Isaac's Impacts: Destruction from 'Just a Cat 1' Storm

When Hurricane Isaac swept ashore as a Category 1 storm, its destructive power seemingly took some by surprise. As images of submerged houses and news of dramatic rooftop rescues made the rounds, the Web was abuzz with expressions of disbelief that a mere "Cat 1" storm could be the culprit for the catastrophe unfolding before people's eyes.

"Man that's just too much water to be a Category 1 or tropical storm," wrote @KeepNUpWithMike, reflecting the sentiments of many Twitter users.

Yet these labels ? Category 1 hurricane, tropical storm? are based only on top sustained wind speeds. And although that's important, it's by no means the only factor that determines a storm's appetite for destruction, explained Tim Schott, a meteorologist at National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. "There are other factors that can be critical as well," he told OurAmazingPlanet.

However, none of these other factors are used to rank hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. And some scientists argue that since the labels reflect only one facet of a storm's destructive power, it's time to change the way we categorize tropical storms and hurricanes.

Yet all forecasters emphasized that storms that are comparatively low on the hurricane scale can still cause horrific damage.

"A lot of the news media and people in general have noted this is only a Category 1 storm, but [Isaac's effects] show that Category 1 is just the description of the winds," Schott said. [Images: Hurricane Isaac Packs a Punch]

Causes of destruction

Along with wind speed, the sheer size of a storm, how quickly it is moving and the angle at which it's approaching land also influence its potential to wreak havoc. Isaac possessed some of the most menacing of these qualities.

First, Isaac is simply a big storm, said Chris Landsea, the science and operations officer at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "Ever since it formed, it's been a large tropical cyclone," he told OurAmazingPlanet.

Bigger storms have a wider reach, affecting more people, and they're also tied to more severe storm surge, or "the ocean being pushed ashore," as Landsea described it.

"Isaac's storm surge is extended all the way to the Florida panhandle," Schott said, adding that parts of Louisiana have seen inundation as high as 11 feet (3 meters).

Isaac is also moving slowly. The storm crept along at about 6 mph (9 kph) for most of Tuesday and Wednesday, and is moving at 8 mph (13 kph) today (Aug. 30) ? a snail's pace for a storm. That means it's hammering the same areas with heavy downpours for hours, even days, at a time.

Even relatively wimpy storms can cause terrible damage if they stay parked in place, Landsea and Schott said, since the unending rains can spark inland flooding. Isaac has reportedly dropped some 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain near Gretna, La., according to unofficial numbers from the National Hurricane Center.

The direction of a storm's approach also plays a role in its destructive power ? certain angles promote greater storm surge, said Robert Henson, a meteorologist who works as a science writer for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colo.

Isaac hit the Gulf Coast?along a track moving from southeast to northwest. Since hurricanes and tropical storms spin counterclockwise (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least), Louisiana lay in the path of the winds as they swung northward and westward, allowing the storm to push even more ocean water toward land. In that situation, a tropical cyclone "will pile up more water," Henson said.

What's in a name?

Yesterday afternoon, Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm ? its winds dropped to 70 mph (110 kph), falling 4 mph short of the dividing line between a Category 1 hurricane and a tropical storm.

"Whew #Isaac down to a Tropical Storm," wrote Sam Champion, the weather anchor for ABC's "Good Morning America," just after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced the storm was no longer a hurricane.

Yet the message from the NHC wasn't one to inspire relief: "Isaac weakens to a tropical storm. Life-threatening hazards from storm surge and inland flooding are still occurring," forecasters wrote. [Video: Isaac Makes Landfall]

The downgrade had done little to change immediate conditions on the ground.

Quite a few tropical storms and Category 1 hurricanes have proved incredibly destructive in the past, yet their power still seems to surprise. Just last year, Irene made landfall in New York as a strong tropical storm, and caused some $19 billion in damage, Henson said ? much of it because of horrific flooding.

In the face of continued shock at the power of relatively low-ranked storms, some say that the labels themselves can promote a false sense of security.

"The public has really latched onto the Saffir-Simpson category number," said Mark Powell, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) hurricane research division.

"They know what category they're going to move for, and if they hear something is just a tropical storm or just a Category 1, they may think it's not worth considering evacuation or even putting shutters on," Powell said, emphasizing that these are his views as a scientist, and not necessarily those of NOAA.

Powell has partnered with an engineer to come up with a different way to quantify hurricanes. The system takes more factors than wind speed into consideration when labeling a storm. Called Integrated Kinetic Energy, the methodology tries to paint a more nuanced portrait of a storm's power by accounting for its overall wind energy, and looking at its sheer size, both of which affect its destructive potential.

"We've tried pretty hard to push for changing the way we're doing things right now so these large storms are given more consideration," Powell said. "Unfortunately, this is an area that is in desperate need of change, but has not changed yet."

Reach Andrea Mustain at amustain@techmedianetwork.com, or follow her on Twitter @AndreaMustain.?Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.?

Copyright 2012 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/isaacs-impacts-destruction-just-cat-1-storm-155425926.html

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Review: 'Madden NFL 13' a bold revamp of franchise

EA Sports has rolled the dice on a major overhaul of its best-selling "Madden NFL" football franchise this season ? and most of its gambles have paid off.

"Madden NFL 13" (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.95) swapped out the booth announcers, switched to a more classic presentation, overhauled the menu system and crafted a comprehensive Connected Career mode.

