Snowstorm takes aim at Plains, Midwest

JC Hobbs directs his wife Sarah as they help to pull a van and U-Haul up a hill outside Calhan, Colo. as a storm continued to bring bad weather to the Colorado Springs area Saturday, March 23, 2013. Transportation officials said Interstate 70 was closed from Denver to Colby, Kan., on Saturday. The National Weather Service said the Denver area could see up to 7 inches of snow Saturday. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo) MAGS OUT

JC Hobbs directs his wife Sarah as they help to pull a van and U-Haul up a hill outside Calhan, Colo. as a storm continued to bring bad weather to the Colorado Springs area Saturday, March 23, 2013. Transportation officials said Interstate 70 was closed from Denver to Colby, Kan., on Saturday. The National Weather Service said the Denver area could see up to 7 inches of snow Saturday. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo) MAGS OUT

Calhan Police Sgt. Josh Morrision stands by his car as he blocks Eastbound traffic on Highway 24 outside of Calhan, Colo. as blowing snow and slick roads closed the highway Saturday, March 23, 2013. Transportation officials said Interstate 70 was closed from Denver to Colby, Kan., on Saturday. The National Weather Service said the Denver area could see up to 7 inches of snow Saturday. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo) MAGS OUT

Cars and trucks idle on southbound Interstate 25 just south of Highway 34 at the Loveland, Colo. exit Saturday, March 23, 2013 following a multi car wreck that occurred on the interstate during the snow storm. Forecasters predict up to a foot of snow will fall in some locations in Colorado before the storm heads toward the nation's midsection. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Rich Abrahamson)

Motorist struggle to guide their vehicles down Speer Boulevard in Denver as a spring storm packing high winds and heavy snow sweeps over Colorado's Front Range and on to the eastern plains on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Forecasters predict up to a foot of snow will fall in some locations in Colorado before the storm heads toward the nation's midsection. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Working in tandem in downtown Denver, Carie Mueller, left, cleans the windshield of a four-wheel-drive vehicle with its owner, Kristy Teigen, both of Denver, as a spring storm packing high winds and heavy snow sweeps over Colorado's Front Range and on to the eastern plains on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Forecasters predict up to a foot of snow will fall in some locations in Colorado before the storm heads toward the nation's midsection. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? An early spring snowstorm forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads Saturday as it moved eastward, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places.

The snow started falling around midnight in northeast Colorado and then moved into northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska.

Ten to 15 inches of snow had fallen by Saturday afternoon north of Interstate 70 in northwest Kansas and northeast Colorado, with another 1 to 2 inches expected in the area, said Ryan Husted, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Goodland, Kan., where 15 inches of snow had fallen.

The storm also dropped up to 7 inches of snow in southwestern Nebraska before tapering off Saturday afternoon, said David Pearson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service near Omaha, Neb.

"But the wind is really blowing, so visibility in those areas is still going to be pretty low," Pearson said.

Husted said winds gusting at speeds of up to 45 mph were creating snow drifts of 2 to 3 feet in parts of Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.

I-70 had been shut down Saturday from Denver to Colby, Kan., because of poor visibility. The northbound lanes of Interstate 25 also were closed south of Fort Collins, Colo., because of multiple accidents.

"It's a mess here," said Jerry Killingsworth, a National Weather Service meteorologist also based in Goodland, Kan. "Heavy, wet snow, tree limbs down."

At the Goodland 24/7 truck stop, truckers milled around. With roads in the area closed, they are "just waiting," said Samantha Lamb, the truck stop's assistant manager.

"Our hotel across the street from us is pretty full," Lamb said. "Our parking lot has a good 35, 40 trucks in it."

As the system moved eastward, it threatened to inconvenience fans attending the NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Kansas City.

Scott Blair, a meteorologist in Pleasant Hill, Mo., said light showers and drizzle began switching over to snow Saturday afternoon in Kansas City and western Missouri. The heaviest snowfall was expected overnight, with up to 6 inches forecast for the Kansas City metropolitan area.

"If people don't need to be out driving tomorrow that would certainly be recommended," he said.

Dan Gavitt, vice president of the NCAA men's basketball championships, said teams and officials already are onsite and that no game delays are anticipated.

"This region routinely has winter snow and has the appropriate equipment and procedures to manage these winter conditions," Gavitt said in a written statement. "We encourage fans planning to attend games to pay attention to the weather, use good judgment and follow any directions from local authorities regarding travel and weather."

North Carolina coach Roy Williams was nonplussed.

"It's no distraction, unless the roof goes off, we'll still be able to play and the whole bit like that," Williams said.

Elsewhere, some churches and other organizations were calling off events. Among them, the final game of the Emporia State baseball series with Southwest Baptist was canceled.

Denver International Airport spokesman Heath Montgomery said about 106 flights have been canceled, many of which involved commuter jets headed to nearby destinations or to mountain towns.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said up to a foot of new snow in the mountains could create dangerous avalanche conditions.

Colorado State Patrol troopers also spent part of Saturday working a crash near Johnstown involving a tractor-trailer that burst into flames. An estimated 20 to 50 vehicles, including four tractor-trailers, crashed or slid off the roadway in the area. The patrol said several people were hospitalized, but no fatalities have been reported.

The system will move into Illinois and Indiana overnight and into Sunday.

Meteorologist Dan Smith with the National Weather Service in Lincoln, Ill., said snowstorms aren't uncommon in early spring. The latest the area has seen snow, he said, was April 23, in 1910.

"One good thing about (the snowstorms) is it doesn't matter how much you get, it usually doesn't stick around too long because temperatures start to warm up pretty good," he said.

Farther south, tornadoes were possible in Louisiana and Mississippi, while strong winds and low humidity could lead to forest fires and wildfires in parts of New Mexico and West Texas.

___

Associated Press writers Jason Keyser in Chicago, Thomas Peipert in Denver, David Skretta in Kansas City, Mo., and Margery A. Beck in Omaha, Neb., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-23-Midwest%20Storm/id-732e52df5cf4494a9e318aa202647c0d

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Sony Xperia SP and Xperia L priced in the UK

Earlier this week Sony announced the Xperia SP and Xperia L -- new mid-range and entry-level phones for the European market. Today we're starting to see the first UK pricing information for these two devices from some prominent online retailers.

