Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/disruptions-social-media-images-form-a-new-language-online/
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Sunday, June 30, 2013
Disruptions: Social Media Images Form a New Language Online ...
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Disruptions: Social Media Images Form a New Language Online ... Not surprisingly, the largest social networking companies are spending billions of dollars to be the place where consumers latch onto these visual nods. ... According to Instagram, more than 50 percent of people who use the service are outside North America, and global use of social sites continues to rise each year, with more than 63 percent of people online logging into a social media Web site at ...
Syrian rebels capture major checkpoint in south
BEIRUT (AP) ? Rebels captured a major army post in the southern city of Daraa Friday after nearly two weeks of intense fighting, as battles raged between troops and opposition forces in the province that borders Jordan, activists said.
Daraa, the provincial capital of a region that carries the same name, is the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar Assad that started 27 months ago. Rebels hope to one day launch an offensive from the area to take the capital, Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists around the country, said Islamic militants led by members of the al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front, captured the checkpoint after a two-week siege.
It said rebels blew up a car bomb Thursday killing and wounding a number of soldiers then stormed the post, made up of two of the highest buildings in the city.
"This post is very important because it overlooks old Daraa," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads The Observatory. He added that the capture opens the way for rebels to take the southern neighborhood of Manshiyeh that is close to the Jordanian border.
An amateur video posted by activists showed rebels blowing up one of the two buildings after putting explosives inside it.
"This is considered the most dangerous and powerful post in Daraa and the whole province," said a man whose voice could be heard in the video as smoke billowed from the building.
Another video showed four militants carrying Nusra Front black flag standing in front of the building saying it will be blown up, apparently to prevent the regime from using it in case its forces capture it again.
The videos appeared genuine and were consistent with other AP reporting of the events.
Earlier, the Observatory said intense shelling by Syrian government troops on the village of Karak in Daraa province killed at least 10 women and girls overnight.
Buoyed by an influx of fighters from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and other foreign Shiite Muslim militants, the Syrian regime has grabbed the initiative in the more than 2-year-old conflict in recent weeks, capturing a strategic town near the border with Lebanon and squeezing rebel positions around the capital, Damascus.
It said two women were killed when a shell hit the home of a local rebel commander. The women killed were his mother and aunt, the Observatory said.
A video posted on an Daraa activist's Facebook page showed the bodies of the women and children allegedly killed in the shelling lying wrapped in blankets. Another video from the village showed residents carrying other wounded into vehicles as women and children wailed.
The videos appeared genuine and were consistent with other AP reporting of the events.
The United Nations has estimated that more than 6,000 children are among the some 93,000 people killed in Syria's more than 2-year-old conflict, which started with largely peaceful protests against the rule of President Bashar Assad. The uprising escalated into an armed rebellion in response to a brutal government crackdown on the protest movement.
In recent weeks, government troops have gone on the offensive against rebel-held areas to try to cut the opposition's supply lines and secure Damascus and the corridor running to the Mediterranean coast, which is the heartland of the president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Regime forces have also made inroads in the south. Syria's state news agency said Friday government troops were chasing "terrorist cells" in the city of Daraa as well as the surrounding countryside, including along the border with Jordan. It did not mention Karak.
SANA said 18 opposition fighters including Jordanians, a Saudi and a Chechen, were killed and weapons were seized. It did not refer to civilian casualties.
State-owned Al-Ikhbariya TV also reported that government forces seized a truck loaded with weapons and ammunition in the central Homs province apparently destined for rebel fighters. The truck included with anti-tank missiles, machine guns, shoulder propelled grenades and communication devices, the station said.
The United States and its allies recently said they will help arm the rebels amid reports that Washington's Gulf allies have already sent much-coveted anti-tank missiles to select groups of fighters. The U.S. is still trying to sort out which rebels exactly will be given weapons and how, fearing that advanced arms may fall in the hands of Islamic extremists in the rebel ranks.
Meanwhile, the Observatory said a rare attack in Damascus's Old City Thursday was caused by an explosive device planted near a Shiite charity organization. The attack, which killed four people, was first believed to be a suicide attack near a church.
State media showed pictures of the body of the suspected suicide bomber in the ancient quarter. Residents had disagreed on the target of the attack but a government official also said a bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up near the Greek Orthodox Church.
Abdul-Rahman, the director of the Observatory, said investigation by activists on the ground indicated that a device was planted near the Shiite charity, and it blew up when this man was walking past. The Observatory originally reported that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber. The church and charity are only around two dozen meters (yards) apart.
The conflict has increasingly taken on sectarian overtones. The rebels fighting to remove Assad are largely Sunnis, and have been joined by foreign fighters from other Muslim countries. The regime of Assad is led by the president's Alawite sect and his forces have been joined by fighters from Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah militant group, a factor that has helped fan the sectarian nature of the conflict.
In an apparent snub to the targeting of a religious institution, The main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said in a statement Friday that it "rejects" actions that violate the unity of Syrians and fuels sectarian strife, blaming the regime for attempting to incite it.
"The unfortunate practices of various individuals do not reflect the true values of the revolution," the statement said. "The Syrian Coalition reiterates that those who commit crimes and infringe on international conventions will be identified, pursued and brought to justice."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-capture-major-checkpoint-south-181915493.html
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Restaurant Review: Horton Grange, Berwick Hill, Ponteland ...
Eating Out has gone a bit up-market this week.
We?re dining at a country manor, on the outskirts of Newcastle, in very pleasant surroundings indeed.
Horton Grange is in Berwick Hill, not far from Ponteland and Dinnington, and is definitely a place worth checking out.
I?ve cycled past it many a time when trying to lose the bulge that comes as a result of doing this page and had always wondered what it was like inside.
When a good friend of mine suggested having a catch-up dinner there, I didn?t need to think twice.
So it was we found ourselves at Horton Grange midweek.
It was a glorious sunny evening, making the setting all the more special.
We started by studying the menu in the lounge - a large area with comfy sofas, perfect for passing? the time.
Kerry and Stefan looked after us for the evening, and top marks to both of them.
