Physics Week in Review: March 30, 2013

We have been Down Under in the Land of Oz all week, but Jen-Luc Piquant has been zealously compiling cool physics-y links for you anyway. By the time you read this, we will be landing in Los Angeles, arriving earlier than we left Sydney. Time travel! Of a sort?.

Yowza! Scientists from Zhejiang University in China have made a graphene aerogel that?s less than one-seventh the density of air.

In other graphene-related news, a lab ?accident? may solve your annoying battery problems, according to this article in Slate. UCLA grad student Maher El-Kady ?wondered what would happen if he placed a sheet of graphite oxide?an abundant carbon compound?under a laser. And not just any laser, but a really inexpensive one, something that millions of people around the world already have?a DVD burner containing a technology called LightScribe, which is used for etching labels and designs on your mixtapes?. The simple trick produced very high-quality sheets of graphene, very quickly, and at low cost.? I also love this quote by Kaner:
?Nothing in science is actually an accident?it only looks like that way when you look back.?

Researchers at Stanford Linear Accelerator have created an x-ray beam with two slightly different colors. ?Tuning the color of the x-rays will allow researchers to pick out specific atomic and molecular dynamics like how bonds break and rearrange in chemical reactions.?

The NOvA neutrino detector, technically still under construction, has nonetheless already begun to take data from cosmic rays.

Young Albert Einstein, 1882. Via Brainpicker.

Ladies and gentlemen: Albert Einstein as a toddler. He had a certain confident savoir-faire even then.

Justice & the Sign for Equality. In honor of civil rights for all when it comes to marriage, John Ptak tracks down when the ? = ? sign first appears in print ? in Robert Recorde?s The Whetstone of Witte, published in 1557.

Dinosaur-killing impact set the world on fire: Researchers argue forcefully that the ensuing heat set off global forest fires.

Neutrino Oscillations Are Cool. OPERA snags it third tau neutrino: the experiment has caught a muon neutrino oscillating into a tau neutrino, an extremely rare event.

Socrates (In The Form Of A 9-Year-Old) Shows Up In A Suburban Backyard In Washington. Per Robert Krulwich: ?This 9-year-old ? what he knows is different. It?s not local; it can?t be found looking under a couch. It?s mind stuff, found mostly in books or college classrooms, or by letting your mind run free.?

Georgia Tech and Purdue scientists made a recyclable solar cell. Now solar energy is truly renewable.

I lived in Washington, DC, for six years, and well remember the news stories about exploding manhole covers. Has the mystery finally been explained? ?Researchers who mapped methane concentrations on the streets of the nation?s capital found natural gas leaks everywhere, at concentrations of up to 50 times the normal background levels, they reported here last week at a meeting of the American Physical Society. The leaking gas wastes resources, enhances ozone production, and exacerbates global warming ? not to mention powering the city?s infamous exploding manholes.?

From the "Black Hole" series by Fabian Oefner: http://www.fabianoefner.com/64838/1159918/projects/black-hole

The physics of fluids in spellbinding color (see photo, right)! Per io9: ?Switzerland-based photographer Fabian Oefner has a knack for exploring the intersection of science and art. In his latest work, he pours a variety of colored paints over a rod connected to a power drill to produce some remarkable shots of fluid in motion. Who knew combining acrylics with power tools could be so beautiful??

A blob of ?intelligent? goo can compute solutions to Traveling Salesman problem and produces a route map as well. It didn?t even need to consult Google maps.

What happens when you ?turn off? gravity in the new game Parallax? Mega-coolness, that?s what.

Watch Oppenheimer recall witnessing Trinity nuclear test in 1945. ?I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.?

The philosophy of the Higgs: ?Is there a role for philosophy in physics? Should physicists listen to philosophers?? Particle physicist Michael Kr?mer hangs out with philosophers and learns that one should be wary of irrelevant blondes.

Counter-intuitive, but apparently true, based on analysis of cell phone data: Strong Social Ties Hinder the Spread of Rumours.

Eeek! The Blob is hungry! Actually it?s magnetic paste. And it?s kind of awesome.

