.

The source also told NBC News that Lew had no role in creating, managing or operating the fund, and that Citigroup had organized the fund in the Cayman Islands and made it available to other employees. The source said that many other Citigroup employees had investments in the fund.

According to the financial disclosure forms, the fund was registered at what has been called a notorious address in the Cayman Islands, located in the Caribbean in the British West Indies. Specifically, the fund?s address was a post office box in a building called Ugland House, in the capital city of George Town on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman islands.

In 2007 as a presidential candidate and in 2009 as president, Obama identified Ugland House as part of an outrageous tax scam, because according to filings, it housed 12,000 businesses that all claimed the building as their headquarters.

?For years, we've talked about shutting down overseas tax havens that let companies set up operations to avoid paying taxes in America,? Obama said in remarks about tax reform in 2009. ?Either this is the largest building in the world, or the largest tax scam in the world. And I think the American people know which it is. That's the kind of tax scam that we need to end.?

A political ad targeting Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign asked, ?Why would Mitt Romney invest millions in the Cayman Islands??

Tonight, after NBC News asked for comment, White House spokesman Eric Schultz issued a lengthy statement:

?Jack Lew paid all of his taxes and reported all of the income, gains and losses from the investment on his tax returns. The existence of Mr. Lew?s investment is not news to the Senate.

?Mr. Lew disclosed the investment in his prior confirmations, before three separate committees, for Deputy Secretary of State in 2009 and Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2010, and he was confirmed by the Senate unanimously on both occasions.

?Twelve Members of the Finance Committee, including five Republicans, were members of the three committees that previously reviewed Mr. Lew?s nominations. All three committees reported Mr. Lew?s nomination to the Senate unanimously.

?Mr. Lew disclosed the investment to the Office of Government Ethics and to ethics officials at the State Department and OMB, including on his public financial disclosure forms, in connection with both of his previous confirmations. He played no role in creating, managing or operating the fund and he sold his investment in 2010 at a net loss.

?There are no new facts that provide a basis for Senators to reach a different conclusion about Mr. Lew?s nomination than they reached twice before in this Administration.?

A Democratic spokesman for the Senate Finance Committee, which will hold a confirmation hearing on Lew?s nomination on Wednesday, said that Lew?s investment had come up again through its current vetting process, raised by both Republican and Democrat members. The spokesman said once the committee had looked into the matter, it had determined the investment was not an issue. The spokesman said Lew had been completely transparent and forthcoming through any and all questions that have been posed.

But Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee, disputed the Obama administration?s and the Democratic committee spokesman?s statements.

?It was disclosed only if you knew where to look and then were able to put the pieces together,? Grassley said in a statement late Friday. ?To say this information was fully disclosed to the public is misleading, at best.?

Grassley noted Obama?s criticism of Ugland House-based investment funds came while Lew, now his Treasury Secretary nominee, had investments in one of those funds. Lew didn?t divest his Cayman Island investment until almost the end of 2010, when he was already working for the administration, and a year after the president publicly railed against such offshore accounts as tax havens.

?The irony is thick,? Grassley said.

NBC News' Ali Weinberg contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/jack-lews-investment-cayman-islands-flagged-senate-finance-committee-1B8309826

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'Nemo' Power Outage Preparations Made For Snowstorm As Blizzard Barrels Across New England

NEW YORK -- The storm bearing down on the Northeast is sure to knock down trees and power lines, leaving thousands of homes in the cold and dark, including some that endured Superstorm Sandy.

Utilities' efforts to restore power will be hampered by high winds that are expected to last into Saturday and snow-choked roads.

There is some consolation, though: The outages aren't expected to be anywhere near as widespread as they were in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. And restoring power will likely be a much quicker job.

Sandy brought winds of 90 miles per hour whipping through trees that were still draped with leaves. This storm is expected to bring gusts of up to 75 miles per hour. That's still dangerous, but the leaves are long gone so trees and branches won't be stressed as much.

"This will be nowhere near what Sandy was," says John Latka, Vice President of Electrical Operation at the New Jersey utility Public Service Electric & Gas.

Outages in the region will likely be measured in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands ? not in the millions. And the lights should be back on in a couple of days ? not weeks.

Here are some questions and answers about what utilities expect, along with some important things to remember if your power goes out.

Q: How do utilities prepare for a storm like this one?

A: They start meeting in the days before a storm to make sure they have crews and equipment ready to go and to plan staffing for their command centers. They ask unaffected utilities for extra line crews to help restore power. They coordinate with state and county officials and plan public notifications. All year round, of course, utilities conduct tree-trimming programs and other maintenance activities designed to minimize damage to wires and other equipment. Now they hope it helps.

Q: Are winter storms more or less destructive than summer storms?