But the most notable change is a new physics engine that dramatically varies the hits and avoids the repetitive sequences of previous years. The real-time action is way more exciting than in previous years, as players bounce off each other with force and stumble over on-field pileups.

The Infinity Engine is far from perfect, resulting at times in bent-back arms, overly dramatic flailing and enough neck snaps to keep a team neurologist running tests around the clock. But most of the animations hold their realism in slow motion. Introducing real physics into collisions is a huge change for the Madden franchise, and the developers are sure to refine it in future installments.

One of the major offensive changes this season is the addition of receiver awareness. A quarterback now must wait for a receiver to be ready (as indicated by his icon changing from grayed-out to color) before making a throw. That's a big improvement, since quickly throwing a 10-yard pass to a wide-out running a deep route should not result in a completion.

Xbox 360 players can now use the Kinect microphone to control some of the action. To be able to simply call out "Audible, Deep Pass" when you see the defense stacked against the run or yell "Blitz" on defense is much easier than scrambling with buttons.

After modeling its presentation style in previous years around Fox Sports and ESPN broadcasts, "Madden NFL 13" has opted for a more subdued CBS-style approach, replacing rock and hip-hop tunes with orchestral scores and putting Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth.

The play-by-play and commentary are remarkably natural considering EA Sports started from scratch with the announcing pair, and their laid-back style is better suited to make 9,000 recorded phrases sound like they're being spoken in sentences. Attempts during the past two years to piece together clips of Fox announcer Gus Johnson ? ranging from calm to frenzied ? never quite worked.

After revamping the franchise mode last year, "Madden NFL 13" combines the franchise and be-a-star modes into Connected Careers, which offers incredible depth. Gamers can create a rookie, become a coach or take control of a Hall of Famer in either off-line or online modes.

Altogether, the upgrades in "Madden NFL 13" provide great hope for the future of the franchise. Three-and-a-half stars out of four.

___

EA Sports has taken a more conservative approach with its college football sim, "NCAA Football 13" (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.95).

The series has continued to improve its graphics to keep up with its pro-football cousin. It also made some key improvements on offense, adding new quarterback drop-backs, throw and catch animations and pass trajectories as well as the receiver awareness feature found in "Madden NFL 13."

A great new mode is the Heisman Challenge that allows players to take control of a legendary player during his breakout season. Since EA can only refer to current college athletes with generic names like "RB (hash)22," the ability to play to run over defenses as Barry Sanders or Herschel Walker is a welcome addition. The Heisman Challenge also offers the ability to briefly slow time to look down receivers or find key blocks to trail. It's like the bullet time in "Fallout 3" ? without the bullets.

"NCAA Football 13" is a solid game, but its improvements are incremental and I'm not sure it's worth shelling out another $60 if you own last year's model. Three stars out of four.

Source: http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.phdo?i=3ce14eb3839266a82ce6692c8b67c60a

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Brian Pruitt named Assistant Coach at Stetson

FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE

(Courtesy of Stetson Media Relations)

The road has already gone full circle for Brian Pruitt in his short career as a college baseball coach.

The former Hatters player completed his journey back to the beginning this week when he was named as the new volunteer assistant coach for the Stetson baseball program by head coach Pete Dunn.

Pruitt replaces Matt Untiet, who left Stetson after two seasons in the role as volunteer assistant for a full-time assistant coaching position at the University of Rhode Island.

?I am really happy for Matt that he was able to secure a full-time position at Rhode Island,? Dunn said. He will do a great job for them there, just as he did for us here at Stetson.?

In replacing Untiet, Dunn had only to look a short drive down Interstate 95 to Barry University, where Pruitt just completed two years as a graduate assistant.

?We are extremely happy to have Brian back in the program,? Dunn said. ?Obviously he is very familiar with the Stetson University system. He was a hard-nosed player in our program and he will bring that same attitude back as a member of the coaching staff.?

In his role as the volunteer assistant, Pruitt will work with the Hatters? outfielders, assist with the hitters and the strength and conditioning program and oversee the Pete Dunn Stetson Baseball Camps.

A native of Miami, Pruitt left Stetson following his junior season in 2008 after being drafted by the Washington Nationals. The realization set in quickly, as the result of two elbow surgeries, that his future would be somewhere other than as a player. As a result, he spent his spare time working to complete his degree.

He did that through an online program at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa.

?Once I got into pro ball I saw the writing on the wall and I knew I wanted to coach,? Pruitt said. ?I wanted to hit the ground running so I spent all of the bus rides and time in hotels finishing up my degree. They have an online business management program, so I did that.?

After walking away from the game as a player, Pruitt took a position outside Atlanta at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Ga., where he was an assistant coach and substitute teacher.

?I coached high school ball for a year, but I knew that I wanted to coach at the collegiate level,? Pruitt said. ?I was able to get a graduate assistant position down at Barry University where I could coach and go to school. I did that for two years and wanted to get back to the Division I level.?

He completed his Master?s in Sport Management last May, while also working as an intern at Nova Southeastern University, working in academics, communications and game-day operations in the athletics department. Those two jobs completed a busy academic year than included his marriage to Stetson alum Megan Trombino in November.

Returning to Stetson was a goal Pruitt had hope to achieve in his coaching career.

