Sunday, December 9, 2012

New stunning nighttime views of Earth unveiled

Essential News from The Associated Press

AAA??Dec. 5, 2012?8:47 PM ET
New stunning nighttime views of Earth unveiled
AP

In this image provided by NASA, the United States of America is seen at night from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. The image was made possible by the new satellite?s ?day-night band? of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight. (AP Photo/NASA)

In this image provided by NASA, the United States of America is seen at night from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. The image was made possible by the new satellite?s ?day-night band? of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight. (AP Photo/NASA)

In this image from Oct. 13, 2012 provided by NASA, the Nile River valley and delta is seen at night from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite. The image was made possible by the new satellite?s ?day-night band? of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight. The Nile River Valley and Delta comprise less than 5 percent of Egypt?s land area, but provide a home to roughly 97 percent of the country?s population. Nothing makes the location of human population clearer than the lights illuminating the valley and delta at night. The city lights resemble a giant calla lily, just one with a kink in its stem near the city of Luxor. Some of the brightest lights occur around Cairo, but lights are abundant along the length of the river. Bright city lights also occur along the Suez Canal and around Tel Aviv. Away from the lights, however, land and water appear uniformly black. This image was acquired near the time of the new Moon, and little moonlight was available to brighten land and water surfaces. (AP Photo/NASA)

In this image from Sept. 24, 2012 provided by NASA, the Korean Peninsula is seen at night from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite. The image was made possible by the new satellite?s ?day-night band? of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight. City lights at night are a fairly reliable indicator of where people live. But this isn?t always the case, and the Korean Peninsula shows why. As of July 2012, South Korea?s population was estimated at roughly 49 million people, and North Korea?s population was estimated at about half that number. But where South Korea is gleaming with city lights, North Korea has hardly any lights at all, just a faint glimmer around Pyongyang. The wide-area image shows the Korean Peninsula, parts of China and Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the Sea of Japan. The white inset box encloses an area showing ship lights in the Yellow Sea. Many of the ships form a line, as if assembling along a watery border. (AP Photo/NASA)

A 1/20 scale model of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, which was launched last year, is seen Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. A new sensor aboard this satellite is enabling scientists to observe Earth's atmosphere and surface during nighttime hours, in greater detail than ever before. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

This image provided by NASA shows the eastern seaboard of the United States of America at night from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite as Hurricane Sandy came ashore on Oct. 30, 2012. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of hurricane Sandy at 3:35 a.m. EDT. This image is from the ?day-night band? on VIIRS, which detects light wavelengths from green to near-infrared. The full Moon, which exacerbated the height of the storm water surge, lit the tops of the clouds. Sandy?s clouds stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to Chicago. Clusters of lights gave away the locations of some cities throughout the region; but along the East Coast, clouds obscured the lights, many of which were blacked out due to the storm. Several million customers over multiple states were without electricity. (AP Photo/NASA)

(AP) ? Twinkling city lights, raging wildfires and colorful auroras are lit up in new dazzling nighttime views of the Earth.

The new images released Wednesday are courtesy of a newly launched NASA-NOAA satellite that's equipped with a sensor to observe the planet at night.

There's the Nile River bathed in city lights. A map of the United States shows the populated East Coast illuminated. Light from fishing boats can be pinpointed.

The satellite also captured the glow from natural sources including moonlight, northern lights and naturally-occurring fires.

After Superstorm Sandy made landfall in late October, hard-hit New Jersey, lower Manhattan and the Rockaways appeared dark in the satellite images compared with surrounding areas ? the result of widespread power outages.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-12-05-Earth%20At%20Night/id-f3d4dfd4aab64d2ca6b802dd8e486971

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Deal of the Day ? 7? Lenovo IdeaPad A1107 16GB Android 4.0 Tablet

Sunday’s LogicBUY Deal is the?7″ Lenovo IdeaPad A1107 tablet, starting at just?$129. ?Features: 7″ 1024 X 600 multi-touch screen 16GB storage 512MB LP DDR Ram ARM Cortex A8 (TI OMAP 3622) 1.0GHz processor 801.22n WiFi and Bluetooth Cameras: 0.3MP front and rear cameras Android 4.0 OS White model: ?$199 – $70 coupon code = $129?with [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/12/09/deal-of-the-day-7-lenovo-ideapad-a1107-16gb-android-4-0-tablet/

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ABCD is a family entertaining film' claims Salman Yusuff Khan!

[unable to retrieve full-text content]He claims that the film is a pure family entertainment, which definitely kicks in each mind. "Like I always try to bring something new, similarly our whole ABCD team has tried to make something like that. When we were making ...