First up, the Xperia SP, Sony's latest mid-ranger is up for pre-order for a little over £300 -- the cheapest price at present is from Handtec, which offers the SP for £314.40 inc. VAT. That gets you a dual-core, 720p-screened device with an aluminum trim and customizable light bar, backed up by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and Sony's UI. There's also an 8MP Exmor RS rear camera, as well as LTE connectivity.

If it's the Xperia L you're after, the lowest price can be had from Clove, at £234 inc. VAT. The Xperia L bears a close resemblance to Sony's Xperia Arc series, and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM and a FWVGA screen. It's also packing the same Exmor RS camera tech as its big brother.

So far none of the major UK networks have announced plans to range either new Xperia handsets, but we'll keep you posted with any future developments. Both devices are due to appear in Q2, with a late April timeframe being specified by Clove.

Source: Handtec, Clove; via: XperiaBlog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YGM2eTUyDRo/story01.htm

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Syria: 42 killed in Damascus mosque bombing

By Steve Keating ORLANDO, Florida, March 20 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy's decision to skip the Arnold Palmer Invitational surprised the tournament host, who expressed his disappointment on Wednesday that the world number one was not at Bay Hill this week. The 83-year-old Palmer said he had jokingly suggested he might break McIlroy's arm if he did not show up but did not try to force the young Northern Irishman into making an appearance. "Frankly, I thought he was going to play, and I was as surprised as a lot of people when he decided he was not going to play," said Palmer. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-42-killed-damascus-mosque-bombing-202815297.html

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Lenten Cleaning Challenge: Organize Craft Supplies...

Lenten Cleaning Challenge: Organize Craft Supplies...

One of the things that can quickly get out of hand in our house are the craft supplies.? Now that Sugar Plum and I are knitters, we have even more to keep tidy.? Your challenge today is to sift through your crafting goodies, decide what stays and what goes, and organize your space!? Don't spend too much time on this task.? Set the timer for 10 or 15 minutes and do the best you can!

Source: http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/2013/03/lenten-cleaning-challenge-organize.html

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The rapid fall of Africa's 'Terminator'

For the past three days, Bosco Ntaganda, also known as ?The Terminator,? has been holed up at the American embassy in Rwanda. One of Africa?s most wanted war criminals, Ntaganda was a leader of the M23 in eastern Congo, until he apparently lost control of the notorious rebel group, and began fearing for his own life.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has had a warrant out for Ntaganda for years on charges of recruiting child soldiers as well as for murder, rape, and sexual slavery. But despite being on this international black list since 2006, Ntaganda?s fall has been relatively swift and the circumstances of his surrender remain a mystery.

READ MORE The Wild Wild West Bank

But as Tony Gambino, former head of USAID in the Democratic Republic of Congo, put it: ?There was never a good endgame for Bosco.? Gambino, now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, says that Ntaganda ?went from being a senior commander in very good graces ? at least as far as the Congolese Army was concerned - to being a hunted man with a bull?s eye between his eyes. How does that happen??

U.S. officials in Washington said that Ntaganda asked to be transferred to the ICC and that they will let him speak for himself about his motives for turning himself in.

READ MORE Israel Presents Its Brains

For years, the international community tacitly accepted the formula that Congolese authorities stated publicly: that stability should be given priority over justice -- which meant working with Ntaganda, an opportunistic soldier-for-hire.

Ntaganda was famous for flaunting his freedom, in spite of the arrest warrant, by frequenting bars in Goma and playing tennis at a lakeside hotel. But he rarely spoke to international media, and relatively little is known about his past other than that, at some point, he joined forces with Paul Kagame, now President of Rwanda, beginning a years-long relationship that took economic and strategic advantage of the instability on the border between eastern Congo and Rwanda.

READ MORE Did Cleaners Kidnap McCann?

Financial Times journalist Katrina Manson was the last Western journalist to interview Ntaganda. Her piece published in 2010 when she was working for Reuters, reveals a confident commander eager to highlight his centrality in U.N.-backed military operations. He brushed off the charge of recruiting child soldiers and the allegations of rape. ??Look at me,? Manson wrote, quoting Ntaganda in her piece, ??You think I'm a man who can't get a woman without raping? Lots of women want me.?

Manson said the interview, which took place under armed guard at a secret location, was ?slow and careful.?

READ MORE Bollywood Star Gets 5 Years in Jail

?It seemed that his relations with his troops and his battle successes were the source of his pride,? Manson told Daily Beast. ?I remember him saying, ?How do you know who I am?? And I said, ?Everyone knows who you are,? And he seemed quite pleased to hear that.?

He also appeared to show a sense of invincibility and disdain for the ICC, dismissing the court?s case against rebel leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, by then a year into trial. Ntaganda ?had very little respect for [the court], and that?s what he told me: ?There?s no justice there. If there were justice I would go.??

READ MORE Obama Meets Palestinian President

In March 2012, the ICC completed its first ever trial and convicted Dyilo for some of the same atrocities for which Ntaganda has been wanted.

Last weekend, clashes with the rival faction sent Ntaganda and his men fleeing over the border into Rwanda, where his men are now detained, according to the Rwandan foreign minister. Ntaganda, however, made a dash for the American Embassy, asking to be transferred to The Hague for his ICC trial, rather than face his erstwhile partner, Kagame.

READ MORE Cyprus President to Present ?Plan B?

?He might not have had any other solution. It was that or getting shot, and after all, Dutch jails are fairly comfortable,? says G?rard Prunier, a French academic and author of Africa?s World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe.

Prunier and others believe that the Rwandan government would rather assassinate Ntaganda than let him stand trial at The Hague.

READ MORE South Korea Hacker Traced to China

?Eventually I think Kagame ?decided to put his money on [rival faction leader] Sultani Makenga, thinking we?ll just get rid of Bosco.?

In a region where the relationships between warlords and those they serve continually changes, it is a familiar story of shifting allegiances, betrayal and fear.

READ MORE So, You Want Another War?