We went for the a la carte selection, but there is also a Dine In Style set option, for ?29.50 a head, including a glass of champagne and canapes.
Back to a la carte, though, and my friend was intrigued by the parmesan and cheddar beignets with red pepper compote (?8.50), as she didn?t have a clue what beignets were (they are like fritters, basically).
I chose the risotto of smoked Finnan haddock, with parmesan and lemon oil (?9).
We were seated in the spacious restaurant which is basically a conservatory,? full of light, with splendid views into the grounds.
There were several other diners, and one couple made the most of the gardens after their meal, finishing their wine outside.
Both our choices proved a hit. The risotto was actually very light, perfect for a starter, and the fish was oozing with flavour. The dressing set it off wonderfully.
As for those fritters, sorry, beignets, they were? tasty and the portion, again, was spot on for a starter.
Other options for starters included crisp free range egg with English asparagus and Parma ham soldiers and pate de campagne.
For main course I had 8oz? bistro rump steak (?21).
I asked for it well-done, and it was cooked to perfection. With the steak, which was simply delicious, came slow roast tomatoes, a great complement, and wonderful thick cut chips, and a rich but not overpowering Bearnaise sauce. Stunning.
My friend decided on a first for her ? crispy duck leg confit (?21.50). Living life on the edge, it proved a winner all the way.? The duck was superb, as was the buttered French beans, gratin potato (I can never get my own gratin potatoes like these, she muttered) puy lentils and mustard cream. A winning combination through and through.
It usually takes a lot for me to convince my mate to have dessert - but she was enjoying her meal so much she decided she would simply "have to give it a go".
Her sticky toffee pudding with hot toffee sauce (?8) was gone in the blink of an eye ? she enjoyed it so much. It was the first time I had ever seen her finish a dessert.
My vanilla creme brulee (?7.50) was exquisite, with a light smattering of raspberries on top.
All in all a terrific meal. They do Sunday lunches as well, so I must give that a go some time.
The owners also have the Croft Hotel in Croft-on-Tees ? might just have to make the journey down there too.
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Saturday, June 29, 2013
Reality Star Kim Zolciak Smoking While Pregnant: Disgusting! (VIDEO)
Reality Star Kim Zolciak Smoking While Pregnant: Disgusting! (VIDEO)
Reality star Kim Zolciak just announced on Tuesday that she is pregnant with her fifth child. But the 35-year-old is being awfully selfish still smoking while pregnant, knowing the health risks to the unborn baby. Pretty sickening! Kim Zolciak was spotted puffing on a cigarette in a parking lot in Atlanta on Thursday, with her ...
Reality Star Kim Zolciak Smoking While Pregnant: Disgusting! (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
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Stocks slip, ending seven months of gains in S&P
NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are ending mostly lower on Wall Street as the market closes out a turbulent month.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 114 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 14,909 Friday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 fell six points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,606. The Nasdaq composite edged up a point to 3,403.
The S&P 500 had its first monthly loss since October. It still had its best first half of a year since 1998.
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion plunged 28 percent after posting a loss despite releasing make-or-break smartphones this year.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.49 percent from 2.47 percent.
Rising and falling stocks were evenly matched on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was heavier than usual at 4.4 billion shares.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-slip-ending-seven-months-gains-p-201941791.html
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Ritalin for Cocaine Addiction? | Psych Central News
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 28, 2013
New research suggests a single dose of methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin) can help to improve brain function in cocaine addiction, which ultimately could make it an add-on treatment for such addictions.
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York performed imaging studies to develop their hypothesis. They found that the drug modified connectivity in certain brain circuits that underlie self-control and craving among cocaine-addicted individuals.
The research is published in the current issue of JAMA Psychiatry.
Previous research has shown that oral methylphenidate improved brain function in cocaine users performing specific cognitive tasks such as ignoring emotionally distracting words and resolving a cognitive conflict.
Similar to cocaine, methylphenidate increases dopamine (and norepinephrine) activity in the brain, but, administered orally, takes longer to reach peak effect, giving it a lower potential for abuse.
By extending dopamine?s action, the drug enhances signaling to improve several cognitive functions, including information processing and attention.
?Orally administered methylphenidate increases dopamine in the brain, similar to cocaine, but without the strong addictive properties,? said Rita Goldstein, Ph.D., who led the research while at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York.
?We wanted to determine whether such substitutive properties, which are helpful in other replacement therapies such as using nicotine gum instead of smoking cigarettes or methadone instead of heroin, would play a role in enhancing brain connectivity between regions of potential importance for intervention in cocaine addiction.?
Anna Konova, a doctoral candidate at Stony Brook University, who was first author on this manuscript, added, ?Using fMRI, we found that methylphenidate did indeed have a beneficial impact on the connectivity between several brain centers associated with addiction.?
For the study,?Goldstein and her team recruited 18 cocaine-addicted individuals. Participants were then randomized to receive an oral dose of methylphenidate or placebo.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the strength of connectivity in particular brain circuits known to play a role in addiction before and during peak drug effects. They also assessed each subject?s severity of addiction to see if this had any bearing on the results.
Methylphenidate decreased connectivity between areas of the brain that have been strongly implicated in the formation of habits, including compulsive drug seeking and craving.
The scans also showed that methylphenidate strengthened connectivity between several brain regions involved in regulating emotions and exerting control over behaviors?connections previously reported to be disrupted in cocaine addiction.
?The benefits of methylphenidate were present after only one dose, indicating that this drug has significant potential as a treatment add-on for addiction to cocaine and possibly other stimulants,? said?Goldstein.
?This is a preliminary study, but the findings are exciting and warrant further exploration, particularly in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy or cognitive remediation.?
Source: The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Ritalin for Cocaine Addiction?. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 29, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/28/ritalin-for-cocaine-addiction/56583.html
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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/28/ritalin-for-cocaine-addiction/56583.html
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Friday, June 28, 2013
Video: Paulson: We Need More Action From Congress
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52333999/
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Every Smart Appliance Should Be as Brilliant as This Smoke Detector
It's easy to scoff at the idea of smart appliances when you're faced with an onslaught of everyday devices with bewilderingly superflous Internet-y capabilities
Like any smart appliance, the Canary has some theoretically neat auxiliary features. In addition to detecting smoke and carbon monoxide, the Canary also keeps tabs on air quality including dust, pollen, mold and sends that all to the cloud. Someday, if everybody got these, they could work together to map the air quality of entire cities with real, live data. And all the information Canaries gather is anonymized and publicly accessible for anyone who wants to use it. Neat!