?I actually preferred to come back to Stetson because I knew what to expect,? Pruitt said. ?I am really excited about being back here because this is a very established baseball program. Pete has a lot to offer in terms of knowing the game and there is much I can learn from being around here every day. That is especially true for situational baseball, because no one knows that better.?

As a player at Stetson from 2006-08, Pruitt posted a .270 batting average in 165 games with 26 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs and 121 runs batted in.

?We are just very happy to have Brian and his wife Megan back at Stetson,? Dunn said.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CollegeBaseballDaily/~3/vMEKcbftHaQ/

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Lindsay Lohan: Off the Hook in Burglary Case as Witnesses Refuse to Come Forward!

Lindsay Lohan has escaped again. She will NOT be prosecuted for her alleged role in the theft of more than $100,000 in watches and sunglasses this month.

According to the D.A.'s office, there is insufficient evidence to bring a burglary charge against the star, despite Lohan being the prime suspect in the caper.

One key component: The D.A. feels Lindsay and Sam Magid, who owns the house that was allegedly burglarized, have had a "longstanding relationship."

Sam also did not identify the actress as a suspect and other witnesses "have refused to become involved." Also, no suspects were found with stolen property.

Case closed.

Lindsay's assistant Gavin Doyle, who was also considered a suspect in the theft occurring a week ago Sunday, will not face prosecution either, TMZ reports.

"The District Attorney's Office received no evidence that any jewelry, including watches, was taken," according to a statement released by the office.

"The evidence presented to us was valued at $6,400 and included $3,000 in cash, four pairs of sunglasses, an iPod and keys to two cars and a house."

The key here is that the initial theft complaint, which included $100,000 worth of watches and sunglasses, never made its way to the D.A.'s office.

Most likely this is due to the fact that Sam was not ready to go to war against LiLo, who fingered Andrew Knight (son of Suge) for the pilfering.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/lindsay-lohan-off-the-hook-in-burglary-case-as-witnesses-refuse/

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Cat videos get their moment at Minn. film festival

Katie Hill, a program associate with the Walker Art Center, shows a frame from a cat video of a cat playing the piano Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Minneapolis. The Walker will present its first "Internet Cat Video Film Festival" to showcase the best in filmed feline hijinks. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Katie Hill, a program associate with the Walker Art Center, shows a frame from a cat video of a cat playing the piano Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Minneapolis. The Walker will present its first "Internet Cat Video Film Festival" to showcase the best in filmed feline hijinks. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Warning: This is a story about online cat videos. If you're among the seemingly tiny minority of the general population not interested in watching a 1-minute clip of a cat in a T-shirt pounding on a keyboard, then move along.

For everyone else, a new measure of respectability is looming for an Internet pleasure that is both massively popular and, for some people, a bit embarrassing. The Walker Art Center, a well-regarded museum of modern art in Minneapolis, on Thursday is presenting its first "Internet Cat Video Film Festival" to showcase the best in filmed feline hijinks.

With about 70 videos over 60 minutes, the Walker is mounting a social experiment as much as a film festival. At issue is whether cat video lovers used to gorging on the clips in the privacy of their homes will do so in public ? an online community of fellow aficionados interacting face to face for the first time.

"It is a cultural phenomenon that raises some interesting questions," said Katie Hill, the Walker program associate who first suggested the festival.

But Hill, a self-described "art historian and cat lady," was quick to add: "I'm not a behavioral psychologist, I'm not a sociologist. I just think they're funny and cute, and I think a lot of other people do too."

The numbers bear it out. Some of the classics of the form have racked up tens of millions of YouTube page views. The aforementioned "Keyboard Cat" posted 26.3 million page views since it was posted in 2007. A 30-second clip titled "Very Angry Cat" ? can you guess the plot? ? has 78.5 million page views since 2006.

"Some you just watch over and over and over again," said Angie Bailey, a cat blogger and owner from Chisago City, Minn., covering the film festival for the website Catster.com. "When you want to laugh and feel good it's sort of an escape from what happens in the real world."

Walker programmers got about 10,000 submissions for the festival after initially expecting several hundred. They whittled that down to the 70 videos to be shown on an outdoor screen on the museum's grounds.

Afterward, festivalgoers will be able to vote online for a "Best in Show" award. In addition, the Walker programmers picked a "Golden Kitty Award" to be bestowed at the end of the night.

"The Walker has advised, if you bring your cat put it on a leash," said Josh Feist, a Minneapolis arts administrator who planned to take his cat, Pickles, to the show. "It could be potentially crazy if there are hundreds of people who bring their cats. It will be interesting to see what develops."

Get the video cameras ready.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-08-29-Cat%20Video%20Festival/id-0830f8f868164b71aa88cbcef2fa017d

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While US waits, Ryan prepares convention speech

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Preparing for the biggest moment of his political career, Paul Ryan tested the microphones and teleprompter before his speech Wednesday night accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination.

Ryan was joined by his wife, Janna, and their three children, who played around at the podium.

The Wisconsin congressman asked to be shown where the delegations from his home state and neighboring Michigan will sit. He said he'd point to them during his address.

The speech is expected to include a nod to Ryan's Irish immigrant ancestors and small-town values, along with praise for Mitt Romney and criticism of President Barack Obama.

