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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Bill Gates Has $100,000 For Anyone Who Can Invent a High-Tech, Next-Gen Condom
Rebels seize air defense base in southern Syria
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels on Saturday seized a major air defense base in a strategic region of southern Syria near the Jordanian border in the latest battlefield triumph for fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad, activists said.
Fighters with a rebel group active in the south stormed and seized control of the air defense base used by the 38th Division after a 16-day siege, according to a statement posted on websites of the group known as the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade.
The base near the village of Saida is situated along the international highway linking the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Jordan to the south.
Fighting in Syria's southern provinces bordering Jordan and Israel has increased sharply in the past few days. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of people, mostly opposition fighters, were killed in heavy clashes this week in the Quneitra region along the cease-fire line between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.
The Britain-based group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said it had documented the deaths of 35 opposition fighters and the loss of contact with more than 20 others believed to have died in the fighting. Dozens of others were wounded, the group said.
The fighting in the area intensified midweek after rebels seized a village and parts of other villages, closing in on the strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.
If the rebels take over the Quneitra region, it will bring radical Islamic militants to a front line with Israeli troops. The rebel force comprises dozens of groups, including the powerful al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, which the Obama administration labels a terrorist organization.
The Observatory said al-Nusra was among fighters who seized the air defense base in Daraa province. Both the rebels and the observatory reported that the opposition fighters killed the base commander.
In Damascus, supporters of Assad gathered in downtown amid tight security for the funeral of one of Syria's best-known clerics who was assassinated in a brazen mosque bombing earlier this week.
Security forces sealed off all roads leading to the eighth century Omayyad Mosque where the funeral for Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti, an 84-year-old pro-government cleric, was held.
Al-Buti, his grandson and 48 others were killed Thursday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a mosque where al-Buti was giving a religious lesson.
His assassination was a blow to Assad, who vowed Friday to avenge his death, saying he would "purge" the country of the militants behind the attack in the heart of the capital.
Both Assad and the rebels seeking to topple him have blamed each other for the bombing at the mosque.
Al-Buti, the most prominent religious figure killed so far in the 2-year-old conflict, had supported the regime since the early days of Assad's father and predecessor, the late President Hafez Assad, providing legitimacy to their rule. Sunnis are the majority sect in Syria while Assad is from the minority Alawite sect ? an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Mourners carried al-Buti and his grandson's coffins, draped in white cloth, on their shoulders amid shouts of "God is Great."
Al-Buti was imam of the Omayyad Mosque, a landmark in Damascus. Church bells tolls and mosque minarets in the ancient city blared "God is Great" during the funeral procession.
Syrian state TV said Assad was being represented at the funeral by one of his cabinet ministers.
Al-Buti was being buried in a courtyard at the rear of the mosque near the tomb of Saladin, a medieval Muslim ruler.
In a show of support, a delegation from the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group, a staunch ally of Assad, drove to Damascus for the funeral. A delegation from Iran was also present.
"We will continue on the same path," said Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a member Hezbollah's highest decision-making body, the Shura Council. "We will return the blow to the enemies of Syria and the enemies of the nation," he added.
___
Associated Press Writer Albert Aji contributed to this report from Damascus.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-seize-air-defense-southern-syria-120452653.html
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Investing - Silver Investment- Is It Lucrative Entry Point for a Good ...
Experts advice that investment in silver and other metals is advantageous instead of solely relying on the conservative investment methods. So, to know what makes silver a good commodity for investment, the investor has to initially understand some pros and cons of investing silver. Knowing the various ways of investing in silver can help them in selecting the right investment method, depending on their requirement.
Most of the investors give preference to silver after gold while planning for commodity investment. The reason for this is that there are numerous other benefits of silver apart from being an investment. At the same time like in other investments, the silver investment does have some risks. But as it is considered as tangible commodity, investors find it as a sensible investment and divide some of their finances for investing in this white metal. Further, it costs much less than gold and its value increases concurrently with gold. However, the investors with an interest or pondering to invest in the silver have to be cautious while making decisions. Knowing all the merits and de-merits of silver investing, identifying various kinds of investing methods, monitoring silver prices and checking Sunshine Profits silver stocks ranking are some good ideas for investors to find their investment requirements.
Know the merits and demerits of investing in silver
Similar to other types of investments, the idea of trading or investing in silver have some merits as well as de-merits. Initially, let's know the merits of investing in it. Being a versatile metal, it is not affected by currency devaluation. So any change in the currency value has reverse effects on silver value. That is, if currency value decreases then its value increases. It is cheaper than gold, and it is good idea for investors with relatively little amount of money at disposal, to invest in it. During the times of economic downturn, silver can be beneficial in exchanging for currency. Furthermore, the usage of silver in metallurgical industry, electronics, computers and drug industry makes it a lucrative investment idea. On the other side, it is subjected to price changes like any other commodity and cannot be beneficial if the investment is not intended for longtime. Another drawback is the rate of return, which is not very good for silver investment when compared to other commodities. Moreover to exchange it for other items, the investor has to first convert it to currency. Finally, any precious item has the risk of getting stolen, so also with silver.
Different ways to investment in silver
Buying its physical form such as silver bullion bars, coins and rounds is a fundamental form of investing. It is easily available for purchase in different ranges starting from 10 to 1000 ounces and can be bought online or from the silver dealers. For investors who prefer short term investments, there is an option of Silver Exchange Traded Funds available. ETFs allow investors to do silver trading in the form of silver funds or stocks, and also for keeping track of the silver prices. However, depending on the needs suitable methods can be selected by the investor.