But that's not what makes it really great. The Canary's dream feature is that when it goes off, you can tell it "false alarm; shut up" from an app on your phone and get right back to dealing with that burnt dinner without popping out any batteries. And speaking of batteries, when the Canary's get low, it'll warn you on your phone, instead of chirping incessantly for eons like some robo-chick from hell.
It's all fine and dandy for a smart appliance to solve a problem that only some people have, or that only some people could maybe have someday, but those kind of extras are just that: extras. The Canary still has those, but it also uses technology to deftly solve a small but incredibly frustrating problem virtually everyone has, and does it more elegantly than it could without that "smartness."
The Canary is only a prototype for now, but it's picked up second place in the Cleanweb Challenge, and is currently running in the NYC BigApps competition. Hopefully it can make its way to market soon, and at a reasonable price, because its clever solution to smoke detector annoyances seems awesome. And with that simple, universal utility for a foundation, all the other features get that much better. [Canary via Co.Exist]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/every-smart-appliance-should-be-as-brilliant-as-this-sm-597966224
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Obama Africa Trip: President Making Long-Anticipated Trip To Senegal, South Africa & Tanzania
Cristina Fernandez, President Of Argentina
President Barack Obama meets with Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez at the G20 Summit in Cannes, France, Friday, Nov. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hamid Karzai, President Of Afghanistan
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands after a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on January 11, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Julia Gillard, Prime Minister Of Australia
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard shake hands during a bilateral meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on November 16, 2011. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Dilma Rousseff, Prime Minister Of Brazil
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff (R) during a joint press conference at Palacio do Planalto in Brasilia on March 19, 2011. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Hun Sen, Prime Minister Of Cambodia
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) reach out to shake hands on arrival at the Peace Palace for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and US summit in Phnom Penh on November 19, 2012 following the 21st ASEAN Leaders Summit. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Of Canada
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Canada?s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in bilateral meeting during the G20 Summit, Tuesday, June 19, 2012, in Los Cabos, Mexico. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Sebastian Pinera, President Of Chile
U.S. President Barack Obama greets Chilean President Sebastian Pinera before a dinner at the Washington Convention Center during the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Xi Jinping, President Of China
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping during meetings in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 14, 2012. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Juan Manuel Santos, President Of Colombia
Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos (R) and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands during a joint press conference in the framework of the VI Summit of the Americas at Casa de Huespedes in Cartagena, Colombia, on April 15, 2012. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Laura Chinchilla, President Of Costa Rica
President Barack Obama and Costa Rica's President Laura Chinchilla shake hands at the end of their joint press conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, Friday, May 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Francois Hollande, President Of France
President Barack Obama shakes hands with French President Francois Hollande on arrival for the G8 Summit Friday, May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Angela Merkel, Chancellor Of Germany
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks after a joint press conference following their meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2011. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Giorgio Napolitano, President Of Italy
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Of Japan
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Park Geu-Hye, President Of South Korea
President Barack Obama and South Korea President Park Geun-Hye shake hands at the conclusion of their joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Enrique Pena Nieto, President Of Mexico
President Barack Obama, left, and Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto, right, shake hands following a news conference at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Benigno Aquino, President Of The Philippines
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines in the Oval Office at the White House on June 8, 2012 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)
Donald Tusk, Prime Minister Of Poland
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (R) shake hands with U.S. President Barack Obama (L) during their meeting in Warsaw on May 28, 2011. (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Amir Of Qatar
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Traian Basescu, President Of Romania
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets Romania's President Traian Basescu before a dinner at the US Ambassador's residence in Prague on April 8, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Vladimir Putin, President Of Russia
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Russia?s President Vladimir Putin in a bilateral meeting during the G20 Summit, Monday, June 18, 2012, in Los Cabos, Mexico. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King Of Saudi Arabia
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia during meetings in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, June 29, 2010. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister Of Singapore
President Barack Obama shakes hands with with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April, 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister Of Sweden
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (L) during meetings in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 2, 2009. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister Of Thailand
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra shake hands following the conclusion of their joint news conference at Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Abdullah II, King Of Jordan
FILE - In this March 22, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama, left, and Jordan's King Abdullah II, right, shake hands following their joint new conference at the King's Palace in Amman, Jordan. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Of Turkey
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after their bilateral meeting in Seoul on March 25, 2012 on the eve of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
David Cameron, Prime Minister Of Great Britain
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron on arrival for the G8 Summit Friday, May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hugo Chavez, Former President Of Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (R) gives a book, 'The Open Veins of Latin America' of Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano to US President Barack Obama (L) during a multilateral meeting to begin during the Summit of the Americas at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad April 18, 2009. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/obama-africa-trip_n_3502080.html
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Why Drone Engineering Sucks (And How It Gets Better)
Despite our international obsession with drones?both their awesome powers and terrifying repercussions?the truth is that they're an incredibly immature technology. And, like most immature technologies, that means they?re not quite all they?re cracked up to be.
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Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Two Fed officials downplay worries over end to stimulus
By Jonathan Spicer
(Reuters) - Less than a week after the Federal Reserve set off a cascade of selling in global markets, two of its top officials downplayed the notion of an imminent end to monetary stimulus and said on Monday the market reaction was not yet cause for concern.
The Fed is center stage for investors after Chairman Ben Bernanke last week said the central bank expected to reduce its bond-buying later this year, and to halt the stimulus program altogether by mid-2014 if the economy improves as forecast.
Bernanke's road map to the end of the Fed's third round of quantitative easing, or QE3, left ample room for adjustment and interpretation - and his colleagues provided a bit of their own on Monday, appearing to try to assuage fears in the marketplace.
Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota said investors, who drove stock and bond prices lower in the last few days, were wrong to view the central bank as having become more keen to tighten policy than it was before last week's policy meeting.
"I thought there was a sense out there ... that the committee had taken more of a hawkish turn in terms of thinking about policy... I thought that was a misperception that should be clarified," Kocherlakota told reporters on a conference call.
Perhaps the most dovish of the Fed's 19 policymakers, he highlighted underlying messages in both Bernanke's comments and the Fed's policy statement that were "pretty accommodative," including the central bank's expectation that it will not sell off its mortgage bonds in the years ahead.
The resulting rise in longer-term bond yields is "not a cause for concern" so far, Kocherlakota added. "But obviously, if these higher yields were to harden over a longer period of time, that would be restrictive to economic conditions.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond eased slightly on Monday after flirting with a nearly two-year high, having posted last week its biggest weekly jump in a decade.
The S&P 500 stock index <.spx> has fallen 5 percent over the last four sessions as investors consider how less Fed accommodation and a cash squeeze in China could hurt the U.S. economy.
If the strong selloff continues, there is the risk that tighter financial conditions could choke off the slow U.S. economic recovery that is showing signs of durability and even acceleration this year.
Richard Fisher, the hawkish head of the Dallas Fed, said of the market reaction that the "big money" investors appear cautious after a 30-year bull market in bonds, adding the strength of the U.S. dollar reflects confidence in the economy.
In a speech in London, Fisher strongly backed Bernanke's timetable for QE3, repeating the unprecedented stimulus should be slowly removed. He added that the Fed's ultimate "exit strategy" is still a ways out in the future.
"Even if we reach a situation this year where we dial back (stimulus), we will still be running an accommodative policy," he said. In a favorite line, Fisher repeated: "I'm not in favor of going from wild turkey to cold turkey overnight.
As it stands, the Fed is buying $85 billion in Treasury paper and mortgage-backed securities each month to stimulate investment, hiring and economic growth.
Since Bernanke's comments on Wednesday, financial markets have pulled forward the date when they expect the Fed to start raising interest rates, currently near zero, to around September 2014, even though a majority of Fed policymakers do not expect lift-off in rates until 2015.
In Basel, the influential head of the New York Fed, William Dudley, did not comment specifically on the current policy stance but spoke generally about the need for policies to be "more accommodative than otherwise" in the wake of financial crises.
The U.S. central bank must consider financial instability when formulating its policies, Dudley said in comments that gave a brief boost to U.S. bond markets in early trading.
"The stance of monetary policy needs to be judged in light of how well the transmission channels of monetary policy are operating," Dudley told the Bank for International Settlements.
"When financial instability has disrupted the monetary policy transmission channels, following simple rules based on long-term historical relationships can lead to an inappropriately tight monetary policy.
Dudley, who repeated that the Fed has fallen short of its employment and inflation objectives, is a close ally of Bernanke and a strong backer of the unprecedented efforts to accelerate the U.S. recovery from the 2007-2009 recession.
While neither Kocherlakota nor Fisher have votes on the Fed's policy committee this year, Dudley has a permanent vote.
(Additional reporting by Marc Jones and Francesco Canepa in London, and Alister Bull in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-fed-officials-downplay-worries-over-end-stimulus-082239740.html
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Internet Explorer 11 to support WebGL and MPEG Dash
Few would say that consistency is good for its own sake. Microsoft certainly agrees -- it just revealed at Build that Internet Explorer 11 will reverse the company's previously cautious stance on WebGL. The new browser will support the 3D standard from the get go, joining the likes of Chrome and Firefox. IE11 should improve plain old 2D as well, as there's hardware acceleration for video streaming through MPEG Dash. All told, Internet Explorer should be a better web citizen -- and deliver a speed boost in the process.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
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Putin says no to US request to turn over Snowden
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media following a meeting with the Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at the presidential summer residence Kultaranta in Naantali, Finland, Tuesday June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Kimmo Mantyla) FINLAND OUT
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media following a meeting with the Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at the presidential summer residence Kultaranta in Naantali, Finland, Tuesday June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Kimmo Mantyla) FINLAND OUT
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S. demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, saying that Snowden hasn?t crossed the Russian border as he seeks to evade prosecution. Sergey Lavrov insisted that Russia has nothing to do with Snowden or his travel plans. Lavrov wouldn?t say where Snowden is, but he angrily lashed out at the U.S. for demanding his extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed at Central, Hong Kong's business district. The Hong Kong government says Snowden wanted by the U.S. for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has left for a "third country." The South China Morning Post reported Sunday, June 23, 2013 that Snowden was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination. Snowden has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S. demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, saying that Snowden hasn?t crossed the Russian border as he seeks to evade prosecution. Sergey Lavrov insisted that Russia has nothing to do with Snowden or his travel plans. Lavrov wouldn?t say where Snowden is, but he angrily lashed out at the U.S. for demanding his extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was booked in the name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, during Aeroflot flight SU150 from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Confusion over the whereabouts of National Security Agency leaker Snowden grew on Monday after SU150 Aeroflot flight filled with journalists trying to track him down flew from Moscow to Cuba with the empty seat booked in his name.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
MOSCOW (AP) ? Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly rejected U.S. pleas to turn over National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden on Tuesday, saying he is free to travel wherever he wants and insisting that Russian security agencies haven't contacted him.
Snowden is in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and has not passed through Russian immigration, Putin said, meaning he is not technically in Russia.
After arriving Sunday on a flight from Hong Kong, Snowden registered for a Havana-bound flight from Moscow on Monday en route to Venezuela and then possible asylum in Ecuador, but he didn't board the plane.
Snowden's whereabouts since then have been a mystery, and Putin's comments were the first time Russia has made clear it knows where he is.
Speculation has been rife that Russian security agencies might want to keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing, but Putin denied that.
"Our special services never worked with Mr. Snowden and aren't working with him today," Putin said at a news conference during a visit to Finland.
Putin said that because there is no extradition agreement with the U.S., it couldn't meet the U.S. request.
"Mr. Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him," Putin said. "I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the U.S. and I hope that our partners will understand that."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that though the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, it wants Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned.