When reporters asked about the speech, Ryan answered: "You'll hear tonight."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/while-us-waits-ryan-prepares-convention-speech-194652337--election.html

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N. Korea's first Paralympian scrambled to qualify

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea's first and only Paralympian is a swimmer who doesn't live in North Korea and, until a few months ago, didn't know how to swim. But he's an inspiration in a country where disabled people are just beginning to get the support they need to shine as athletes.

Long accused by rights activists of shunting its disabled residents off to isolated detention camps, North Korea gained provisional membership in the International Paralympic Committee earlier this year.

"Healthy or disabled, if you have the will to succeed, there is no obstacle in your way," said Li Pun Hui, a former table tennis star who has become her country's leading advocate for disabled athletes.

Clearance to participate in the Paralympics, which open Wednesday in London, came too late to qualify for most events, but swimming was an exception. That made Rim Ju Song, a 16-year-old who actually lives in Beijing, North Korea's only hope to compete this year.

One problem: Rim, who lost an arm and leg in a construction accident, couldn't really swim. His first training session in April was a disaster.

He sank "like a rock," recalled Kim Sung Chol of the North Korean Paralympic Committee. Nevertheless, he soon learned the crawl stroke and in May, Rim and his coaches boarded a plane for Berlin and his first international competition.

Only upon arrival did the North Koreans learn that Rim would need a second stroke to compete. He spent the next two weeks learning the breaststroke. Rim finished last in one event and was disqualified in the other, but that was good enough for a wild card slot in the Paralympics, where on Sept. 4 he'll compete in the 50-meter freestyle.

Gripping the North Korean flag, he smiled Monday as his nation was introduced at a Paralympics welcoming ceremony in London.

His performance will be watched closely back in North Korea, where sports play a major role in life. From the streets of the capital to the dusty fields of the countryside, kids are constantly kicking around soccer balls, and there's a basketball hoop in nearly every schoolyard. From an early age, promising athletes are plucked for rigorous training, and those who win medals at international tournaments are welcomed home as heroes.

One of those heroes was Li, who became her country's darling after teaming up with a South Korean player in 1991 to beat the seemingly indomitable Chinese and win the team gold at the World Table Tennis Championships. It was the first time players from the enemy Koreas competed together.

After her career ended and her now-15-year-old son was born with cerebral palsy, Li dedicated her life to bringing the disabled out of the shadows and onto the playing fields. In 2010, she organized a table tennis tournament that was covered by state media ? the first time many North Koreans saw the disabled on TV.

"Caring for my son, I've felt that people with disabilities often feel despair," she told The Associated Press in an interview in Pyongyang. "They feel uncomfortable around other people, ashamed of their disabilities, and purposeless."

This may be especially true in North Korea. The country has some 1.8 million disabled people, about 7.5 percent of the population, according to the Green Tree Charity Foundation in South Korea, which bases its estimate on figures provided by the North Korean government.

Defectors have reported in the past that the disabled were housed at group homes and kept out of the showcase capital of Pyongyang and other major cities, according to the South Korean government and the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights.

In 2003, the country passed a law promising free medical care and special education, and in 2009 Pyongyang assured the United Nations its disabled were receiving proper care and schooling.

But Kim Kyung Hwa, manager of the Green Tree foundation's planning team, says the country can barely feed its people, much less provide special care for the disabled. Green Tree sends food and supplies to North Korea's disabled, as well as sports equipment to Li and her group of disabled athletes.

The foundation and a slate of other donors have helped provide the pingpong tables, barbells and other equipment that fill a Pyongyang recreation center that serves as a training facility for disabled athletes.

When AP journalists visited the Taeddonggang Cultural Center for the Disabled in June, a girl in a wheelchair was thwacking a pingpong ball fired at her by a coach while a boy fiddled with his prosthetic leg while awaiting his turn.

The young woman, Ma Yu Chol, isn't competing at the Paralympics but she is in London to cheer Rim on. Li said she sees her country's trip to the Paralympics as a "first step" toward developing a disabled sports culture in North Korea.

"People can communicate through sports," she said, "and learn to feel comfortable around one another through sports."

___

Associated Press writer Hye Soo Nah contributed to this report from Seoul, South Korea. Follow AP's bureau chief for Pyongyang and Seoul on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/n-koreas-first-paralympian-scrambled-qualify-031744089--spt.html

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Syria sectarian divide turns to fear and flight

BEIRUT (AP) ? Abu Qais, a Sunni Muslim in Syria's capital Damascus, says six members of his extended family have been killed by gunmen who belong to the minority Alawite sect of President Bashar Assad.

The gunmen who grabbed one of his distant cousins called up his family while they were torturing him "so they could hear his screams," said Abu Qais, an anti-Assad activist who spoke on condition his full name not be used for fear of reprisals.

Sectarian slayings between Syria's Sunni majority and the Alawite minority have been a brutal reality of Syria's 17-month-old conflict, and they have only accelerated as the country falls into outright civil war. Sunnis have largely backed the uprising against Assad's rule, while the Alawites ? members of an offshoot of Shiism ? have firmly stood behind the regime, where they fill the leadership ranks.

And as tit-for-tat killings have swelled, so has the segregation of the two communities as they flee each other. In Damascus and other cities, Sunnis and Alawites avoid venturing into each other's neighborhoods for fear of being snatched. Some Alawite districts in the capital are now ringed with checkpoints manned not only by security forces but also residents who have taken up arms to protect their homes.