A: It depends. A winter storm that comes early, when leaves are still on trees, can be as destructive as a hurricane. As can a storm that coat trees and wires with ice. That's because the weight of the snow and ice drag down wires, branches or whole trees, explains Seth Hulkower, an electric power distribution expert at the consulting firm ICF International.

"Snowfall by itself is not problematic," Hulkower says. "The biggest concern is whether there is going to be ice and how high the winds are going to be."

This storm is not expected to bring ice, but winds are expected to be relatively high.

Q: How do utilities work to get power restored after the storm?

A: Throughout the storm, utilities build maps of where in the system people have lost power and, based on the pattern of outages, what equipment has been damaged. As soon as winds die down enough for work to resume, crews fan out to try to reconnect wires, erect new poles, or fix or repair transformers or other equipment. Utilities focus first on repairs that restore power to the highest number of houses. Downed wires that only serve a few houses are the last to get repaired.

Q: Superstorm Sandy's storm surge swamped electrical substations, knocking out power to thousands. Will that happen again?

A: It's not likely. Massachusetts has issued a flood warning for coastal areas and some flooding is expected along the coasts of New Jersey, Long Island and Rhode Island. But don't expect the flooding that Sandy wrought.

Q: Did Sandy and the nor'easter that followed a week later make things less dangerous by clearing out the weak and dead branches and trees?

A: Yes. But there's a potential trade-off: the storms may have weakened trees that were previously healthy. Also, there may still be some weak spots in the electrical system where utilities made temporary fixes that they haven't yet been able to secure.

Q: What should homeowners do in the event of an outage?

Report outages as soon as possible. Stay away from downed wires and report them to the utility. If you are running a generator, make sure it is outside to avoid breathing exhaust. If using a portable stove or kerosene heater, make sure there is adequate ventilation. The best way to keep the house warm is to open blinds during the day, but shut them at night, and gather in central rooms, according to the Edison Electric Institute, an industry group.

Follow Jonathan Fahey on twitter at . http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/nemo-power-outage-preparations-snowstorm_n_2649667.html

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Map: Countries That Require Paid Sick Days

Have you joined millions of Americans this winter in the time-honored sport of projectile vomiting? Research suggests ill food-service workers cause most foodborne illness, but before you blame the guy who mixed your salad, try to keep this down: the United States is one of a handful of countries without federally mandated paid sick days for food service workers, and only a few cities and states require them. Without such laws, sick employees risk losing a day?s pay or even their jobs if they stay home and keep the rest of us healthy. But as support for such mandates swells once more, lawmakers are again mulling over the requirement, though businesses say they can?t stomach the potential costs.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=37898e0900629a1e5e682d2901b3c70f

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Spurs' streak ends in 119-109 loss to Pistons

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) ? Gregg Popovich was explaining before the game how his San Antonio Spurs had managed to win 11 in a row despite injuries to Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

It was an impressive run, but it wasn't going to last forever.

"We'll probably lay an egg here sometime," the veteran coach cautioned. "Everybody does after a while. You never know what night that will be."

It turned out to be Friday for the Spurs, whose streak came to an end with a 119-109 loss to the Detroit Pistons. San Antonio fell behind by 21 points in the second quarter, and Detroit held on thanks to Greg Monroe's 26 points and 16 rebounds.

"They beat us to the boards, they beat us to loose balls and they just outplayed us. We're supposed to be good at defending at the 3-point line, but they sliced and diced us," Popovich said. "There are just nights you play like this."

The next concern for the Spurs was the massive snow storm affecting the New York-to-Boston corridor. They were expecting to stay in the Detroit area Friday night before trying to make it to Sunday night's game at Brooklyn.

San Antonio played without Duncan and Ginobili, and the Pistons equaled their highest score of the season. Detroit was without rookie big man Andre Drummond, who is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a stress fracture in his back.

"Obviously we feel very bad for Andre, but he's 19 and he'll recover," Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said. "You move forward, we get him healthy, and you go with who you got."

Tony Parker scored 31 points for San Antonio and Kawhi Leonard added 16. Brandon Knight had 24 for the Pistons, and Charlie Villanueva scored 21.

Monroe, the Pistons' starting center, needed little help inside against the Spurs ? and Detroit built a sizeable lead in the first half thanks to terrific outside shooting.

San Antonio trailed by 17 after three quarters. The Spurs cut it to 108-101 on a 3-pointer by Leonard, but Knight answered with a 3 of his own.

Later, the Spurs were down by eight with the ball, but Leonard missed and Villanueva made a 3-pointer to make it 116-105.

The Pistons led 27-16 late in the first quarter after Jose Calderon sank a 3-pointer. It was 31-23 after one, and Detroit went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc in the second.

Kyle Singler's 18-footer made it 65-44, but San Antonio scored the last eight points of the half to give itself a reasonable chance at a comeback.

