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Monday, June 24, 2013

Vegetation on Earth: Stunning satellite imagery depicting vegetation around the world

June 24, 2013 ? Although 75 percent of the planet is an ocean of blue, the remaining 25 percent of Earth's surface is a dynamic green.

Data from the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite is able to detect these subtle differences in greenness, and is sending extraordinary images back to Earth giving us a clearer picture of vegetation around the world.

NOAA, in cooperation with NASA, used satellite data from April 2012 to April 2013 to generate a stunning series of animations and images depicting the annual cycle of green vegetation on Earth. These images allow scientists to measure changes in vegetation over time.

Vegetation data has many applications, from weather and ecological forecasting, to understanding best practices for land use. Pixel by pixel analysis of vegetation changes from week to week to give an early warning for the outbreaks of drought, hazardous fire conditions, or even when malaria may break out in Sub-Saharan Africa. Because vegetation greatly affects runoff, surface temperature, and relative humidity of an area, more complex weather forecasts are beginning to integrate vegetation dynamics into numerical models and drought outlooks.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Tobs_-hMS0Y/130624141820.htm

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Report: UK hacking scandal went well beyond media

LONDON (AP) ? The phone hacking scandal rocking Britain extends well beyond the media industry to include law firms, debt collectors and other companies, a newspaper said Saturday.

The scandal has already sent shockwaves across the U.K. with revelations that journalists routinely intercepted voicemails, bribed public officials, and hacked into computers in their search for scoops.

The Independent, citing a leaked report from Britain's Serious and Organized Crime Agency and an unnamed person familiar with its content, said that many others were in on the shady practices ? including businessmen, attorneys, and debt collectors.

An unclassified summary of the report was published five years ago, but the Independent provided new details about its content, including the allegation that celebrities, businessmen, and an unnamed "major telecommunications company" had hired corrupt private investigators specializing in such practices. The paper didn't give further details or post the report to its website.

The crime agency said it would not comment on the Independent's report.

British police investigating the phone hacking scandal have made scores of arrests, many of them outside the world of journalism.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-06-22-EU-Britain-Hacking/id-612e7709e28849338627b420964ad042

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AP PHOTOS: Supermoon looms bright in night sky

AAA??Jun. 23, 2013?12:06 AM ET
AP PHOTOS: Supermoon looms bright in night sky
By The Associated Press?

?By The Associated Press

The moon is seen in its waxing gibbous stage as it rises behind the helicopter from the original Batman television show, which people can ride at the New Jersey State Fair, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The moon, which will reach its full stage on Sunday, is expected to be 13.5 percent closer to earth during a phenomenon known as supermoon. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A "supermoon" rises behind the Home Place clock tower in Prattville, Ala., Saturday, June 22, 2013. The biggest and brightest full moon of the year graces the sky early Sunday as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth than usual. While the moon will appear 14 percent larger than normal, sky watchers won't be able to notice the difference with the naked eye. Still, astronomers say it's worth looking up and appreciating the cosmos. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A "supermoon" rises behind roadside plants growing in Prattville, Ala., Saturday, June 22, 2013. The biggest and brightest full moon of the year graces the sky early Sunday as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth than usual. While the moon will appear 14 percent larger than normal, sky watchers won't be able to notice the difference with the naked eye. Still, astronomers say it's worth looking up and appreciating the cosmos. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A full moon rises beside the Bank of America corporate headquarters in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, June 22, 2013. The larger than normal moon called the "Supermoon" happens only once this year as the moon on its elliptical orbit is at its closest point to earth.(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

A full moon rises beside an office building in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, June 22, 2013. The larger than normal moon called the "Supermoon" happens only once this year as the moon on its elliptical orbit is at its closest point to earth.(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Look up in the sky for a super sight: the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.

The so-called supermoon will appear 14 percent larger than normal early Sunday as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth. Some may think the supermoon looks more dazzling, but it's actually an optical illusion. The moon looms larger on the horizon next to trees and buildings.

The moon will come within 222,000 miles of Earth and turn full around 7:30 a.m. EDT, making it the best time to view.

Here are AP photos of the supermoon:

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-06-23-Supermoon-Photo%20Gallery/id-bb752a8857ed42c3a807a141dea60fa9

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Syrian rebels have new, effective weapons

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels said Friday they have received new weapons from friendly countries that could lead to changes on the ground and victories against President Bashar Assad's forces.

The arms shipments arrived recently from Arab nations and other countries, a spokesman for the opposition fighters, Loay AlMikdad, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

He did not elaborate on the shipments but insisted no weapons have come from the United States so far.

AlMikdad's comments confirm earlier AP reporting that new weapons were recently delivered to the opposition from allies, enabling them to stall advances by regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest, and elsewhere.

Opposition members and experts had told the AP that Gulf countries delivered earlier this month new anti-tank missiles and some anti-aircraft missiles to rebel commanders.

The U.S. announced earlier this month it had conclusive evidence that Assad's regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against opposition forces. The White House said multiple chemical attacks last year killed up to 150 people.

Following the announcement, which also coincided with a new aggressive push by the regime to drive rebels from strategic areas they held, U.S. officials said President Barack Obama has authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels in a major policy shift.