Those in mixed neighborhoods flee their homes to move into safer enclaves dominated by their community ? whether in the same city or in another part of the country.

"Mutual threats in Damascus have succeeded in triggering migration," said Fateh Jamous, an Alawite activist from Latakia, the Mediterranean coastal city where many Alawites have fled. Latakia itself has so far represented a sort of tense neutral ground ? its population is about half Sunni, half Alawite. "That created a sort of balance of terror. So far, it has been generally peaceful," he said by telephone from Latakia.

The flight raises the grim possibility that Syria could go down the path of neighboring Iraq. There, violence in 2006 and 2007 effectively turned into a sort of sectarian cleansing, as Shiite and Sunni militias and insurgents targeted members of the rival community, killing thousands and sending hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes. To this day, Baghdad remains largely divided between wholly Shiite and wholly Sunni districts with few mixed areas remaining.

Syria has not yet reached that scale. But the prospect of it breaking up along religious or ethnic lines is no longer a remote possibility in a conflict that activists estimate has killed 20,000 people as Assad's regime tries to crush rebels determined to topple him. Kurds in the northeast have begun rumbling with talk of self-rule. Alawites have been pulling back into their ancestral heartland, along the Mediterranean coast and in the nearby mountains.

Some anti-regime activists believe that two reported massacres of Sunnis earlier this year, in the towns of Houla in May and Qubeir in June, aimed to drive Sunnis out of areas near main routes to the coast to ensure control of the Alawite enclave.

But the tearing apart of the two communities has been taking place on a smaller but increasing scale, neighborhood by neighborhood and city by city.

Their coexistence has always been uneasy. Sunnis make up the vast majority of Syria's 23 million people, and Alawites about 15 percent of the population. For the past 40 years, the Assad family's regime has enforced a secular ideology that zealously marketed the notion of equality among the nation's many religious and ethnic groups.

But at the same time, it was promoting the Alawite community to which the Assad family belongs.

Alawites, who had traditionally been among the poorest in Syria, were brought in by the Assads to fill the regime's leadership, elevating them into an elite class that had historically been Sunni. Top positions in the army, police and security agencies were given to Alawite men, while their women typically worked in the government. Significantly, inter-marriages between Sunnis and Alawites have been rare, though Assad himself is married to a British-raised Sunni who hails from the central city of Homs.

In Damascus' mostly Sunni neighborhood of Mazzeh, a resident named Moaz nostalgically remembers the woods that once stood on a hill close to his home. Then, years ago, the trees were cut down, and apartment blocs went up to house Alawites taking positions in the military and government. Their area, built within the Mazzeh area to promote an image of integration, became known as Mazzeh-86.

"Our relation with them was like a cold peace, 'We mind our own business and you mind yours'," recalled Moaz, a 28-year-old anti-Assad activist. He spoke on condition his full name not be used to protect himself and his family from reprisals.

Now the two areas are virtually at war. Alawites from Mazzeh-86 frequently help put down protests by Sunnis in the larger district, beating up protesters outside mosques alongside security forces. Checkpoints divide the two areas. In Sunni Mazzeh, there have been numerous slayings of those believed to be informers for the government, both Alawites and Sunnis, said Moaz.

"People with coastal accents (Alawites) are instantly recognized. They are arrogant and sure of themselves," he said.

Damascus had been largely unaffected by the fighting raging elsewhere in the country, until last month when rebels staged a major offensive in the city of 1.7 million people, sparking a heavy regime counter-attack. As the fighting raged, sectarian violence increased. So far, it has been concentrated in poor or lower middle-class neighborhoods of the capital, while most upscale districts remain peaceful, residents and activists say.

Alawites, who by some estimates make up 30 percent of Damascus' residents, have fled neighborhoods where they make up a small minority, finding relative security elsewhere where Alawite numbers are higher, residents and activists say. Many Alawite men send their families to their home villages near the coast.

"Most Alawites are in this with the view that it is a life or death war for them," said another Damascus resident by Skype. Identifying himself only as a "native Syrian" ? refusing to give his sectarian allegiance ? he said checkpoints outside Alawite neighborhoods have been beefed up in recent weeks, with up to 15 or 20 heavily armed security men and residents staffing them.

"The Alawites think that they would be subjected to genocide if Assad goes," he said.

Sectarian violence has been rampant in Homs, a major center of the revolt that was subjected to a devastating government siege earlier this year. Residents and activists say its population has been effectively divided into two sections, with Sunnis in one side and Alawites and Christians in the other.

Mohammed Saleh, a Homs resident and a rare Alawite who actively works with the opposition, says several months ago two Sunni men showed up at his apartment and ordered him to pack up and leave in 10 days.

"I made calls. I spoke to many of my friends and contacts in Homs and elsewhere. I was able to stay," Saleh, reached by telephone in Homs, said. But Saleh's son, who had been living with him, left with his wife and kids to an Alawite part of the city.

"I am never leaving," said Saleh, a trained chemist now making a living selling solar energy systems for household use, in huge demand because of lengthy power cuts. His work takes him across the entire city, but he never travels alone. "I make a point of taking with me someone from the neighborhood I am going to. Even if it is an Alawite district, I still go with a resident from there."

Some of Saleh's closest friends and neighbors have not been so lucky.