?Bosco has a lot of information based on years of collaboration with the Rwandan government,? Gambino says. ?That cannot be a story that Rwanda wants to hear told publicly. That will not be a story that presents Rwanda as the golden boy of the progressive world. It will be a very ugly story about warlords and dark deals.?

Related from The Daily Beast

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/terminator-surrenders-084500908--politics.html

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Matthew Keys Needs to Stop Talking

It's fairly safe to say that Matthew Keys won some sympathy in the days after his indictment for hacking charges. But after staying relatively silent, the Reuters social media editor is starting to talk publicly about this case. This feels like a bad idea.

RELATED: Conservatives Are Having Fun Fact-Checking Reuters' Marco Rubio Report

On Wednesday evening, Keys took to Facebook to make the case for his innocence. The 26-year-old denied the charges in an itemized fashion, adding scare quotes where appropriate. Having done that he wrote, "My attorneys have said much of the same over the past few days, but I feel it might mean more coming from me directly." It's the most substantive thing Keys has said since his indictment last Thursday, and national media organizations pounced on the update like kittens chasing yarn. The headlines may as well read, "Matthew Keys Is Innocent, Says Matthew Keys." But hey, there's nothing wrong with arguing for your innocence in the face of serious federal charges, right? Some might say that argument is best made by lawyers in a courtroom, but we'll get back to that.

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The tricky thing is that Keys is saying a lot of other stuff, too. Most of his tweets and Facebook updates are only tangentially related to his court case. There are lots of "I'm fine" posts and normal banter between cyberfriends, and that's generally okay. Keys has also, for lack of a more relevant phrase, been doing a little bit of trolling.

RELATED: John McAfee Can't Stay Out of the Spotlight

That verb is mostly relevant since, in the days after the indictment, a series of reports emerged about Keys' somewhat shadowy past on the Internet. BuzzFeed's Ryan Broderick connected Keys to a number of old blogs and concluded that the he was an "infamous LiveJournal troll." Gawker's Adrien Chen added additional details to that narrative based in part on his interactions with Keys back in 2010, when Keys publicly infiltrated the upper tiers of Anonymous and the alleged hacking incident took place. To our knowledge, Keys hasn't responded to these trolling allegations, aside of trolling?Gawker founder Nick Denton. He has responded to at least one news report from The New York Observer. Contesting a small detail about his current employment status, Keys sneers at the story's author about what she "bothered to read" before writing her post and added, "Don't let a little thing like accuracy stand in the way of a good story." That's hardly condemning and arguably irrelevant in terms of Keys' court case, but it's not a nice way to react.

RELATED: The Close Calls of Whitey Bulger

Recent history offers some tough lessons about chatty hackers facing federal charges. Just two days ago, a federal judge convicted?Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer for violating the same law that Keys is accused of breaking. Pending appeal, Weev will now spend the next three or so years in jail and must pay a $75,000 fine for lifting 114,000 email addresses from an AT&T database. While some find the hacking charges somewhat dubious ? Weev didn't necessarily "hack" into AT&T's server as much he did sneak in the back door ? the punishment is very real. And believe it or not, the prosecution used what Weev had said on Reddit the night before the sentencing as reason to believe he would offend again. (Pro tip: Don't refer to what you're going to do "next time," when you're about to be sentenced for doing that thing.)

RELATED: How Much Money Can CNN Afford to Spend on Mashable?

This is all to say that Matthew Keys is on thin ice. He seems to have won the support for a large number of people online who believe that U.S. hacker laws need updating, and that's good. For the alleged Anonymous assist, an elementary-level hack that basically amounts to cyber graffiti, Keys faces up to 25 years in prison and half a million dollars in fines. That's pretty crazy! However, federal prosecutors don't seem intimidated by the Internet's disapproval of their tactics. They just sent Weev to jail and effectively rubbed his face in his last minute attempt to empathize with peers on Reddit. There's not telling how closely they'll scrutinize the growing list of statements Keys has made across various platforms since his indictment. Keys does have lawyers, good ones, and it's probably best to let them do the talking at this point.

It's almost impossible to think about this situation without hearing the Miranda rights in your head. "You have the right to remain silent," we all know the words. "Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law?" Those words are deeply embedded in our cultural and political memory. Keys was apparently never arrested or detained, so it's unclear* if anyone ever read him his rights. Matthew Keys, these are your rights. So long as you understand what you're doing, carry on. But tread softly, because you tread on your dreams.

* - We asked him, but Keys didn't respond in time for this post.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/matthew-keys-needs-stop-talking-022056813--finance.html

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New glasses-free 3-D is like a hologram in your pocket

Devin Coldewey , NBC News ? ? ? 11 hrs.

3-D TV might not have caught on as much as display makers hoped it would, but part of that has to be due to the uncomfortable, silly-looking glasses one always has to wear. Glasses-free 3-D seems to be the future, and research at HP is a huge leap beyond existing systems like the Nintendo 3DS.

In order to see in 3-D, each of our eyes must see a slightly different image. Usually they get different views by virtue of one being a few inches from the other. But when viewing a TV, they see the same thing on the screen ? unless the screen sends a different image to each eye.

This can be done by blocking out images going to the "wrong" eye, which is what 3-D glasses do, or by having the display itself angle every other row of pixels ever so slightly so that they align with either the left or right eye ? you may have experienced this on the most common glasses-free display out there, Nintendo's 3DS handheld game console.

But displays like the 3DS's have a small "sweet spot" where the 3-D effect works, and there is only one "view" of the content ? moving your head doesn't change the perspective. Research at HP, led by David Fattal, has resulted in a far superior method that may eventually provide not only more sweet spots, but the ability to show content from dozens of angles.

It works by causing each pixel of an image to be sent in in several different directions, and with sophisticated control over the "diffraction grating" that does this, the image sent straight out can be different from the one sent a few degrees to the left or right. A little fine tuning allows for them to send different images to where they expect each eye will be as well.

The result is a display that can send different images in different directions, and if those images are different views on the same object, viewers see a 3-D picture, one that changes with their point of view. Up to 64 different angles could be shown with current technology, theoretically.

The wide field of view and relatively low power requirements of the display make it perfect for something like mobile phones ? and unlike the display in the 3DS, it doesn't result in a darker final image than a traditional 2-D display would show.