Putin's staunch refusal to consider deporting Snowden shows the Russian president's readiness to further challenge Washington at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are already strained over Syria and a Russian ban on adoptions by Americans.
A Kremlin decision to provide even temporary shelter and safe transit to Snowden would embarrass Washington. And despite Putin's denial, security experts believe the Russian special services wouldn't miss the chance to question a man who is believed to hold reams of classified U.S. documents and can shed light on how the U.S. intelligence agencies collect information.
Igor Korotchenko, director of the Center for Global Arms Trade and editor of National Defense Magazine, said Snowden would be of particular interest because little is known about digital espionage.
"The security services would be happy to enter into contact with Mr. Snowden," Korotchenko said.
Russia also relished using Snowden's revelations to try to turn the tables on U.S. criticism of Russia's rights record.
Putin compared Snowden to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who has been provided asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, saying that both men were labeled criminals but consider themselves rights activists and champions of freedom of information.
"Ask yourself a question: should people like that be extradited so that they put them in prison or not?" he said. "In any case, I would prefer not to deal with such issues. It's like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool."
In an apparent reference to claims that Moscow could have played a role in Snowden's exit from Hong Kong, he said that his arrival was a "complete surprise" and dismissed accusations against Russia as "ravings and sheer nonsense."
"He doesn't need a visa or any other documents, and as a transit passenger he has the right to buy a ticket and fly wherever he wants," Putin said.
Russian news media had reported that Snowden remained in a transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, which is separate from the regular departure zones. He has not been seen by any of the journalists that have been roaming the airport in search of him.
Legally, an arriving air passenger only crosses the border after clearing immigration checks.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the U.S. push for Snowden's extradition earlier Tuesday, but wouldn't specify his whereabouts, saying only that he hasn't crossed the Russian border.
"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violating U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said. "There are no legal grounds for such conduct by U.S. officials."
U.S. and Ecuadorean officials had said they believed Snowden was still in Russia.
Kerry called for "calm and reasonableness."
"We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice,' " Kerry said at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport.
A representative of WikiLeaks has been traveling with Snowden, and the organization is believed to be assisting him in arranging asylum. Assange, the group's founder, said Monday that Snowden was only passing through Russia and had applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries.
A high-ranking Ecuadorean official told The Associated Press that Russia and Ecuador were discussing where Snowden could go, saying the process could take days. He also said Ecuador's ambassador to Moscow had not seen or spoken to Snowden. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, hailed Snowden on Monday as "a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone's fundamental liberties."
"We're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed," President Barack Obama told reporters.
The Kremlin has previously said Russia would be ready to consider Snowden's request for asylum.
Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.
Snowden also told the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." He is believed to have more than 200 additional sensitive documents in laptops he is carrying.
Some observers said in addition to the sensitive data, Snowden's revelations have provided the Kremlin with propaganda arguments to counter the U.S. criticism of Russia's crackdown on opposition and civil activists under Putin.
"They would use Snowden to demonstrate that the U.S. government doesn't sympathize with the ideals of freedom of information, conceals key information from the public and stands ready to open criminal proceedings against those who oppose it," Konstantin Remchukov, the editor of independent daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.
Putin has accused the U.S. State Department of instigating protests in Moscow against his re-election for a third term in March and has taken an anti-American posture that plays well with his core support base of industrial workers and state employees.
____
Huuhtanen reported from Naantali, Finland. Michael Weissenstein and Gonzalo Solano contributed to this story from Quito, Ecuador.
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Army to cut brigades at 10 US bases
FILE - This July 28, 2010 file photo shows soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division saluting during the National Anthem during a welcome home ceremony attended by Vice President Joe Biden in Fort Drum, N.Y. In a massive restructuring, the U.S. Army is slashing the number of active duty combat brigades from 45 to 33, and shifting thousands of soldiers out of bases around the country as it moves forward with a longtime plan to cut the size of the service by 80,000. The U.S. Army plans to eliminate one of three combat brigades at northern New York's Fort Drum. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth, File)
FILE - This July 28, 2010 file photo shows soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division saluting during the National Anthem during a welcome home ceremony attended by Vice President Joe Biden in Fort Drum, N.Y. In a massive restructuring, the U.S. Army is slashing the number of active duty combat brigades from 45 to 33, and shifting thousands of soldiers out of bases around the country as it moves forward with a longtime plan to cut the size of the service by 80,000. The U.S. Army plans to eliminate one of three combat brigades at northern New York's Fort Drum. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth, File)
FILE - In this April 23, 2013 file photo, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The U.S. Army is slashing the number of combat brigades from 45 to 33, and shifting thousands of soldiers out of bases around the county as it moves forward with the long-planned move to cut the size of the service by 80,000. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Army will eliminate at least 12 combat brigades, relocate thousands of soldiers and cancel $400 million in construction projects as the first wave of federal budget cuts takes aim at military communities around the country.
In a massive restructuring, Army leaders said Tuesday that they will slash the number of active duty combat brigades from 45 to 33, as the service moves forward with a longtime plan to cut the size of the service by 80,000. And they warned that more cuts ? of as many as 100,000 more active duty, National Guard and Reserve soldiers ? could be coming if Congress allows billions of dollars in automatic budget cuts to continue next year.
The sweeping changes would eliminate brigades ? which number from 3,500 to 5,000 troops ? at 10 Army bases in the U.S. by 2017, including those in Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, Colorado, North Carolina, New York, Kansas and Washington. The Army will also cut thousands of other jobs across the service, including soldiers in units that support the brigades, and two brigades in Germany have already been scheduled for elimination.
Gen. Ray Odierno, Army chief of staff, said one additional brigade will likely be cut, but no final decisions have been made.
"I know in the local communities it will have its impact," Odierno told reporters Tuesday. "But we've done our best to reach out to them so they understand what the impacts are. We've tried to make it as small an impact as possible for as many communities as we could."
Members of Congress, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the prospects for greater cuts down the road.
Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said his panel "will carefully examine the implications of this initial restructuring, but we all must understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg, much deeper cuts are still to come."