"In December and January alone, I lost a friend who was a Sunni doctor, another who was a Shiite engineer and a third one who was an Alawite army officer," said Saleh.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-sectarian-divide-turns-fear-flight-183006235.html

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Ubuntu 12.10 adds Photo Lens for searching photos stored locally and online

If Ubuntu is your OS of choice, you've already been enjoying so-called lenses to help you search through your music, videos, apps and documents. So why not a search filter for photos? Why not indeed, said the folks at Canonical. The dev team has just updated the operating system (version 12.10) with a Photo Lens that lets you search your pics by name, tag or EXIF data. What's more, in addition to searching photos stored locally, you can pull in pictures stored on sites like Facebook and Flickr, because who knows how many of your cameraphone photos bypassed your computer and went straight to the web?

Filed under: Software

Ubuntu 12.10 adds Photo Lens for searching photos stored locally and online originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 01:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/28/ubuntu-12-10-adds-photo-lens/

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How To Hire The Great Personal Trainer Redondo Beach | Weight ...

Within the last two decades, multiple gymnasiums and health clubs have came out all across the length and breadth of America, and one of which is the personal trainer Redondo Beach. Each of those facilities says they will have well trained fitness trainers to help you in attaining your health goals. In those instances it becomes very hard to locate the very best personal trainer Redondo Beach. It would be worthwhile for you to understand what exactly makes a fitness instructor the best in his business.

Visit gymnasiums, health clubs, and workout centers close to your house. Find out about the fitness professionals who work with them, their qualifications, and working experience. Alternatively, you can also look at the internet websites of fitness centers and then make telephone inquiries. Ask the people who are presently enrolled there concerning the quality of coaching by the personal trainer Redondo Beach.

A personal visit will enable you to have first-hand knowledge of the facilities found in the gymnasium, amount of people enrolled, and number of fitness instructors around. You could also book a session with the personal trainer Redondo Beach and discuss every single issue in detail. Find out his or her history, certifications, and prior encounter, customer reviews to highlight his knowledge, and contact details of individuals who have previously used his services.

There are several universities in the USA that provide diploma and degree courses in workout physiology. Professional institutions including the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA), and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) offer certification for personal trainer Redondo Beach. Check out whether the fitness instructor has a full-time professional college diploma as well as documentation from any of the above organizations. If ever personal trainer Redondo Beach carries a degree from a government famous professional organization, it proves the effort he has put in and also his or her perseverance to do the job. It also proves that he has attained a certain level of knowledge in personal training. It would be better to go for a professionally educated, certified, expert, and also experienced personal instructor to achieve your temporary training goals and long term health and fitness objectives.

Personal trainer Redondo Beach needs to be patient enough to hear all your concerns and happily respond to all queries. He or she must be intelligent enough to ask queries and obtain information and facts regarding your history as well as present health condition, recent surgical and also medical record, personal habits, allergies that you are dealing with, and any sort of medicine that you are presently consuming. Never get a personal trainer who is not willing to listen to you and also clarify your problems. Confer with your good friends, relatives, family members, and colleagues for information on the particular instructor. Verify his past track record in training and select a result-oriented fitness professional. Aside from in-depth knowledge, flexibility, and wide expertise it?s essential that the personal instructor has a pleasant manner and right attitude to strike a chord with people who get his / her services. It would be in your interests to hire the services of a personal trainer Redondo Beach, who has proper education and professional qualifications, pleasant personality, and experience in dealing with people having similar health goals.

Source: http://www.abrahamlincolngraphics.com/how-to-hire-the-great-personal-trainer-redondo-beach

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It's a boy, prematurely, for actress Anna Faris

FILE - This Feb. 26, 2012 file photo shows Anna Faris, left, and Chris Pratt at the 84th Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Faris has given birth to a baby boy, her first child with her actor husband Chris Pratt. A spokeswoman for the couple says the couple's son Jack ?arrived earlier than expected and will be spending some time? in the neonatal intensive care unit. Publicist Dominique Appel says ?the happy parents thank you for your warm wishes and ask that you honor their privacy during this time.? She offered no other details. Faris, 35, and Pratt, 33, were married in 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

FILE - This Feb. 26, 2012 file photo shows Anna Faris, left, and Chris Pratt at the 84th Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Faris has given birth to a baby boy, her first child with her actor husband Chris Pratt. A spokeswoman for the couple says the couple's son Jack ?arrived earlier than expected and will be spending some time? in the neonatal intensive care unit. Publicist Dominique Appel says ?the happy parents thank you for your warm wishes and ask that you honor their privacy during this time.? She offered no other details. Faris, 35, and Pratt, 33, were married in 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

FILE - This Feb. 26, 2012 file photo shows Anna Faris, left, and Chris Pratt at the 84th Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Faris has given birth to a baby boy, her first child with her actor husband Chris Pratt. A spokeswoman for the couple says the couple's son Jack ?arrived earlier than expected and will be spending some time? in the neonatal intensive care unit. Publicist Dominique Appel says ?the happy parents thank you for your warm wishes and ask that you honor their privacy during this time.? She offered no other details. Faris, 35, and Pratt, 33, were married in 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Anna Faris has given birth to a baby boy, her first child with actor husband Chris Pratt.

A spokeswoman for the couple says their son, Jack, "arrived earlier than expected and will be spending some time" in the neonatal intensive care unit. Publicist Dominique Appel said Monday that "the happy parents thank you for your warm wishes and ask that you honor their privacy during this time."