But don't expect to see it in the next iPhone or Galaxy S. There are some tradeoffs.

For one thing, instead of processing and showing just one image, the device would now have to keep track of dozens ? a major increase in processing power, RAM, and battery power would be necessary. It also wouldn't have the "Retina" resolution so many mobile users are used to.

It's still a promising technology, both for 3-D displays and other methods it may enable. Fattal et al.'s paper, "A multi-directional backlight for a wide-angle, glasses-free three-dimensional display," appeared Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/29cda094/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cfutureoftech0Cnew0Eglasses0Efree0E30Ed0Ehologram0Eyour0Epocket0E1C8981571/story01.htm

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Timeshare Information: Interval International and Ocean Two Resort ...

Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group includes Ocean Two Resort and Residences in Barbados in its exchange network.

The beachfront resort is situated on the south coast of the island, known for its natural beauty and warm year-round climate.

?We are delighted to be in a business relationship with Ocean,? said David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International.

?This was one of the newest properties to open on the island when we affiliated with it in 2011, and it is representative of the quality product that Interval members expect.?

Ocean Two?s 70 residences feature a tropical chic d?cor, modern furnishings, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, WiFi high-speed Internet access throughout the resort, flat-panel televisions, and ample terraces with ocean views.

On-site amenities include a serpentine 150-foot pool with a swim-up bar, private cabanas, rooftop infinity-edge pool and deck, spa services, fitness center, restaurant, lobby bar, concierge lounge, and meeting room.

?Our affiliation with Interval International has afforded our owners opportunities to vacation at high-quality resorts all over the world, adding great value to their ownership experience,? said Patricia Affonso-Dass, group general manager of Ocean Hotels.

?And we enjoy hosting Interval members and guests at Ocean Two, which combines the luxury and comfort of a full-service resort in an idyllic tropical island paradise.?

The property is within walking distance of the well-known St. Lawrence Gap area shops, restaurants, and night spots. Barbados has a vibrant culture that blends English, African, and West Indian customs and traditions.

Visitors can enjoy a variety of local events, such as cricket matches, festivals, and carnivals that combine food, music, and dance. Nature lovers will appreciate the botanical gardens, sanctuaries, and underground caves on the island. Other recreational activities include windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling, and horseback trail rides.

Source: http://www.timeshare-info.org/2013/03/interval-international-and-ocean-two.html

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How a humongous alien planet could explain how our solar system was born

The discovery of a?colossal?gas giant some 130 light-years from Earth could help explain the origins of our own solar?system, say scientists.

By Charles Q. Choi,?SPACE.com / March 15, 2013

This artist's rendering of the planetary system of HR 8799 130 light-years from Earth as it may have appeared at an early stage in its evolution. The image shows the giant exoplanet HR 8799c, as well as a disk of gas and dust, and interior planets.

Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics; Mediafarm

Enlarge

The glowing atmosphere of a strangely giant alien world could help solve mysteries of not just how it formed, but how our own solar system arose, scientists say.

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The exoplanet discovery comes from the most detailed look yet at the?alien planets?around the distant star HR 8799, which lies about 130 light-years from Earth. The HR 8799 system is home to four giant planets orbiting a relatively young, 30-million-year-old star, with each planet far larger than any world found in Earth's solar system.

The planets orbiting HR 8799 weigh in at between five to 10 times the mass of Jupiter and are still glowing with the heat of their formation, allowing researchers to directly image them.

"It's the only system in which multiple planets can individually be seen," said study co-author Bruce Macintosh, an astronomer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

The planetary system resembles a scaled-up version of our solar system, suggesting there may be smaller?Earth-size planets?closer in, although the researchers currently have not yet seen any.

It even "has something that kind of looks like maybe an asteroid belt interior to the closest giant planet like we have in our solar system, and something that maybe you can refer to as an Oort cloud analog out beyond the most distant gas giant" ? that is, a cloud of icy comets, said study lead author Quinn Konopacky, an astronomer at the University of Toronto. [Alien Planet Quiz: Are You an Exoplanet Expert?]

Exoplanet's atmosphere revealed

The astronomers concentrated on one of the star's visible planets, named HR 8799c, a colossal gas giant about seven times the mass of Jupiter. It circles the star HR 8799 at a range comparable to Pluto's distance from the sun.

The birth of such a massive planet at such a great distance from its parent star conflicts with the two popular?models of planetary formation. In the multistep process known as core accretion, gas slowly accumulates onto a planetary core, while the mechanism known as gravitational instability involves the simultaneous creation of a planet's interior and atmosphere.

"In the traditional core accretion model of planet formation, it is difficult to form planets as large as the HR 8799 planets at such large distances from their parent star," Konopacky told SPACE.com. "Typically, in this model, objects the size of Jupiter or larger must form much closer to their parent star. This is for several reasons, but has a lot to do with there being less material at large distances from the star that can form planets."

"In the gravitational instability method of formation, it is possible to form big planets at large distances, usually because they invoke a much more massive disc of material," Konopacky added. "But the model generally predicts that there should be many more massive objects orbiting lots of other stars at these distances, and these kinds of objects have not been discovered in surveys [of many stars for?exoplanets]."

To help solve this mystery, the scientists analyzed the glow from HR 8799c using a high-resolution imaging spectrograph called OSIRIS at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Molecules in atmospheres can absorb light, resulting in patterns known as spectra that allow scientists to identify what they are.

HR8799c is both fairly bright and located a fair distance from its star, helping the researchers acquire this spectral data for the most detailed examination yet of the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet beyond the solar system. [Birth of Giant Planet Seen? (Artist Animation)]

"The most exciting part of this result is that we were able to make these observations of an exoplanet atmosphere with this level of detail, much more than I even imagined was possible," Konopacky said. "We have broken the light from the planet down to such a fine level of detail that the chemical fingerprints of the molecules in the atmosphere are breathtakingly sharp and distinct. This is important because it requires data of this quality to truly probe the makeup of a planetary atmosphere, and in turn, say something about how the planet formed."

Missing methane: a clue

The scientists detected water and carbon monoxide in the exoplanet's atmosphere, but not methane.