The Army is being reduced in size from a high of about 570,000 during the peak of the Iraq war to 490,000 as part of efforts to cut the budget and reflect the country's military needs as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan end. Odierno said that the potential 100,000 more would be spread out across the active duty, Guard and Reserves, and that there also could be reductions in the Army's 13 aviation brigades.
While the personnel cuts may have less impact at some of the Army's larger bases such as Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Bragg in North Carolina, they could be more painful for communities around some of the smaller installations such as Fort Knox, where currently only one brigade is based.
The other seven U.S. bases that will lose a brigade are: Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Carson in Colorado, Fort Drum in New York, Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Stewart in Georgia, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Soldiers in the deactivated brigades would be transferred to other units.
Odierno said the Army tried to spread out the cuts geographically. He said Fort Knox scored the lowest in military value, but insisted the reduction was not the first step toward closing the base. He noted that about 4,000 civilians workers had been added there, as well as the Army's recruiting command.
The overall cut in size has been known for more than a year, and Army leaders have been working on how to manage the reduction, conducting local community meetings across the country and releasing an extensive study on the issue earlier this year.
Under the plan announced Tuesday, the Army will increase the size of its infantry and armor brigades by adding another battalion, which is between 600-800 soldiers. Adding the battalion was a recommendation from commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan who said it would beef up the fighting capabilities of the brigades when they go to war.
Odierno said he continues to hope that he will be able to cut the 80,000 soldiers largely through voluntary departures. He said he believes he will have to force several hundred officers to leave in order to get the proper number of soldiers at various ranks. But, if the automatic cuts go forward, Odierno said he would likely have to force soldiers out of the Army.
These initial brigade cuts do not affect National Guard or Reserve units.
Officials said the decisions on the cuts were based on a variety of factors including required training resources, ranges, air space and infrastructure, as well as the need to put units near leadership and headquarters units.
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Exit of Pakistani tourists delayed after attack
ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Tourists who were climbing Pakistan's second-highest mountain when 11 people were killed at their base camp say they are waiting for equipment to be returned to them before they can go home.
The climbers spoke Tuesday at a memorial service in Islamabad for the 10 foreign climbers and a Pakistani tour operator who were killed Saturday when militants attacked their camp.
The attack came at the height of the climbing season in what is considered one of Pakistan's most peaceful regions.
Polish climber Aleksandra Dzik said the climbers were evacuated from base camp by helicopter and only allowed to take one backpack with them because of weight restrictions.
She said they hope army helicopters can bring their supplies down or porters allowed up to retrieve them.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exit-pakistani-tourists-delayed-attack-145142742.html
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Sunni cleric incites gun battle with Lebanese Army and Hezbollah
A two-day battle between Lebanese troops and followers of a radical Sunni cleric, one of the most severe in Lebanon since Syria's uprising began, has starkly illustrated its perilous instability. It also brought powerful Hezbollah fighters into the fray, pitting the militant group founded to fight Israel against fellow Lebanese.
Although the Lebanese Army's special forces units spearheaded the assault on a mosque and compound belonging to Sheikh Ahmad Assir, a Salafist cleric who had holed up there with 200 to 300 of his followers, it became evident today that they received some assistance from Hezbollah's battle-hardened fighters.
"Today we are doing surgery," says Haj, a local commander of Hezbollah forces in an area on the eastern edge of Abra, the hilltop Sidon neighborhood where Sheikh Assir's mosque is located. "We are removing a cancerous gland in a quick clean operation to cure the city."
But for a man who spent much of his military career confronting Israeli occupation troops in Lebanon in the 1980s and 1990s, fighting fellow Lebanese Sunnis is a "bitter pill."
"We would rather do what we are doing today against the Israelis," he says. "When we fight the Israelis it is like we are taking sweet medicine."
Sidon's normally traffic-choked streets were deserted for a second day today as Lebanese special forces stormed Sheikh Assir's compound. The firebrand cleric's outspoken criticism of Hezbollah has won him notoriety and support among Lebanese Sunnis. Tensions between Shiites and Sunnis here have been rising for years, a reflection of regional intra-Muslim strains since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq as well as political developments in Lebanon. But they have been significantly aggravated by the war in Syria in which a mainly Sunni opposition is battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite, an obscure offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Lebanese Sunnis support the Syrian opposition and and hundreds have joined rebel groups or provided logistical assistance from Lebanon. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of the Assad regime and has deployed several thousand fighters into Syria to help the Syrian army confront the armed opposition. (Nicholas Blanford has chronicled here Hezbollah's growing openness about its involvement in Syria.)
The fighting, the worst in Sidon since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, left dead at least 20 soldiers and an unknown number of Assir's followers. Dozens of Assir's gunmen were captured and some 25 were reported to have surrendered.
By evening, troops had seized the compound and were pursuing snipers and fleeing Sunni gunmen and inspecting the buildings for booby traps. Sheikh Assir, who had vowed to die in his compound as a martyr, apparently escaped through a tunnel. His whereabouts are unknown. However, Bassam al-Dada, a political advisor to the rebel Free Syrian Army, told Lebanon's Al Jadeed that Assir had escaped to Syria. The claim could not be immediately confirmed.
The clashes began yesterday when a dispute at a Lebanese Army checkpoint between soldiers and Sheikh Assir's supporters turned into a deadly gunbattle which quickly spread to other areas of the city. That night a delegation of Sunni clerics attempted to mediate, but neither side was prepared to yield.
"Assir wants to be a martyr," says Sheikh Maher Hammoud, a Sunni cleric in Sidon who is allied with Hezbollah. "The Army is not accepting any mediation. The Army wants to arrest or kill him."
Today Sidon's empty streets resounded with explosions and machine gun fire. Shops were closed and official school exams were postponed.
"Assir is an Israeli dog. He is destroying the country," says Khalil Kurdi, indicating his shuttered shop. "He gets lots of money from abroad and he dosn't care that we are suffering."
SNIPER BATTLES
Bursts of machine gun fire from a nearby street sent a small crowd of youths dashing for the cover of a block of flats. On the eastern edge of Abra, a group of Hezbollah fighters sheltered by the wall of a house.