Blasphemy! Historical contingency and the futility of reductionism: Why chemistry (and biology) is not physics. Ashutosh Jogalekar makes the argument: ?The reductionist zeitgeist of physics cannot ?explain? chemistry any more than ?entropy? explains the inexorable march of life from birth to death.? Discuss.

Prince Rupert?s Drop: The Curious Properties of a Molten Glass Blob Dropped in Cold Water:

What an 18th century treatise on population can teach us about energy resources: Revisiting Thomas Malthus.

This week?s adventure in patent pseudoscience: Introducing the Terahertz Egg, with water imprinting! Just don?t ask the applicant to specify exactly how this happens.

I wish we?d known about these spiffy waveform wedding rings by Japanese artist/designer Sakurako Shimizu when the Time Lord and I got married five years ago. Each one is custom made, ?etched with a waveform of a couple?s voices uttering any words they choose.? What could be more romantic than that?

Waveform wedding rings by Japanese artist and designer Sakurako Shimizu. Source: io9.

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If a dry tree pops sap bubbles in the woods, does it make a sound? YES! In certain conditions, tree sap may reach extreme negative pressures and emit popping sounds.

Learn about Charles Munroe, the man who used letters to make explosions more destructive: ?You can etch words into metal with an explosion, and those words reveal a startling thing about how explosives work.?

Can the Ice Wall in Game of Thrones Survive Science? tl;dr: ?no.? Scientists are such killjoys.

And finally, speaking of Game of Thrones (Season 3 premiere on Sunday!), okay, it?s not related to physics in any way, but we adore this Game of Thrones Random Death Generator, which helpfully lets you know how you?d die in Westeros. Per the Mary Sue: ?Because you wouldn?t live. Let?s be honest here.?? My favorite: ?Stabbed by Arya Stark for Standing in Her Way (Served You Right).? But the generator told me I was choked to death by an imprisoned Jaime Lannister instead. C?est la vie! Far better than being ?bored to death by Catelyn.?

Winter is coming.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2830f634321de1652452dd57297dc003

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Confederate flag comes down at old N.C. capitol

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol last week to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being taken down after civil rights leaders raised concerns.

The decision was announced Friday evening, hours after the Associated Press published a story about the flag, which officials said was part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863. The flag had been planned to hang in the House chamber until April 2015, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of federal troops in Raleigh.

"This is a temporary exhibit in an historic site, but I've learned the governor's administration is going to use the old House chamber as working space," Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz said Friday night. "Given that information, this display will end this weekend rather than April of 2015."

Kim Genardo, the spokeswoman for Gov. Pat McCrory, said the exhibit that includes the Confederate battle flag will be relocated, possibly across the street to the N.C. Museum of History.

The decision was a quick about-face for the McCrory administration, which initially defended the display. Many people see the flag as a potent reminder of racial discrimination and bigotry.

State Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison had said Thursday the flag should be viewed in what he called the proper historical context.

"Our goal is not to create issues," said Hardison, a Civil War re-enactor and history buff. "Our goal is to help people understand issues of the past. ... If you refuse to put something that someone might object to or have a concern with in the exhibit, then you are basically censoring history."

North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber was shocked Friday when he was shown a photo of the flag by the AP.

"He is right that it has a historical context," Barber said. "But what is that history? The history of racism. The history of lynchings. The history of death. The history of slavery. If you say that shouldn't be offensive, then either you don't know the history, or you are denying the history."

Sessions of the General Assembly moved to a newer building a half-century ago, but the old Capitol building is still routinely used as a venue for official state government events. McCrory's office is on the first floor, as are the offices of his chief of staff and communications staff.

The Republican governor was in the House chamber where the Confederate flag hangs as recently as Thursday, when he presided over the swearing-in ceremony of his new Highway Patrol commander.

The presentation of the Confederate battle flag at state government buildings has long been an issue of debate throughout the South. For more than a decade, the NAACP has urged its members to boycott South Carolina because of that state's display of the flag on the State House grounds.

Prior to taking his current job in North Carolina in 2006, Hardison worked as director at the Mississippi home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which is operated as a museum and library owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group has led the fight in the South for the proud display of the Confederate flag, which it contends is a symbol of heritage, not hate.