The lack of methane "tells us that there must be mixing between the different layers of the atmosphere, much like a lava lamp swirls material up and down," Konopacky said. "Since methane is a sensitive molecule, it can be destroyed when it gets mixed into the deeper, hotter parts of the atmosphere. This mixing tells us about the atmospheric conditions in young Jupiter-like planets."

In addition, although the researchers see a lot of water vapor in the atmosphere of HR 8799c, "we actually detect slightly less than we would have expected if the planet had the same composition as its host star," Konopacky said. "This tells us that the planet has a slightly elevated amount of carbon compared to oxygen." [Types of Alien Planets Explained (Infographic)]

This high ratio of carbon to oxygen is a clue regarding the exoplanet's formation. The researchers suggest that grains of water ice condensed in the disc of matter surrounding HR 8799 that gave rise to the planets orbiting the star. Oxygen inside the ice depleted any other oxygen for the formation of HR 8799c.

"These ice grains stuck together to make bigger ice chunks, a few kilometers across, that kept colliding and building up the planet's solid core," Konopacky said. "The atmosphere came later ? from gas that the planet attracted after it got big enough. By the time that happened, some of the ice grains were gone and the gas didn't have as much water in it."

How planets are born

These findings imply that a planet-building mechanism known as core accretion led to the formation of HR 8799c, "much in the same way we think the planets in our own solar system formed," Konopacky said. The exoplanet's core arose first, and the atmosphere came afterward.

"These results represent a first step in finding direct evidence about how planets form, which in general, is a difficult thing to do observationally," Konopacky said. "It is really exciting that we have these tantalizing suggestions that this extrasolar system that looks like?our own solar system?in so many ways may have formed in the same way."

Researchers are now tinkering with existing models of core accretion to see how planets might form via the process at great distances from their stars. For instance, there may be more matter at the outer edges of the protoplanetary discs of matter around stars that give rise to planets than before thought, or perhaps solid matter could stick together and form planetary cores easier or faster than previously suspected.

"By further refining the core accretion model of formation to explain the HR 8799 planets, we may be able to learn more about the formation of planetary systems in general, including our own solar system," Konopacky said.

"We would also like to discover more planets through direct imaging that can be studied at this level of detail," Konopacky added. "We work on a new instrument called the Gemini Planet Imager that is designed to do just this. It will arrive at the Gemini South Telescope in Chile this year, and?discover new planets?that are both smaller than the HR 8799 planets and closer to their parent star."

Konopacky and her colleagues Travis Barman, Bruce Macintosh and Christian Marois detailed their findings online March 14 in the journal Science.

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Copyright 2013?SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/c5dtfZU3b9o/How-a-humongous-alien-planet-could-explain-how-our-solar-system-was-born

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Natural climate swings contribute more to increased monsoon rainfall than global warming

Mar. 20, 2013 ? Natural swings in the climate have significantly intensified Northern Hemisphere monsoon rainfall, showing that these swings must be taken into account for climate predictions in the coming decades, a new study finds.

The findings are published in the March 18 online publication of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Monsoon rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere impacts about 60% of the World population in Southeast Asia, West Africa and North America. Given the possible impacts of global warming, solid predictions of monsoon rainfall for the next decades are important for infrastructure planning and sustainable economic development. Such predictions, however, are very complex because they require not only pinning down how humanmade greenhouse gas emissions will impact the monsoons and monsoon rainfall, but also a knowledge of natural long-term climate swings, about which little is known so far.

To tackle this problem an international team of scientists around Meteorology Professor Bin Wang at the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, examined climate data to see what happened in the Northern Hemisphere during the last three decades, a time during which the global-mean surface-air temperature rose by about 0.4?C. Current theory predicts that the Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon circulation should weaken under anthropogenic global warming.

Wang and his colleagues, however, found that over the past 30 years, the summer monsoon circulation, as well as the Hadley and Walker circulations, have all substantially intensified. This intensification has resulted in significantly greater global summer monsoon rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere than predicted from greenhouse-gas-induced warming alone: namely a 9.5% increase, compared to the anthropogenic predicted contribution of 2.6% per degree of global warming.

Most of the recent intensification is attributable to a cooling of the eastern Pacific that began in 1998. This cooling is the result of natural long-term swings in ocean surface temperatures, particularly swings in the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation or mega-El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation, which has lately been in a mega-La Ni?a or cool phase. Another natural climate swing, called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, also contributes to the intensification of monsoon rainfall.

"These natural swings in the climate system must be understood in order to make realistic predictions of monsoon rainfall and of other climate features in the coming decades," says Wang. "We must be able to determine the relative contributions of greenhouse-gas emissions and of long-term natural swings to future climate change."

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Journal Reference:

1. B. Wang, J. Liu, H.-J. Kim, P. J. Webster, S.-Y. Yim, B. Xiang. Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon intensified by mega-El Nino/southern oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219405110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/1cG19fbeCIY/130320155251.htm

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''Unpredictable" pope worries security team

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Forgive Pope Francis' security team for looking a bit nervous.

One pope was shot in St. Peter's Square while riding in an open vehicle. Another was tackled by a woman with mental problems in St. Peter's Basilica. So in the early days of Francis' pontificate, as the pope delights the flock by wading into crowds and pressing the flesh, it's only natural that chief Vatican cop Domenico Giani seems on edge.

Just consider some of Francis' acts of papal outreach, which have all made for a refreshing change from the reserved style of his predecessor Benedict XVI, but present a huge headache for a security detail attached to one of the planet's most high-profile people.

The day after his election, Francis eschewed the Vatican's armored limousine and traveled through the chaotic streets of Rome in an ordinary car to pick up his things at a downtown hotel.

At his first Sunday Mass as pontiff, Francis caused a stir by mingling with bystanders at a Vatican gate, shaking hands and even allowing himself to be grabbed by the shoulder, all while people jostled to get closer.

Then on inauguration day, Francis stood for nearly 30 minutes Tuesday in an open vehicle that circled the vast square, kissing babies handed up to him and at one point jumping out to bless and kiss a disabled man in the crowd.

It's not for nothing that Francis has quickly been dubbed the "unpredictable" pope. And for a bodyguard, unpredictable means trouble.