"Stay here. There is a sniper nearby," said one fighter wearing a black T-shirt covered in canvas ammunition pouches, green military trousers and a baseball cap. A yellow ribbon tied to his webbing marked him as a Hezbollah man. More Hezbollah fighters sprinted up the road as tinny voices squawked from the walkie talkies in their hands.
"Karbala, Abu Zeinab! Karbala, Abu Zeinab!" said one of the men summoning a comrade over the radio.
Initially wary of the presence of foreign reporters and after insisting that no pictures be taken, the Hezbollah men allowed the reporters to stay because it had become too dangerous to leave.
The crack of a nearby sniper round spurred the fighters to crouch and move closer to the wall. Moments later, Hezbollah fighters opened fire with machine guns, attempting to hit the unseen sniper. More incoming rounds whizzed overhead, followed by the resounding blast from a rocket-propelled grenade. Bullets smacked into the adjacent building. A squad of Lebanese soldiers 100 yards away fired a recoilless rifle round toward the cramped tower blocks in Abra.
"There's another sniper in a building behind us," said one of the fighters. A four-wheel drive vehicle, its engine racing, skidded around a corner and pulled up. Several fighters, dripping with sweat and panting with exertion, spilled out and were replaced by others before the car sped away. "They are going after the snipers," said one man.
Nearby, Haj, the local Hezbollah commander, a relaxed looking, middle-aged man who stood out from his uniform-clad comrades in jeans, loafers, and a striped shirt, marshalled dozens more fighters for combat. Three four-wheel drive vehicles pulled up as Hezbollah fighters filed out of a building, many of them wearing full military uniforms and helmets.
Those adopting a paramilitary look wore yellow ribbons to differentiate themselves from Assir's gunmen on the front line. Some of them carried sniper rifles in long green canvas holsters, others brandished new RPG launchers and light machine guns or carried wooden boxes of AK-47 ammunition. They climbed into the vehicles, the barrels of their rifles poking out of the windows.
CIVILIANS CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
A convoy of cars inched down the hill. The occupants, Sunni residents of the area fleeing the fighting, waved white handkerchiefs as they headed toward the Hezbollah fighters, clearly nervous at their possible reception.
Haj tutted and shook his head before stepping out into the street.
"Why are you raising white sheets?" he gently admonishes the driver of the lead car. "This is a sign of surrender to the Israelis. We are here to protect you. Put the white sheets away."
One fighter, in his late 30s and wearing a full camouflage uniform, sat in the shade smoking a cigarette, a brand new beige-colored American M4 carbine fitted with a 100 round drum magazine at his feet. He says he has just returned from fighting at Sheikh Assir's mosque, a few hundred yards up the road.
"There is a lot of damage to buildings and I think there are many civilians dead," he says. "Assir was using women as a shield toward the end."
Although the battles in Sidon appeared to be dying down tonight, tensions flared in Sunni areas across the country. Gunmen took to the streets in parts of Beirut and in Tripoli, Lebanon's second city in the north. Imams of at least two mosques in Tripoli reportedly called for "jihad" against the Lebanese army and Hezbollah. Main roads were blocked with burning tires in north Lebanon and briefly on the coastal highway between Beirut and Sidon.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sunni-cleric-incites-gun-battle-lebanese-army-hezbollah-194135876.html
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Monday, June 24, 2013
Tick-caused bobcat fever can be deadly to domestic cats
June 24, 2013 ? Kansas State University veterinarians are warning pet owners to watch out for ticks carrying a disease that could kill cats.
Cytauxzoon felis, also known as bobcat fever, is a blood parasite that infects domestic cats and has a very high death rate. Susan Nelson, a veterinarian and clinical associate professor at Kansas State University's Veterinary Health Center, says this disease was thought to be carried only by the American dog tick, but now may be carried by the lone star tick, which is quite prevalent in northeast Kansas.
"Most people have probably seen a lone star tick even if they're not familiar with them by name," Nelson said. "They're the ones that have a bright white spot on their back."
Bobcat fever does not affect humans or dogs. It is called bobcat fever because bobcats are considered the main reservoir for the disease, as it is typically not fatal for them.
Most cases of bobcat fever occur from March through September, which coincides with the times cats are most likely to encounter ticks. Late spring and early summer are the peak times for ticks in Kansas.
Nelson says cats that live outside the city boundaries are at a higher risk of getting bobcat fever because they are more likely to encounter ticks in a rural environment; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that your city-living kitty can't get the disease. If your cat has contracted the disease, it can be anywhere from five to 20 days before symptoms appear.
"First, you're probably going to notice they're going to be really lethargic and tired," Nelson said. "Their appetite is going to decrease. They may feel very hot to you as they will tend to run a high fever early in the course of the disease. As the disease progresses, you might see breathing problems, dehydration and the whites of their eyes or the inside of their ears might start looking yellow as they start getting jaundiced. Their body temperature will start to drop as they near the end stages of the disease."
A cat may be infected even if you don't see a tick on the animal, because the tick may have already fed and dropped off the cat before the animal starts showing symptoms of the disease.
No vaccine is available for this disease. Treatment can be expensive and often unsuccessful, so it is important to take precautionary steps to keep your cat from being bitten. Nelson says the best thing to do is to keep your cat indoors. If you can't do that, then keep your yard well maintained -- it's a myth that ticks from fall from trees.
"If your cat likes to stay in the yard, try to keep your grass mowed down so it's not tall," she said. "The ticks tend to like the taller grasses. Keep the shrubbery trimmed short and remove debris around your house. Do daily tick checks on the cats and remember to look between their toes. If your cat lives with a dog, make sure you are using some type of tick control on the dog as it can bring ticks into your house, which can then feed on your cat."
Nelson also suggests talking to your veterinarian about types of tick control medications to determine which is best for your pet.