Hardison said the battle flag was displayed with other flags described in the diary of a North Carolina woman who visited the Capitol in 1863. A large U.S. flag displayed in the Senate chamber is reminiscent of a trophy of war captured from Union troops at the Battle of Plymouth.

"I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to recreate this?" Hardison said. "I think we were all thinking along the same vein. ... The Capitol is both a working seat of government, in that the governor and his staff has his office there. But it is also a museum."

Hardison pointed out that the national flag used by the Confederate government, with its circle of white stars and red and white stripes, is still flown over the State Capitol dome each year on Confederate Memorial Day. The more familiar blood-red battle flag, featuring a blue "X'' studded with white stars, was used by the rebel military.

David Goldfield, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of the book "Still Fighting the Civil War," said the battle flag can hold starkly different meanings depending on a person's social perspective.

"The history of the Confederate battle flag, how it was designed and formulated, how it has been used through the years, clearly states that it is a flag of white supremacy," Goldfield said. "I know current Sons of Confederate Veterans would dispute that, saying 'Hey, I'm not a racist.' But the fact remains that the battle flag was used by a country that had as its foundation the protection and extension of human bondage."

The NAACP's Barber said the McCrory administration eventually made the right call, but questioned how the decision to hang the flag was made in the first place.

"A flag should represent a banner of unity, not division," Barber said. "A substantive symbol and sign of our best history, not our worse. We cannot deny history but neither can we attempt to revision it in a way that glorifies the shameful and attempts to make noble that which is ignoble."

___

Follow Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/confederate-flag-old-nc-capitol-coming-down-234855125.html

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House Speaker admonishes fellow Republican for immigrant slur (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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AdvSecret.com Top 3 Mistakes Girls Make That Drive Fellows Away ...

By Bonny Blake

Anything worth having is worth fighting for. That is especially real in the dating game. So why do ladies proceed to think that the best man will amazingly appear, and passion will unexpectedly occur? There are some crucial points a lady should understand when she starts dating a man. One wrong action and she could possibly send the guy running. Below are 3 common errors you need to avoid at the start of a connection if you want to hold on to your guy.

Error 1? Not being yourself

Never forget where you stand in the relationship. You are number 1. Do not put yourself second. Never compromise what you are, never relinquish the power you have. If this relationship merits working on, you must have your importance, your giftsand your worth appreciated.

Error 2? You are his sweetheart, not his mama

Why do so many ladies think they need to care for their guy? Sure, we are the caring sex, it?s in our genetic makeup. Yet doing excessively much for your man will gradually make your man feel like a baby. Eventually he?ll begin to resent you. So permit him to take command. So, for example, if he wishes to drive the car on the next date, permit him do it. It doesn?t matter you are a much better motorist. Know that he?ll get you to your destination. Don?t ever order his food for your man when dining out. He?s a grown up guy and can easily make his own selections. Don?t ask him if he should get a coat. He is completely capable of making that decision on his own.

Understand? Be a lover or a wife, but most definitely do not be his mama!

Error 3? If you wish it, go get it

If you believe Mr. Right will show up at our doorstep simply due to the fact that you are hanging around for him, you are going to have a long wait. Do you have that sort of time? You need to go after just what you want. Sure this thought makes you scared and stressed. Yet keep that to yourself. No one has to know that you are full of self- uncertainty. The terrific thing you desire is waiting for you to claim it, or him. So go out and find it, and have fun while you?re doing it. Live your life to the max.

Attraction and relationships are complicated human connections. We have the tendency to base our assumptions on impractical benchmarks like TELEVISION and the motion pictures. Then we become disappointed when things don?t end up as anticipated. Life is real. Practice these vital pointers to see to it you do not lose somebody worth keeping.

For more relationship tips check out EX Recovery System Review

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Source: http://www.advsecret.com/top-3-mistakes-girls-make-that-drive-fellows-away/

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Crowne Plaza Changi Staycation Experience ? Contemporary ...