Giani looked particularly worried by the crowd that gathered after the Sunday Mass. La Stampa newspaper quoted an aide at the scene as saying that things "better get back to normal or we're in trouble."

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said last week that the Vatican was well aware of Francis' informal and open style and that "proper security measures" would be taken, even if that hasn't happened immediately.

"There are a lot of nut cases out there," said another Vatican official, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to discuss security.

"But you can be sure that the security issues are being examined."

Even Francis' habit of constantly running late can't make his bodyguards happy, since they're used to carefully choreographed and timed events. After Mass on Sunday, it seemed as if one of the monsignors was begging Francis to hurry up, as he nervously looked at his watch ? but the pope kept diving into the crowd.

Francis' meet-and-greet manner is reminiscent of John Paul II's open style in his first years as pope. And an iconic event in the earlier papacy brought to light some of the terrifying potential consequences of papal spontaneity. It was 1981 and John Paul had just handed a baby back to her mother, as his open jeep drove slowly through a crowded St. Peter's Square. Shots rang out. The pope crumbled and bodyguards swarmed around him.

The Turkish gunman's assassination attempt left John Paul severely wounded. While he made a full recovery, an era of light security was over.

Benedict's papacy also had its share of scares.

In 2008, a German man jumped on the pope's jeep and had to be wrestled down by a Vatican policeman. Two years later, a woman with a history of psychiatric problems jumped the security barricade in St. Peter's Basilica during Christmas Eve Mass and pulled Benedict to the ground. The pope was uninjured but a cardinal fell and broke his hip.

Experts say that ditching the motorcade and the security detail can be dangerous in unexpected ways. "If someone like the pope publishes the fact that he doesn't have the usual level of security, it only highlights the potential threats," said British security expert Richard Aitch, the author of "Close Protection."

Aitch, whose resume lists work for royalty, diplomats, and other VIPs, cited the example of British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose decision to forego motorcycle outriders drew concern after his official car was pictured caught in central's London slow-moving traffic a few years ago. Such a situation could basically turn him into a sitting duck for any potential attacker.

In general, Aitch said that any leader's decision to drop their guard "creates a security headache" ? particularly if it becomes a habit.

And the pope isn't just any leader, he's one of the most public figures in the world. During an ordinary week, the pope makes a minimum of two appearances, at his general audience Wednesday and from his apartment window for his Sunday blessing.

For the new pope, it may all boil down to balancing legitimate security concerns with his down-to-earth manner and distaste for luxury.

Francis, for example, famously rode the bus to work while archbishop of Buenos Aires. While that casual style will likely stay, don't expect to meet him in one of the ubiquitous trams that snake through Roman streets.

___

AP writers Raphael Satter in London and Nicole Winfield at the Vatican contributed

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/unpredictable-pope-worries-security-team-150231379.html

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Pope's first mass: 'protect each person, especially the poorest'

With traditional pomp and ceremony, the Catholic Church celebrated the official start of the papacy of Pope Francis on Tuesday, with a giant open-air mass in St. Peter?s Square.

Pope Francis, who was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals gathered in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel last week, was given a rapturous reception when he was driven around St. Peter?s Square in an open-topped popemobile at the start of the ceremony.

Under bright blue skies, crowds cheered and waved, as Catholic faithful from around the world waved the flags of dozens of nations. The pope was accompanied by dozens of cardinals and archbishops wearing golden vestments that shone in the sunlight, as choirs sang Gregorian chants during the two-hour inauguration ceremony.

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As tens of thousands of onlookers listened, many praised the dramatic change of style he has brought to the papacy, and waited for any hint of a major change for the Catholic Church in his first homily as pope. The new pope set out his vision for his papacy and the church as a whole by calling for greater compassion for the poor, the dispossessed, and the downtrodden.

?This was a general message, so he didn't get into specifics about how he might change the Church," says Robert Mickens, Vatican correspondent for The Tablet, a Catholic weekly.

"This is the big plan ? mercy and compassion will be the keys to his pontificate. I think it's too early to say whether there will be a change of direction, says Mr. Mickens. ?But his homily struck a more inclusive tone compared to Benedict XVI. He can use this as a launch pad to deal with other problems in the church. I suspect a lot of it was autobiographical ? these are things he has learnt during his life about caring for the weak. He's a Jesuit, a bit of a lone ranger."

In a strongly worded homily delivered from a stage in front of St. Peter?s, he urged the world to shun "the omens of destruction and death."

He called on Christians ?to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: This is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called."

THE VOCATION OF PROTECTOR

The duty of caring for the weak and the poor fell not just on Christians but on all of humanity, he said.

?The vocation of being a 'protector,' however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; It also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means respecting each of God?s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about."

He appealed to world leaders to make the protection of the environment a much stronger priority.

?I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political, and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: Let us be 'protectors' of creation, protectors of God?s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow the omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world," he said.

His message was very much in keeping with his decision, in the moments after his election in the Sistine Chapel last Wednesday, to take his name from St. Francis of Assisi, a symbol of humility and charity and a passionate lover of nature.

The mass was watched by some 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square and attended by dignitaries, heads of state, and royalty from around the world. Vice President Joe Biden represented the US, saying that President Obama would have attended had he not had a prior commitment to go to Israel.

Pope Francis takes part in his inaugural mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 19, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his inaugural mass on Tuesday among political and religious leaders from ... more? Pope Francis takes part in his inaugural mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 19, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his inaugural mass on Tuesday among political and religious leaders from around the world and amid a wave of hope for a renewal of the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church. REUTERS/Paul Hanna (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) less? ?

Queen Elizabeth was represented by a minor royal, the Duke of Gloucester. The most controversial head of state to attend was Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, who has been accused of decades of human rights abuses.

The ceremony started at the tomb of St. Peter, beneath the main altar of St. Peter?s Basilica.

Pope Francis was presented with a gold-plated silver ring, known as the Fisherman?s Ring, which depicts St. Peter holding a pair of keys in one hand and a fishing net in the other ? reflecting Christ?s description of him as a fisher of men.

He also received the pallium, a special band of white wool, which is placed around the shoulders of the pope as a symbol of his universal jurisdiction over the Church.

INFORMAL STYLE

In the few days since he was elected the first pope from outside Europe in nearly 1,300 years, Pope Francis has established an informal, spontaneous style that has delighted many Catholics.