She offered no other details.

The 35-year-old Faris and 33-year-old Pratt were married in 2009. She recently shared the screen with Sacha Baron Cohen in "The Dictator." He is a star of TV's "Parks and Recreation."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-27-People-Anna%20Faris/id-29d6ef1aeae044c6903ac411b3536037

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Series of earthquakes rattle Southern California

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Dozens of small to moderate earthquakes struck the southeastern corner of California on Sunday, causing minor damages to structures and rattling nerves in a small farming town east of San Diego.

The largest quake registered at a magnitude 5.5 and was centered about three miles northwest of the town of Brawley, said Robert Graves, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Another quake Sunday registered at magnitude 5.3.

More than 30 additional earthquakes with magnitudes of at least 3.5 jiggled the same area near the southern end of the Salton Sea, Graves said.

"The type of activity that we're seeing could possibly continue for several hours or even days," Graves said.

At the El Sol Market in Brawley, food packages fell from the shelves, littering aisle ways.

Several glasses and a bottle of wine crashed to the floor and shattered at Assaggio, an Italian restaurant in Brawley, said owner Jerry Ma. The shaking was short-lived but intense, he said.

"It felt like there was quake every 15 minutes. One after another. My kids are small and they're scared and don't want to come back inside," said Mike Patel, who manages Townhouse Inn & Suites in Brawley.

A TV came crashing down and a few light fixtures broke inside the motel, Patel said.

A Brawley Police Department dispatcher said several downtown buildings sustained minor damage. No injuries were reported.

The first quake, with a magnitude of 3.9, occurred at 10:02 a.m. The USGS said more than 100 aftershocks struck the same approximate epicenter, about 16 miles north of El Centro.

Some shaking was felt along the San Diego County coast in Del Mar, some 120 miles from the epicenter, as well as in the Coachella Valley, southern Orange County and parts of northern Mexico.

USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said earthquake swarms are characteristic of the region, known as the Brawley Seismic Zone.

"The area sees lots of events at once, with many close to the largest magnitude, rather than one main shock with several much smaller aftershocks," Jones said.

The last major swarm was in 2005, following a magnitude-5.1 quake, she said.

Sunday's quake cluster occurred in what scientists call a transition zone between the Imperial and San Andreas faults, so they weren't assigning the earthquakes to either fault, Graves said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/series-earthquakes-rattle-southern-california-215023392.html

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Journey to Rock Republican National Convention

Journey has been hired to perform at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday night, at a reported price of $500,000.

This doesn't necessarily mean they endorse Mitt Romney, however.

"It's an RNC event, but not one to endorse any candidate or party," a source tells E! News.

"I believe Journey and also Zac Brown [also set to play Thursday] are described as nonpartisan but they aren't aware of any of the details themselves."

"To Journey, it's simple, one of hundreds of private [events] they get hired to do."

No word if everyone's favorite groupie Michaele Salahi will be on hand in Tampa.

Kid Rock, Trace Adkins, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Oak Ridge Boys and Lee Greenwood are also scheduled to perform at private events during the convention.

Sadly, no Dave Mustaine, Ted Nugent or Toby Keith at the RNC.

Election 2012:

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/journey-to-rock-republican-national-convention/

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Surviving Germany: Healthy Diet vs Eating Local

One of the things I love about Germany is healthy foods can be found everywhere with many options and competitive price with the ?sinful? ones.? What I mean by healthy foods are like organic foods or low calorie/ less sugar foods.? In Indonesia, these foods can only be found in big cities and the prices are generally expensive.

In the place where I worked before going to Germany, Berau, like other places in Indonesia, there are so many tasty sinful foods.? Most of the foods are fried or with coconut milk or consists of internal organs.? Yummy!? I really loved it.? But then I had to face the awful truth, my cholesterol level is higher than expected.? I am now in a yellow zone of cholesterol level!!!

So, having the wake-up call, I have to be more serious in taking care of myself, and I am grateful that I am in Germany now.? I can really stop my poor eating habit and start something new.? I start eating salad mainly and leave the fried stuffs.? I also don?t eat anything from flour except if it?s a whole-wheat product.? I drink low fat milk and adding my green tea consumption.

Salad

To add more value on what I eat, I also look for organic foods.? Organic foods not only good for my health but also for the environment.? But then there?s also a twist for this option.? As an environmentalist, one of the trends now is eating local which means eating food from local ground and not imported from other places.? Because imported foods mean consuming much fuel for the transportation.? And this is the ?problem? with foods in Germany.? A lot of (if it?s not most of) the foods are imported.? For example this banana, it?s imported from Costa Rica!? The salmons are mostly from Norway.? So I don?t know if it?s still considered as healthy foods cause most likely there?s preservative in it?

And if I want to be a good environmentalist, eating local food, probably I have to eat Kartoffelsalat every day!? Ooowwhhh? why healthy doesn?t mean tasty? L

Source: http://surviving-germany.blogspot.com/2012/08/healthy-diet-vs-eating-local.html

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GOP convention protesters: storms won't stop them

Demonstrators march, in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Gas Light Park in downtown Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Demonstrators march, in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Gas Light Park in downtown Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Demonstrators march, in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Gas Light Park in downtown Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Ganzalo Valdes, of Tampa, Fla., marches with demonstrators in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Gas Light Park in downtown Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Franz Nertte, of Miami, shouts during a protest march in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Gas Light Park in downtown Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Karen Boyer, of Portland, Ore., displays her sign during a Code Pink protest before the Republican National Convention, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? The few hundred protesters gathered under rainy skies in a park about a half-mile from the GOP convention on Sunday said an impending hurricane that is supposed to dump heavy rains on Tampa won't deter them from trying to get out their message that America needs to change, especially for the middle class.