Arriving at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport for a weekend staycation after a long 12-hour flight (as a way to extend our holiday and to relax before getting back to reality with household chores and work), we were surprised by the proximity of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport to the Terminal 3 Arrival Hall. Upon collecting our luggages and exiting the arrival gates, we turned left and reached the hotel after walking straight for just about 5 minutes at a leisurely pace. Thankfully, the lightings along the walkways to the hotel lobby and also the hotel lobby itself were dim and subdued ? no bright lights that might assault the senses of a tired jet-lagged traveller still adjusting to Singapore?s time zone after a long flight.

After checking into our pool-side room, we noticed that the guest rooms were designed with the jet-lagged traveller in mind ? the rooms have a theme of calm nature, as a soothing respite from the strain of long travel. The color tones in the room were subdued (cappuccino and soft green) and excellently complemented with the room design from the an artwork wall of Plumier flowers on the bathroom glass to the carpet which is designed as an abstraction of light sparkling through leaves. Travellers can also refresh themselves in the separate bath (with a good long relaxing soak in the bathtub) or rainfall shower in the glass-panelled bathroom.? The room is kept neat and uncluttered thanks to the many hidden compartments on the settee below the TV and along the long walkway that leads to the bedroom.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer great views of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport?s swimming pool or the Terminal 3 runway (depending on whether you have selected a poolside room or runway room).? The rooms at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport are heavily soundproofed for the obvious reason that they are located right next to the airport runways.? However, if you are a light sleeper, I suggest that you indicate your preference for a poolside room as they are slightly further from the runway and buffered by the runway rooms.? If you are a plane-spotting enthusiast or having a family staycation with your kids, a runway room might be more exciting for you and your kids but be prepared for the jet takeoff and landing noise.

Besides functioning as a space to rest and recuperate, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport?s guest rooms also serve as a working space for the business traveller with the large work desk and connectivity options (in-room wired internet is available at a charge ? you can request for Wi-Fi to be setup (no additional charges for installation); the hotel technician will install a wireless router in your room).? If you are a Crowne Plaza Club member, you can enjoy complimentary wireless broadband internet access in the Crowne Plaza Club Lounge (request for the password from the friendly Club Lounge staff.

Crowne Plaza Club is created exclusively for today?s frequent business traveler who enjoys a higher standard of
accommodation, personalized service and a host of special privileges and amenities.? The Crowne Plaza Club Lounge is located on level 3 and open daily from 6.30am to 11pm.? Crowne Plaza Club members can enjoy the following exclusive facilities and privileges:
- Personalized check-in and check out
- Complimentary Continental breakfast from 6.30am to 10.30am (smaller selection of buffet items compared to the buffet breakfast offered at Azur but you can escape the breakfast rush at Azur)
- Complimentary evening drinks and canap?s
- Complimentary coffee, tea, juice and soft drinks available throughout the day
- Complimentary dry cleaning and laundry (Maximum of 2 pieces per day, non cumulative)

Crowne Plaza Club Members can also enjoy complimentary use of 24-hours fitness centre facilities in the hotel.? Here, there are a whole suite of free weights (dumbbells) and fitness machines e.g. treadmills, exercise bikes that you can tap on.? Perfect to burn the calories gained from the buffet indulgence at Azur.

We have checked out a few airport hotels during our travels and most of such hotels have minimalist functional designs since they generally cater to touch-and-go business travellers ? Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is definitely an exception with the attention paid to the small details in the room decor and traveller needs.? Crowne Plaza Changi Airport encapsulates elements of both city and resort hotel with sleek modern lines that are unmistakably contemporary. The open walkways with luxuriant greenery and beautiful water features enables guests to enjoy the balmy tropics and the hideaway resort feel.

The lobby lounge faces a rainforest garden and is decorated with tropical orchids. The furniture in the lobby lounge is derived from tropical fruits, both in colour and form. There are benches like slices of papaya at the front door, while the various chairs use the concept of ?peel? and ?seeds? in the detailing of fabrics and cushions. The carpets are in fruit colours dotted with striking seed motifs. From everywhere in the public areas there is contact with lush gardens ? including surprising views upwards to rainforest trees through a water covered skylight.? There are 2 large courtyards in Crowne Plaza Changi Airport ? one is water filled with a huge swimming pool and deck while the other is a lush tropical garden with rainforest trees. It is less an airport hotel than a comfortable and stylish hotel in a convenient location for travellers ? a contemporary urban resort ?Where the world meets Singapore?.