He has pressed the flesh with jubilant crowds in Rome on several occasions, addresses the leaders of the Church as ?my brother cardinals? rather than ?my lord cardinals,? signaling a more informal approach, and ditched the papal limousine in favor of riding in an ordinary mini-bus to and from the Vatican on official visits.

On Tuesday, he ordered the Popemobile to stop in the middle of the huge crowd and climbed down to bless a severely disabled man, kissing him on the forehead. He kissed babies who were held up to him and shouted "Ciao" to well-wishers.

"We have seen that the pope loves a certain element of spontaneity," says Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, speaking to journalists on Monday. "It may well be that he adds unscripted phrases and observations as he speaks."

Standing in the spring sunshine and watching the pope pass in his white open-topped jeep, Roger Amadasun, a DJ from Nigeria who was visiting Rome, says: ?He?s going to be a good pope and I believe he will bring about change. He?s come from a good place ? for the first time we have a Pope from Latin America. I like his style; He is friendly and open.?

A few paces away from him Miranda Gasperi, from Rome, says: ?I like him very much ? he?s very humble. He?s attentive to the needs of the poor. He comes from a poor country, so he knows what he is talking about. I hope that he will bring great change.?

CHALLENGING THE VATICAN

While Pope Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, has brought a dramatic change of style to the papacy, whether he brings a change of substance remains to be seen.

There are high hopes among many in the Catholic Church that he will take a more robust line against pedophile priests and the bishops who have protected them, and set about cleaning out the dysfunctional Curia, the bickering, intrigue-ridden governing body of the Church. The fact that Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope in history has bolstered the hopes of reformers ? the order is renowned for challenging the Vatican.

"It is surely important that the cardinals elected, as pope, a member of a religious order that is famous for challenging the Vatican,? says Jose Bento Da Silva, an expert on the Jesuits from Warwick University in the United Kingdom.

?No other religious order knows how to manage a global community like the Jesuits. That knowledge will be extremely relevant when it comes to the challenges Pope Francis faces," said Dr. Da Silva by e-mail. ?Being of European descent, but born and raised in South America, Pope Francis is one of the few cardinals capable of bringing together different ways of being a Catholic.?

The election of a ?Jesuit Pope,? who knows Europe and South America, Da Silva added, should lead to an interesting organizational period for the Church. "It is worth noting that, historically, whenever the Catholic Church has wanted to change, it first changed its leader, rather than its structure, or its processes.?

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/popes-first-mass-protect-person-especially-poorest-131230482.html

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Chicken lays giant egg with another egg inside it (+video)

Chicken lays giant egg: A hen in a village in China's?Guizhou Province has reportedly lain a nearly half-pound egg that had another egg inside it. How often does this happen?

By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / March 19, 2013

There are fairy tales of hens laying golden eggs. But few if any about a hen laying three eggs. Three eggs in one that is.

A hen in a small village in China's Guizhou Province has apparently lain a remarkable egg.

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According to New Tang Dynasty Television, the egg weighed almost half a pound. Inside were two yolks, plus another fully formed egg, making for a three-yolker.

?I?m more than 80 now, but I?ve never seen eggs like this before,? Ms. Yang, the hen's owner, told NTD.

This is not the first time this particular hen has reportedly lain a giant egg. Yang says she's dropped?five oversized ova in the past three weeks, and she speculated that the eggs have something to do with the hen's diet of rice, which the hen prefers to corn. ?

Is this the biggest egg ever measured? Oddly enough, the Guinness Book of World Records created their?Worlds Largest Chicken Egg category only recently, in 2011. That was in response to a hen in Yell County, Ark., laying an egg that, according to CNN,?weighed 5.4 ounces and measured 3 1/2 inches long.?

This record was reportedly topped a year later by?Franciscana, a hen in Colombia who reportedly laid an egg weighing 8.6 ounces, which would have made it even bigger than the Chinese hen's egg.?

For what it's worth, the record for the smallest egg ever laid goes to a hen in West Virginia?in 2011. Her egg weighed just over a tenth of an ounce, and was about the size of a penny.?

But what about the egg inside the egg? How rare is that?

Like almost everything on the Internet, this video might, of course, be a hoax. But eggs-within-eggs are not unheard of in nature.?This 2008 video from the New Scientist magazine explains how Matryoshka eggs are formed.?Basically, abnormal contractions push the egg back up the hen's oviduct and into the ovary, where it becomes surrounded by another egg.

An egg curator at the British Natural History Museum?describes this?as "a relatively rare occurrence." But if you do ever see an egg inside another egg, at least you now know which came first.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/YIJwHKuRhvY/Chicken-lays-giant-egg-with-another-egg-inside-it-video

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Rwandan government claims Ntaganda at US Embassy

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) ? The government of Rwanda claims that warlord Bosco Ntaganda, who was indicted on war crimes more than six years ago by the International Criminal Court, turned himself in on Monday to the United States Embassy in Kigali, the capital. But two U.S. embassy officials contacted by telephone denied the report.

First in a Tweet and later in an official communique, Rwanda's Foreign Minister and government spokeswoman Louise Mushikiwabo said, "We have just learned that Gen. Ntaganda presented himself at the U.S. Embassy early this morning."

In the capital of the neighboring nation of Congo, where Ntaganda has been on the run since last year, Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende confirmed the information: "We have learned from non-official sources that Bosco Ntaganda is at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali. We are waiting for the United States to make the news official and we are confident they will hand him over to justice."

But two U.S. embassy personnel in Kigali denied the report, when contacted by telephone. One official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, called the news false. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Susan Falatko said, "I have no information on this."

Nicknamed "The Terminator," for his ruthless actions, Ntaganda was born in Rwanda in 1973, and moved to the neighboring nation of Congo as a teenager. He was first indicted in 2006 by the International Criminal Court for conscripting and using child soldiers during his time as a senior commander in a Congolese rebel group accused of terrorizing the Ituri region of eastern Congo between 2002 and 2003. He later joined and rose through the ranks of a different rebel group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People, which signed a peace accord with the Congolese government on March 23, 2009.