It was 81-72 with 3:55 left in the third, and the Spurs looked like they would enter the final quarter very much within striking distance. But this time it was Detroit that finished the period strong, going on a 10-3 run to lead 95-78.

Monroe scored six points during that stretch. He ended up playing 40 minutes.

"Andre is out for a while now, so I expect I'll play a lot more minutes, but tonight was a good team win," Monroe said. "We beat a very good team tonight and we need to keep it rolling."

Duncan was shooting around on the court a couple hours before the opening tip, but he missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. Ginobili has missed three in a row with left hamstring tightness.

Duncan has played only twice in San Antonio's last nine games, but the Spurs were able keep winning anyway before falling into too big a hole Friday.

"They just shot the ball really well. They aren't known for being a great 3-point shooting team, but every time we'd get the game back to seven or eight points, they'd hit another one," Parker said. "They did that to us all night, and there wasn't anything we could do to stop them."

NOTES: Detroit went 10 of 22 from 3-point range. San Antonio was 10 of 24. ... Detroit also scored 119 points in a December loss to Atlanta, but that was in double overtime.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spurs-streak-ends-119-109-loss-pistons-025719476--spt.html

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NYC, New England brace for up to 3 feet of snow

BOSTON (AP) ? A storm poised to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday could be one for the record books, forecasters warned, as residents scurried to stock up on food and water and road crews readied salt and sand.

Before the first snowflake had fallen, Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other towns and cities in New England and upstate New York towns canceled school Friday, and airlines scratched more than 3,700 flights through Saturday, with the disruptions from the blizzard certain to ripple across the U.S.

"This one doesn't come along every day. This is going to be a dangerous winter storm," said Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. "Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don't plan on leaving."

The snow began falling Friday morning in some areas, with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.

Boston could get up to 3 feet of snow, while New York City was expecting 10 to 12 inches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 2 to 5 inches.

In the southeast Massachusetts town of Whitman, where up to 30 inches of snow is forecast, public works crews were clearing crosswalk signs, trash barrels and anything else that might impede plows later in the day.

"We've had instances where they have predicted something big and it's petered out," said Dennis Smith, a DPW worker. "I don't think this is going to be one of those times."

Smith's partner, Bob Trumbull, sounded a note of optimism, saying the relative lack of snow earlier this winter would make this storm easier to clean up.

"At least there is room for this snow. There are no snow banks so we will have a place to put it," Trumbull said.

Amtrak said its Northeast trains will stop running Friday afternoon. The organizers of New York's Fashion Week ? a closely watched series of fashion shows held under a big tent ? said they will have extra crews to help with snow removal and will turn up the heat and add an extra layer to the venue.

Airlines have cancelled 3,775 flights in preparation for the Northeast storm, according to airline tracking website FlightAware. At New York City's three main airports, most domestic carriers planned to cease operations between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, resuming after noon on Saturday, FlightAware said. At Boston's Logan and other New England airports, most airlines were to cease operations between noon and 4 p.m., and would restart Saturday afternoon.

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Conn., and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.

In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history, and perhaps even break Boston's record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, forecasters said. The last major snowfall in southern New England was well over a year ago ? the Halloween storm of 2011.

Dunham said southern New England has seen less than half its normal snowfall this season, but "we're going to catch up in a heck of a hurry." He added: "Everybody's going to get plastered with snow."

At Stop & Shop supermarket in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Friday morning, there was a line of shoppers outside when it opened at 7 a.m., and a steady stream followed. Checkout lines were long.

Mary Anne DiBello, 44, was stocking up her cart as the snow began to fall.

She said she hosted a sleepover Thursday night with four 9- and 10-year-olds, including her daughter.

"Now I think I'm going to be stuck with them until I bring them to school on Monday," she said, adding her daughter just called her at the store to say the girls were awake.

"I told her, 'Go wake your father.' I'm stuck here."

In New Hampshire, Dartmouth College student Evan Diamond and other members of the ski team were getting ready for races at the Ivy League school's winter carnival.

"We're pretty excited about it because this has been an unusual winter for us," he said. "We've been going back and forth between having really solid cold snaps and then the rain washing everything away."

But he said the snow might be too much of a good thing this weekend: "For skiing, we like to have a nice hard surface, so it will be kind of tough to get the hill ready."

The governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts ordered nonessential state workers to stay home Friday and urged travelers to stay home.

Terrance Rodriguez, a doorman at a luxury apartment complex in Boston, took the forecast in stride.

"It's just another day in Boston. It's to be expected. We're in a town where it's going to snow," he said. "It's like doomsday prep. It doesn't need to be. People just take it to the extreme."

___

Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Lyme, N.H., Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vt., Jay Lindsay in Gloucester, Mass., and Denise Lavoie, Rodrique Ngowi and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-england-brace-3-feet-snow-112208161.html

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