Source: http://www.bolegaindia.com/gossips/ABCD_is_a_family_entertaining_film_claims_Salman_Yusuff_Khan-gid-22250-gc-6.html

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Browns' Cribbs not in favor of banning kickoffs

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2012, file photo, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs (16) runs the ball on a kickoff return against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland. Cribbs doesn't like the possibility that the NFL will replace the kickoff. Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that the league's competition committee will consider eliminating the kickoff in the offseason. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2012, file photo, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs (16) runs the ball on a kickoff return against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland. Cribbs doesn't like the possibility that the NFL will replace the kickoff. Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that the league's competition committee will consider eliminating the kickoff in the offseason. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)

(AP) ? Kickoffs have defined Josh Cribbs' career in the NFL, and made him an invaluable weapon for the Cleveland Browns.

So the thought of the league abolishing the exciting play irritates the return specialist.

"They need to call it a different league if they do that," Cribbs said. "It'll change the game drastically."

Earlier this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league's competition committee will consider eliminating kickoffs in the offseason. In an effort to reduce head injuries and protect players, the league previously moved the kickoff from the 30 to 35-yard line to cut down on violent collisions.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano has suggested that instead of kickoffs, teams would have the option of punting from the 30-yard line and going for a first down in a fourth-and-15 situation. While he coached at Rutgers, Schiano witnessed one of his players, Eric LeGrand, get paralyzed on a kickoff in 2010.

Goodell has called Schiano's idea "interesting."

Browns kicker Phil Dawson believes it's illogical.

"I'm all for player safety," said Dawson, in his 14th season with Cleveland. "I do think the NFL has done a good job in the past ? like with the wedge rule. This suggestion doesn't add up. It doesn't address what they say the dangers are because punts are just as violent. There aren't going to be any touchbacks. How many times have you seen a punt returner waiting for the ball to come down and the gunner just kills him?

"It doesn't make sense to me."

Cribbs, who shares the league record (8) for kickoff return touchdowns with Seattle's Leon Washington, can't envision the game he has played since he was a kid not having kickoffs.

"I couldn't ever see that," said Cribbs, sixth on the career kickoff yardage list. "That's like taking the goal post out of the stadium, taking the whole post and uprooting it. Only play offense and defense, just like intramurals. Then play indoors and put flags in our pants."

Dawson believes recent rules changes like banning the blocking wedge, moving the kickoff up five yards and limiting the number of players that can line up on one side of the ball for an onside kick, have lessened the number of violent collisions in games.

However, there are plenty of other plays when hard hits are common. He cited punts as a prime example.

"When the ball is 50 yards down the field, guys are running full speed and you get a lot of cross blocks and guys getting knocked out," Dawson said. "I still wouldn't say it's any more dangerous than any other play. I watch wide receivers get concussions each and every week in the NFL, yet we're going to pick on kickoffs? That doesn't add up to me."

Dawson said taking away the kickoff ? and it's only a suggestion at this point ? would also remove other elements that help make pro football special.

"There is so much scheming, personnel matchups, strategy that goes into each and every kickoff that people will never understand," he said. "All they see is a guy run and kick the ball. But there's a lot that goes into it and it would be a shame to see that much thought be removed from the game.

"And hey, I'm probably someone who would benefit from this rule, so I don't have a vested interest. I'm known as a field-goal guy, so if anything it would help me, so I'm not saying this because I'm mad, I'm a kicker and I'm going to lose. I don't think this suggestion makes sense."

The argument that taking away kickoffs would cost players jobs isn't a sound one, Dawson said. Most teams use the same players to cover punts and kickoffs and only two teams have kickoff specialists.

For both Cribbs and Dawson, the kickoff is as much a part of pro football as the handoff or forward pass. It is engrained in the sport's deepest roots.

"From when I was a little kid I dreamed about having the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl and all the flashbulbs go off," he said. "I want to be that guy. There's so much that can be accomplished on that play for both sides. To think a guy like Josh Cribbs wouldn't have the opportunity to have the career he's had because of all the excitement he's brought the game.

"I can remember Desmond Howard returning a kick for a touchdown in the Super Bowl and what a game-changing play that was."

Cribbs also applauds the NFL's efforts to make the game safer, but thinks it's becoming too muted. Stripping away the kickoff would make things worse.

"It's getting to be too much of an entertainment business instead of a sport," he said. "I know it's a sport and entertainment and there's a lot of revenue involved, but it'd be straight entertainment and no sports. We won't even be on NFL Network, we'll be on MTV.

"It'd be a made-up sport."

___

NOTES: Browns P Reggie Hodges was named the club's Ed Block Courage Award winner, given to the player who exemplifies courage, compassion, commitment and community service. Hodges came back after sustaining a season-ending Achilles injury in 2011. He went on a mission to Jamaica during the offseason, bringing shoes and supplies to underprivileged children. "He's a great locker room guy and a great guy in the community," Dawson of his teammate. "He certainly deserves that award." ... The Browns did not have a single player listed as "questionable," ''doubtful" or "out" on their injury report. They had 10 players listed as "probable."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-07-FBN-Browns-Kickoffs/id-b43989778f26461a8d5799ee93e5b548

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Marilyn Monroe photos on auction in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) ? Who doesn't want a picture of Marilyn Monroe?