The accord paved the way for Ntaganda and his fellow rebels to join the ranks of the regular Congolese army. He soon became one of Africa's symbols of impunity. Despite the outstanding warrant from the ICC and mounting evidence of continued abuse, he was awarded the rank of general in the Congolese army, living in an upscale villa in the eastern Congolese town of Goma, playing tennis in his spare time.

Then last spring, he and his men began defecting from the Congolese army by the hundreds, claiming that the government had failed to uphold their end of the 2009 deal. They started a new rebellion, dubbed the M23, in honor of the March 23 signing of the now-defunct 2009 accord. And in November last year, the rebel group marched into and seized control of Goma, one of the most important cities in eastern Congo.

Ntaganda's role in the M23 rebellion remained murky, with human rights groups accusing him of leading it, while other M23 leaders attempted to distance themselves from the wanted general.

Earlier this month, M23 split into two different factions. While Ntaganda was believed to have enjoyed Rwanda's support, Rwanda's relationship with him ever since the split remains unclear.

Rights groups on Monday quickly called for the U.S. embassy to hand him over to The Hague.

"Bosco Ntaganda is not called 'The Terminator' for nothing. If he is at the U.S. embassy, the U.S. should immediately hand him over to the International Criminal Court for trial," said Sasha Lezhnev, senior analyst for the Enough Project in Washington, who closely follows Congo. "This would send serious signals to current and future warlords who continue to perpetrate atrocities in eastern Congo."

In Congo, Henri Bora Ladyi, who works at the Conflict Resolution Center which helps demobilize child soldiers, including some who fought in Ntaganda's rebel army, said: "It's a relief, but justice must be done. We fear that he will be kept in Rwanda and won't be extradited. Now what is important is to create space so that children in the M23 can leave the movement."

___

Gouby contributed to this report from Goma, Congo. Associated Press writer Rukmini Callimachi also contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rwandan-government-claims-ntaganda-us-embassy-164415568.html

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Does Greek coffee hold the key to a longer life?

Mar. 18, 2013 ? The answer to longevity may be far simpler than we imagine; it may in fact be right under our noses in the form of a morning caffeine kick. The elderly inhabitants of Ikaria, the Greek island, boast the highest rates of longevity in the World, and many scientists turn to them when looking to discover the 'secrets of a longer life'. In a new study in Vascular Medicine, published by SAGE, researchers investigating cardiovascular health believe that a cup of boiled Greek coffee holds the clue to the elderly islanders' good health.

Only 0.1% of Europeans live to be over 90, yet on the Greek island of Ikaria, the figure is 1%. This is recognized as one of the highest longevity rates anywhere -- and the islanders tend to live out their longer lives in good health.

Gerasimos Siasos, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Athens Medical School, Greece set out with his team to find out whether the elderly population's coffee drinking had an effect on their health. In particular, the researchers investigated links between coffee-drinking habits and the subjects' endothelial function. The endothelium is a layer of cells that lines blood vessels, which is affected both by aging and by lifestyle habits (such as smoking). The team homed in on coffee because recent studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may slightly reduce the risks of coronary heart disease, and that it may also have a positive impact on several aspects of endothelial health.

From a sample of 673 Ikarians aged over 65 who lived on the island permanently, the researchers randomly selected 71 men and 71 women to take part in the study. Medical staff used health checks (for high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) and questionnaires to get more detail on the participants' medical health, lifestyles and coffee drinking, in addition to testing their endothelial function.

The researchers investigated all types of coffee taken by participants -- but interestingly more than 87% of those in the study consumed boiled, Greek coffee daily. More importantly, subjects consuming mainly boiled Greek coffee had better endothelial function than those who consumed other types of coffee. Even in those with high blood pressure, boiled Greek coffee consumption was associated with improved endothelial function, without worrying impacts on blood pressure.

"Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages," Siasos concludes.

The new study provides a new connection between nutritional habits and cardiovascular health. Given the extent of coffee drinking across the world, and the fact that even small health effects of at least one type of coffee could have a large impact on public health, this study provides an interesting starting point. However, further studies are needed to document the exact beneficial mechanisms of coffee on cardiovascular health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by SAGE Publications, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Gerasimos Siasos, Evangelos Oikonomou, Christina Chrysohoou, Dimitris Tousoulis, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Marina Zaromitidou, Konstantinos Zisimos, Eleni Kokkou, Georgios Marinos, Athanasios G Papavassiliou, Christos Pitsavos, and Christodoulos Stefanadis. Consumption of a boiled Greek type of coffee is associated with improved endothelial function: The Ikaria Study. Vasc Med, March 18, 2013 DOI: 10.1177/1358863X13480258

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/YCZcMqAQvh8/130318151620.htm

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Beach wedding? Our top 3 tips for the perfect plus size wedding dress

People are finding themselves veering away from the more traditional church weddings and heading to warmer climates for that tropical beach wedding of their dreams. But what is the best kind of dress to wear in a beach wedding??As part of our Guide to plus size weddings we are bringing you all our plus size wedding know-how! Beach weddings are becoming more and more popular.

Tip 1

You need to get an idea of what kind of style you are looking for and whether it will suit you. Knowing your body shape is imperative. Browse through sites and magazines and print or tear out pictures that appeal to you. Eventually you?ll begin to see that there is probably a pattern to the type of plus size wedding dress you are drawn to. Then compare it against your body shape to make sure that it is a look you can pull off.

Tip 2

Check out all the bridal shows in your area. These shows are great for ?showcasing new and upcoming bridal wear. Talk to the experts and ask them which kind of plus size wedding dress they would recommend for a beach wedding and make appointments to visit their stores to see what their plus-size area has to offer. Always ask for a business card and if there are discounts available.

Tip 3

Think about the length and fabric of your dress. For a beach wedding you need to consider a plus size wedding dress in a lightweight fabric, such as cotton or linen, and consider whether you want a light, airy wrap to cover your shoulders.?If you are literally getting married on the sand you may want to opt for a dress that is not floor length, to avoid ruining it. If this is the case then you need to make sure you know which length (ankle, knee, calf length) suits you best.

?

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Hoda Kotb Admits to "Landing Strip," Kathie Lee Gifford Defends Ungroomed Vagina

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