Giant blocks of ice spelling out the words "middle class" are melting on a warm, sticky day. Occupy protesters say it represents the melting away of the middle class in America.

That message rings true for 52-year-old Tom Gaurapp and Cheryl Landecker from Freeport, Ill. Both worked for Sensata Technologies in the city of some 25,000 people and say 170 jobs there, including their own, were outsourced to China. Occupy is a left-leaning protest group of people in their mid-20s who generally believe that the financial system is stacked against a majority of people.

Gaurapp and Landecker say that just a few years ago, they never would have considered joining such a protest.

"But then again, we wouldn't have dreamed our jobs would have gone to China," Gaurapp said.

Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to become a dangerous Category 2 hurricane by the time it makes land over the northern Gulf Coast sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Tampa is expected to feel the brunt of the storm with heavy rainfall on Monday. The forecast caused Republicans to postpone their convention activities on Monday's opening day and not that many delegates seemed to be around Sunday to see the protesters.

The protests stayed small also by mid-afternoon.

The weather isn't a deterrent to 52 year-old Donald Butner, who says he's been sleeping at the Occupy camp in Tampa for a few months and that "we're here, baby, rain or shine. The weather is going to do what it is going to do."

The protesters chanted "we are the 99 percent" and carried homemade signs. The 99 percent refers to the group's message that most don't share in the wealth of America. Often, younger people make up the Occupy protests, but in Tampa, several older people joined the marchers.

That included the 54-year-old Landecker , who spoke to the group as rain started falling.

"These businesses have put corporate greed over everything else. If they can do it to us, they can do it to anybody," Landecker said.

Though protesters vow to stay put, if the weather threatens their safety or that of visitors on the streets, police officers will use public address systems and go person-to-person to warn them to leave, said Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor.

"As it is right now, there will be high winds and there will be rain but it's not going to be something that is going to prohibit anyone from doing what they want to do out on the streets," Castor said. "If it changes ... and it becomes an issue of public safety, we will order people into shelters."

About 50 people, from Occupy Wall Street and Code Pink groups, marched from the park about two blocks to the Tampa theater where the Faith and Freedom Coalition was holding an event. The protesters waved signs in front of people waiting to get into the theater, and seven of them lay down in front of the entrance. Other protesters covered them in a red cloth.

They were on the ground for about five minutes. When police asked them to move, they did, and then marched back to the park.

Code Pink is a women-focused group pushing to end the U.S.-led wars abroad. They held signs including, "Vagina. If you can't say it, don't legislate it," and "GOP, respect women."

"I'm completely opposed to the Ralph Reed agenda of the war on women," said Rae Abileah, 29, of San Francisco. Reed started the Faith and Freedom Coalition, which among other causes is against abortion.

___

Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-08-26-Convention-Protests/id-8bd9e324ead14248b56d1623045fb2ee

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Take the hassle free approach to finding Antique furniture London ...

I can remember being dragged around numerous shops as a child looking at different types of antique furniture London. Mum and Dad loved antique furniture and when they?d set their heart on a unique item we would cover various boroughs in our quest to find the finest Antique furniture London. Nine times out of ten the search would end up fruitless and we?d return to the family home a little downtrodden because we?d been unable to find Antique furniture London that met Mum and Dad?s requirements. It?s no wonder really, back in those days it wasn?t always easy finding Antique furniture London, it was a case of ringing around dealers, travelling to stores in person and hoping for the best. Times have changed though and today it?s less complicated to locate Antique furniture London, we have the power of the internet at our disposal.

Shop for antique furniture online

Sadly the internet wasn?t around when Mum and Dad was looking for antique furniture London, they?d have loved it if it was. Instead of wasting one Saturday after another looking for Antique furniture London they could have browsed online instead. We are lucky today, we can grab a laptop, peruse a home PC, shop for Antique furniture London through a tablet or a smartphone; there are many options that keep things simple. All you have to do is use the wonders of the web to browse a diverse selection of Antique furniture London. You have a wealth of Antique furniture London at your fingertips and can be in touch with dealers in a matter of seconds.

Browse at your leisure for antique furniture London

Shop for antique furniture online and you save time, money and effort, the great thing about Antique furniture London is you can purchase products anytime that you like. Instead of wasting a whole Saturday trudging from one antique dealer to the next (like we used to) you can scour the stock of various sites and buy Antique furniture London whilst sat in a Victorian armchair. Take sites like Prior and Willis for example, they stock quality Antique furniture London at the best possible price. Boot a laptop up and you have instant access to their Antique furniture London and can make purchases or arrange viewings whenever you want.

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For antiques from the Restoration to WW2, Prior and Willis are one of the most discerning names in antique furnitureLondon. We find the most elegant antique furniture from around the country.

Source: http://www.articleranking.com/Segment/take-the-hassle-free-approach-to-finding-antique-furniture-london-6759-article.html

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