Obama has said the use of chemical weapons crosses a "red line," triggering greater American involvement in the crisis.

Syrian rebels have long demanded they be supplied with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles but some Western nations are worried such weapons could end up in the hands of al-Qaida-linked groups that are fighting in Syria against Assad. The country's bloodshed has killed about 93,000 people since the crisis erupted in March 2011.

"You will see changes on the ground," said AlMikdad, the spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army, or FSA. "You will see victories by the Free Syrian Army and we will be able to repel attacks on civilian areas. We will be able to protect civilian areas in a better way."

His comments came hours after the main rebel military commander of the Western-backed FSA first confirmed his fighters had received the new weapons, refusing to describe the weapons or where they came from.

Gen. Salim Idris said they would give his forces more power against government troops and allied Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon.

"I would like to thank the brothers and the friends whom I don't want to name," Idris told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV on Friday.

Pressed to comment on weapons from the U.S., Idris only said: "We are waiting, and we urge them to hurry up in supplying us with weapons and ammunition."

Obama pointedly refused to detail steps his government has recently taken to arm rebels. U.S. officials have confirmed that the administration has approved weapons and ammunition shipments to the opposition, giving little details.

"We believe that the United States will implement its commitments toward us very soon," AlMikdad said. "We are strong on the ground. We will regain the territories that were taken by the regime."

"People will see that all the Free Syrian Army needed was weapons to bring down the regime," he added.

Meanwhile, activists reported that troops pounded several areas around the country on Friday, including the Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun and Aleppo city.

Amateur videos showed smoke billowing from Qaboun as it was subjected to shelling. The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a Syrian warplane carried out an air raid on Jobar, a key district on the edge of Damascus. It gave no word on casualties.

Also Friday, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF said that soaring summer temperatures, overcrowding and worsening hygiene are the latest threats facing some 4 million children affected by Syria's civil war.

"Without enough safe water and sanitation, the likelihood that children in Syria and those living as refugees around the region will fall sick with diarrhea and other diseases is certain to rise," said Maria Calivis, UNICEF's director for Middle East and North Africa.

In Syria, the availability of safe water is one third what it was before the crisis, UNICEF said. Of the more than 4.25 million displaced Syrians, many live in overcrowded shelters with insufficient access to toilets and showers. The agency also said the sewage systems are damaged or overwhelmed by the increase in displaced populations.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-theyve-effective-weapons-162539008.html

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Hong Kong says Snowden has left for third country

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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)

HONG KONG (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday.

Hong Kong's government did not identify the country. Snowden, who has been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks since he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs, has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland.

However, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unidentified Aeroflot official as saying Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela. The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group tweeted that Snowden was "over Russian air space" and later said in a statement he was bound for an unnamed "democratic nation via a safe route for the purpose of asylum."

The White House had no immediate comment about the departure, which came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and gave a pointed warning to Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in the U.S.

The Department of Justice said only that it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."

It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.

WikiLeaks said it was providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from the group. Its founder, Julian Assange, who has spent a year inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about sex crime allegations, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his organization is in a position to help because it has expertise in international asylum and extradition law.

Snowden's departure eliminates a possible fight between Washington and Beijing at a time when China is trying to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance of American government and commercial operations. Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.

Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.

The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against delaying Snowden's extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News, "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."

Snowden's departure came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from Snowden that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.

He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.

Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.

The Chinese government has not commented on the extradition request and Snowden's departure, but its state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.

A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."

"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."

____

Sylvia Hui in London and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-23-NSA-Surveillance%20Hong%20Kong/id-34b1e81a28b34c45b2160287a644bf9a

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Vine gets an unofficial talent agency, helps you profit from six seconds of fame

Believe it or not, it's possible to to be a star within the six seconds of a Vine video -- just ask the likes of Riff Raff or Will Sasso, whose Vines are nearly as popular as their usual work. Social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk is starting up a talent agency, Grape Story, to make sure those celebs are getting paid in more than just likes. While Vaynerchuk isn't naming initial clients beyond co-founder Jerome Jarre, he expects the agency to be profitable enough that a wildly popular Vine user could make a living from posting 20 clips a year. There's also no word on when the agency will be open for business, although it already has a partnership lined up with Virgin Mobile. Just don't expect a rush toward Instagram videos -- for now, Grape Story is focused on the more established platform.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: Fast Company

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/20/vine-gets-an-unofficial-talent-agency/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Monday, June 17, 2013

Classic cars and motorbikes on show at Raby Castle (From The ...

Classic cars and motorbikes on show at Raby Castle

11:12am Sunday 16th June 2013 in News

FANS of classic cars and motorbikes were able to browse a large selection of vintage vehicles at Raby Castle.

The Mark Woodward Classic Car Show was based at the castle, based at Staindrop, near Darlington, at the weekend.

The nostalgic show featured more than 300 classic cars, trucks, commercials, vintage tractors and a selection of bikes.

Visitors were able to browse round the vehicles and speak to some of the owners.

There was also a children's fun fair and an auto jumble offering items for those looking for a bargain or a rare or discontinued part.

Raby Castle's 250 acre deer park, 18th century gardens and coach house and horse carriage museum were also open to the public over the weekend.

Source: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10487968.Classic_cars_and_motorbikes_on_show_at_Raby_Castle/

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