Hundreds of photographs of the blonde bombshell and other celebrities, including famous ones of Monroe in bed and as a ballerina, were being sold Thursday evening at an auction house in Poland.

Bidders and spectators packed the Desa Unicum house in Warsaw, where 238 pictures by the late American fashion and celebrity photographer Milton H. Greene were up for sale.

Most of these pictures of Monroe were taken from 1953 to 1957 when Greene was her advisor and business partner. He made many of the prints during Monroe's lifetime and they are highly valued by collectors. They include series of refined black-and-white studio photos and shots taken in natural surroundings, sometime in provocative poses.

As the bidding began, a black-and-white photo of a reclining Monroe in black stockings sold for 50,000 zlotys ($16,000), and another of her in a ballerina's dress sold for almost $20,000. A picture of her in bed sold for 26,000 zlotys.

The auction also offered Greene's pictures of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich and Liza Minnelli. Other greats in the vast portrait collection, which was estimated at $680,000, included Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Alfred Hitchcock and Marlon Brando.

The photos come from a collection of some 4,000 Greene pictures that Poland obtained from Chicago businessman Dino Matingas in the mid-1990s as the result of a complex communist-era embezzlement scandal linked to the buy-out of Poland's state debt. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Polish government.

Some of the images have never been published before, according to Marta Maciazek, the Polish official in charge of cleaning up the mess from the corruption affair.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marilyn-monroe-photos-auction-poland-200431263.html

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More than $30 million in State Revolving Fund Loans awarded ...

November 8, 2012

More than $30 million in State Revolving Fund Loans awarded

DES MOINES ? The Iowa Finance Authority recently awarded a combined total of more than $30 million in water quality loans to assist projects through out the state including Moulton and Ottumwa.

State Revolving Fund Construction Loans are now offered at an historic low interest rate of 1.75 percent for most loans, which provide communities and municipalities with much needed financing for construction costs of water quality projects. Planning & Design Loans are zero percent loans that assist communities and municipalities with first-phase project expenses. The Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources jointly administer the State Revolving Fund.

The city of Moulton received $82,225 for clean water planning and design; and Ottumwa Water and Hydro received $1,250,000 for drinking water construction.

The Iowa Finance Authority has awarded Iowa communities and municipalities more than $1.9 billion in construction loans and $120 million through planning and design loans since program inception. The loans are made available as part of the State Revolving Fund.

Source: http://dailyiowegian.com/local/x2082765398/More-than-30-million-in-State-Revolving-Fund-Loans-awarded

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home improvement | pebble tile in bathroom

Pebble tile flooring offers a beautiful natural look and feel and can be used for a wide range of applications both indoors and out. Indoors, it is mainly seen in bathrooms. It looks wonderful either as a shower floor, bathroom floor or even as a backsplash.

What is pebble tile?
Pebble tiles generally come in 12? X 12? interlocking sheets, with each sheet covered in natural stones which are bonded to a mesh backing. When properly installed, there should be no visible seems between the sheets.

What are some of the pros and cons of pebble flooring?
? Naturally withstand water (the stones are collected from beaches, after all), making them particularly good for bathroom applications.
? Available in a wide range of colors and textures, they can work with any type of decor from rustic to contemporary and are extremely versatile.
? Excellent way to add a touch of nature to any space.
? The feel and texture of natural pebble underfoot is unmatched; it?s a bit like having a foot massage every time you walk on it. Personally, I love the feeling but it?s not for everyone. Try it out barefoot in a showroom or take a sample home and walk on it before committing to pebble. If you prefer an even surface, you can opt for sliced pebble, which offers a flat surface and similar look.
? Polished pebbles can be very slippery. This finish is not recommended for showers or bathroom floors.

How-To Tips
*This is not a tutorial. For tutorials or installation instructions, check with your tile?s manufacturer.

According to the DIY Network, installing your own pebble flooring is a moderately difficult do-it-yourself project. If you don?t know your way around a trowel or you don?t know the difference between Thinset and grout, you should probably leave this one up to a bathroom remodeling professional. However, if you have reasonable amount of DIY experience, you should be able to tick off ?installing pebble tiles? from your home improvement checklist.

  • Lay out the pattern of the pebble sheets before you adhere them into place. The stones will fit together like puzzles.
  • If there are any gaps along the edges of your tiling area, use some loose pebbles and place them in the empty spaces.
  • Seal the pebbles and grout at the end of installation to protect against mold and mildew and to make the surface easier to clean.

If you would like to know more about having a pebble tile installed in your home call your local home improvement expert or bathroom remodeling contractor.

Resource: DIY Network and Select Floors

Related: Bathroom Flooring Options

Source: http://www.my-home-improvement.com/2012/11/08/using-pebble-tile-in-the-bathroom/

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