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
Genetically Modified Food's New Frontier
Italian scientists and researchers are working to create a hypo-allergenic apple that could provide a new frontier for the genetically modified food market.
While apples rarely cause the same intense allergic reaction as more common allergens like shellfish or peanuts, they often cause irritation for those allergic to birch pollen and can result in irritation or blistering on the tongue or lips.
The large collective working on the project, called the Ager Melo Group, is made of up allergists, molecular biologists and plant physiologists working to breed new types of apples that would promote good nutrition and health. The group is part of the Italian Ager Project, which is made up of 13 grant-making foundations which banded together to invest more than 27 million euros in to agriculture research.
Dr. Alessandro Botton, a plant physiologist at the Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment in the University of Padua, has worked on unraveling the apple's genetic markers responsible for causing allergic reactions. Botton and his team are working to find alternative hypo-allergenic proteins that exist naturally in other plants and swap them in for the irritation-causing proteins in apples.
This early in the process Botton says that genetic changes will have to be studied to ensure that there are not unintended complications that could compromise the organism.
Whole Foods to Provide Labels on Genetically Modified Products Watch Video"You cannot know what will happen when you silence a biological gene," said Botton. However Botton says that by using other plant proteins, the structure of the apple would likely not be significantly changed.
Patty Lovera, assistant director for the food watchdog group Food and Water Watch, says a central concern with genetically modified food is potential consequences that can arise from changing genetic sequences which could result in unexpected allergic reactions or decreased nutritional value.
"It's not as simple as you cut out this one piece and the allergies are gone," said Lovera. "We're also concerned about that there are other traits that you didn't intend to put in there."
Botton says genetically modified apples provide a faster option for developing hypo-allergenic varieties than through traditional means. While some types of apples naturally have fewer allergens than others, creating a hypo-allergenic species would be a lengthy and time-consuming process. It can take 20 years to develop a single new variety of apple with no guarantee it would have reduced allergens.
Genetically modified foods have been controversial in both Europe and the United States, with oversight non-profit groups such as Food and Water Watch concerned that these foods can cause unexpected illness or health problems after being modified. While the FDA does not require genetically modified foods to be labeled, last week Whole Foods announced they would add labels to genetically modified foods. There are approximately multiple bills pending in different U.S. state legislatures that would require genetically modified foods to be labeled. In the European Union genetically modified foods are required to be labeled.
In spite of these concerns, scientists have continued to create new food products by splicing together proteins and genes that have resulted in products as diverse as fast-growing salmon with genetic material from eels to heartier soy bean crops.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/scientists-developing-hypo-allergenic-apples/story?id=18782570
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Earnhardt modest about fast NASCAR season start
Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks to reporters after practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Fontana, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks to reporters after practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Fontana, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with a crew member during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Auto Club 400 auto race in Fontana, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) ? Dale Earnhardt Jr. had never filled out an NCAA tournament bracket before this year, even though he's a hoops fan. He says he would have done it earlier, but he doesn't like to lose.
NASCAR's most popular driver seems to be getting a whole lot closer to some more important victories during his outstanding start to the year.
Earnhardt is second in the standings through four races, trailing Brad Keselowski by nine points heading into Sunday's race at Fontana. Earnhardt has two top-five finishes and four top-10s, running well each week.
Earnhardt is modest about his start, crediting much of his consistency to good luck. But it's clear he's already comfortable in NASCAR's new Gen-6 car, which suits his skills.
Associated PressFriday, March 22, 2013
Google's Chrome, Android systems to stay separate
By Devidutta Tripathy
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Google Inc's Chrome and Android operating systems will remain separate products but could have more overlap, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said, a week after the two came under a single boss.
Google last week said Andy Rubin, the architect of Android - the world's top-selling mobile operating system - was moving to a still-undefined role while Sundar Pichai, in charge of its Chrome web browser and applications like Google Drive and Gmail, was taking on Rubin's responsibilities.
Schmidt, Google's chief executive from 2001 to 2011, is becoming more outspoken on issues involving technology and world affairs, and was in India as part of a multi-country Asian tour to promote Internet access.
After the Indian capital, he is visiting Myanmar, which is seen as the last virgin territory for businesses in Asia.
In January he went to North Korea, saying it was a personal trip to talk about a free and open Internet.
Only about a tenth of India's more than 1.2 billion people have access to the Internet, although that is changing fast with growth in low-cost tablet computers and cheaper smartphones.
Schmidt called on India to clarify a law that holds so-called intermediaries like Google and Facebook liable for content users post on the web.
In 2011, India passed a law that obliges social media companies to remove a range of objectionable content when requested to do so, a move criticized at the time by human rights groups and companies.
Schmidt also said rumors he may be leaving Google were "completely false." He was responding to a question on whether his plan to sell about 42 percent of his Google stake was a signal that he was leaving the world's No.1 search engine.
"Google is my home," he said, adding that he had no plans to take on a job in government.
(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Writing by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)
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Somali rebels stone to death man for sexual act
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? A militant official and a Somali resident say al-Shabab fighters have stoned to death a man for carrying out a homosexual sex act.
The resident, Yusuf Abdi, said the group buried a blindfolded man to his waist last Friday and threw stones at him until he died.
An al-Shabab official said one of its judges sentenced the man to death because he forced a 13-year-old boy to have sex with him. The al-Shabab member insisted he not be named.
Al-Shabab implements a conservative and austere brand of Islam in areas it controls.
Sheikh Ibrahim Ali, a Somali religious leader in Mogadishu, said homosexuality is controversial inside Islam. One strict reading of Islamic law, he said, is that a married man who engages in a homosexual act should be killed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/somali-rebels-stone-death-man-sexual-act-132225911.html
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