Tick expert Michael Dryden, university distinguished professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University, tracks the lone star tick and says they are mainly found in eastern Kansas and in the Southeastern states. So far, he has not found any lone star ticks west of Clay Center, Kan., but he expects its territory will expand.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/AqB-HnyRfKc/130624103807.htm
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Pakistanis kill 10 tourists, including American
Pakistani rescue workers unload the casket of a foreign tourist who was killed by Islamic militants from an ambulance to shift in a morgue of local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 23, 2013. Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death foreign tourists and at least one Pakistani before dawn as they were visiting one of the world?s highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistani rescue workers unload the casket of a foreign tourist who was killed by Islamic militants from an ambulance to shift in a morgue of local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 23, 2013. Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death foreign tourists and at least one Pakistani before dawn as they were visiting one of the world?s highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
FILE - In this May 4, 2004 file photo, Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world, is seen from Karakorum Highway leading to neighboring China in Pakistan's northern area. Gunmen wearing police uniforms killed 11 foreign tourists and one Pakistani before dawn Sunday, June 23, 2013 as they were visiting one of the world?s highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan, officials said. (AP Photo/Musaf Zaman Kazmi, File)
Pakistani rescue workers unload the casket of a foreign tourist, who was killed by Islamic militants, from an ambulance to shift in a morgue of local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 23, 2013. Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death nine foreign tourists and one Pakistani before dawn as they were visiting one of the world?s highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistani rescue workers unload the casket of a foreign tourist who was killed by Islamic militants, from an ambulance to shift in a morgue of local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 23, 2013. Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death foreign tourists and at least one Pakistani before dawn as they were visiting one of the world?s highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
ISLAMABAD (AP) ? At least a dozen Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death overnight a Pakistani and 10 foreign tourists, including an American, who were visiting one of the world's highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said Sunday.
The shooting was one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in recent years and is likely to damage the country's already struggling tourism industry. Pakistan's mountainous north ? considered until now relatively safe ? is one of the main attractions in a country beset with insurgency and other political instability.
The local branch of the Taliban took responsibility for the killings, saying it was to avenge the death of a leader killed in a recent U.S. drone strike.
The 10 foreigners who were killed included two Chinese, one Chinese-American and one Nepalese, said Attaur Rehman, home secretary in the Gilgit-Baltistan area where the attack took place. The other six have not been identified. One Pakistani was also killed, Rehman said.
Matt Boland, the acting spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, confirmed that a U.S. citizen was among the dead, but could not say whether it was a dual Chinese national.
"The U.S. Embassy Islamabad expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the U.S. citizen and the other innocent tourists who were killed in the Northern Areas of Pakistan," Boland said in a statement sent to reporters.
Pakistan's interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said earlier that nine foreigners and one Pakistani were killed. He said the dead included five Ukrainians, three Chinese and one Russian. One Chinese tourist was wounded in the attack and was rescued, said Khan.
It's unclear what caused the discrepancy between the two accounts.
The attack took place at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 meters (26,660 feet). Nanga Parbat is notoriously difficult to climb and is known as the "killer mountain" because of numerous mountaineering deaths in the past. It's unclear if the tourists were planning to climb the mountain or were just visiting the base camp, which is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
The gunmen were wearing uniforms used by the Gilgit Scouts, a paramilitary police force that patrols the area, said the interior minister. The attackers abducted two local guides to find their way to the remote base camp. One of the guides was killed in the shooting, and the other has been detained and is being questioned, said Khan.
"The purpose of this attack was to give a message to the world that Pakistan is unsafe for travel," said the interior minister in a speech in the National Assembly, which passed a resolution condemning the incident. "The government will take all measures to ensure the safety of foreign tourists."
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their Jundul Hafsa group carried out the shooting as retaliation for the death of the Taliban's deputy leader, Waliur Rehman, in a U.S. drone attack on May 29.
"By killing foreigners, we wanted to give a message to the world to play their role in bringing an end to the drone attacks," Ahsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.
At least a dozen gunmen were involved in the attack, local police officer Jahangir Khan said.
The attackers beat up the Pakistanis who were accompanying the tourists, took their money and tied them up, said a senior local government official. They checked the identities of the Pakistanis and shot to death one of them, possibly because he was a minority Shiite Muslim, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
Although Gilgit-Baltistan is a relatively peaceful area, it has experienced attacks by radical Sunni Muslims on Shiites in recent years.
The attackers took the money and passports from the foreigners and then gunned them down, said the official. It's unclear how the Chinese tourist who was rescued managed to avoid being killed. The base camp has basic wooden huts, but most tourists choose to sleep in their own tents.
Local police chief Barkat Ali said they first learned of the attack when one of the local guides called the police station around 1 a.m. on Sunday. The military airlifted the bodies to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, Sunday afternoon.
"We hope Pakistani authorities will do their best to find the culprits of this crime," the Ukrainian ambassador to Pakistan, Volodymyr Lakomov, told reporters outside the hospital where the bodies were taken.
The Pakistani government condemned the "brutal act of terrorism" in a statement sent to reporters.
"Those who have committed this heinous crime seem to be attempting to disrupt the growing relations of Pakistan with China and other friendly countries," said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
Pakistan has very close ties with neighboring China and is sensitive to any issue that could harm the relationship. Pakistani officials have reached out to representatives from China and Ukraine to convey their sympathies, the Foreign Ministry said.
Many foreign tourists stay away from Pakistan because of the perceived danger of visiting a country that is home to a large number of Islamic militant groups, such as the Taliban and al-Qaida, which mostly reside in the northwest near the Afghan border. A relatively small number of intrepid foreigners visit Gilgit-Baltistan during the summer to marvel at the peaks of the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, including K2, the second highest mountain in the world.
Syed Mehdi Shah, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, condemned the attack and expressed fear that it would seriously damage the region's tourism industry.
"A lot of tourists come to this area in the summer, and our local people work to earn money from these people," said Shah. "This will not only affect our area, but will adversely affect all of Pakistan."
The area has been cordoned off by police and paramilitary soldiers, and a military helicopter was searching the area, said Shah.
"God willing we will find the perpetrators of this tragic incident," said Shah.
The government suspended the chief secretary and top police chief in Gilgit-Baltistan following the attack and ordered an inquiry into the incident, said Khan, the interior minister.
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Associated Press writer Rasool Dawar contributed to this report from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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