The convenience and proximity of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is also unparalleled ? most airport hotels are called ?airport hotels? because they are near the hotels but usually require a 10-15 minutes drive.? Thus the concept of the hotel being literally attached to Changi Airport Terminal 3 is definitely a huge plus for tired travellers who can?t wait to refresh and rest after a long flight.

From Changi Airport Terminal 1, 2 and 3

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is located within the immediate vicinity of Changi Airport. Linked to Terminal 3 via covered walkways, the 9-storey hotel has 320 guest rooms; a 100-seater Crowne Plaza Club Lounge; and executive class amenities such as restaurants, meeting rooms, conference rooms, spa lounges, a swimming pool and a health and fitness club.

Guests are also able to access Terminals 1 and 2 via the Skytrain Service that links all three terminal buildings. Parking is at Terminal 3 Car Park 3B. Prevailing parking rates apply.

By Mass Rapid Transport (MRT)

Get off at Changi Airport station along the green East-West line ? there are 2 exits (to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3) ? take the exit to Terminal 3. Follow the signages to Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.

Source: http://www.passportchop.com/asia/singapore/staycation-crowne-plaza-changi-airport/

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Is the U.S. Exporting Coal Pollution?

U.S. coal giants' exports to Europe and Asia are up, and with that global greenhouse gas emissions rise, even if U.S. emissions are falling

By Kieran Cooke and The Daily Climate

A coal train crosses the northern plains near Lethbridge, Alberta. U.S. exports of coal are at an all-time high and could rise higher as domestic utilities switch to natural gas. Experts say the country is simply shipping pollution associated with coal overseas. Image: Flickr/urbanworkbench

LONDON ? The good news is that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to decline. "Over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen," said President Obama in his State of the Union address last month.

The bad news is the United States is exporting its polluting gases, particularly in the form of coal, like never before.?

Figures released earlier this month by the U.S. Energy Information Administration?show U.S. coal exports reached a record of more than 115 million tons in 2012, more than double the 2009 figure.

In a report examining the legal implications of increased U.S. coal exports, the Columbia Law School notes that greenhouse gas emissions are not just a national issue.

"Because the impacts of CO2 emissions are global in nature, it makes no difference from a climate change perspective whether coal mined in Wyoming is consumed in Chicago or Shanghai," it says.

Higher levels of CO2
Coal is far more polluting in terms of greenhouse gases than either oil or gas, emitting higher levels of CO2 and also other toxic substances such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury.

The drop in U.S. emissions ? according to the EIA, total U.S. carbon emissions have now fallen by more than 8 percent since peaking in 2007 ? is in part due to the economic slowdown, but more so to a move from coal-fired electricity generation to less carbon-intensive natural gas, particularly gas produced from hydraulic fracturing or "fracking."

In 2005 coal accounted for half of all electricity generation in the United States: now it generates 37 percent of the country's electricity, with forecasts that figure will drop to around 20 percent by 2030.

The move to gas has been spurred both by tougher regulations on pollution and, with gas production booming, an overall drop in energy prices. There has also been strong growth in renewable energies, particularly in solar power.

Unfazed by domestic decline
U.S. coal giants such as Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and Peabody Energy have not let the decline in domestic demand faze them. Instead they've gone wholesale into export markets, particularly in Europe, with coal-exporting terminals on the U.S. East Coast operating at maximum capacity.

High gas prices within the European Union make U.S. coal extremely competitive as an energy source. Bad weather has contributed to an uptake in demand.

The collapse in price on the EU's European Trading Scheme carbon market and a vast oversupply of so-called pollution permits is another reason for the surge in U.S. coal imports. Worries about energy security and an over-dependence on gas supplies from Russia and the countries of central Asia are additional factors driving the trade.

EIA figures show Europe is now by far the biggest customer for U.S. coal, importing more than all other markets combined. U.S. exports to the UK jumped by about 70 percent in 2012.

Exports to Germany, which phased out nuclear power generation in response to the Fukushima accident in Japan, have also increased.

Europe's energy companies are taking advantage of relatively cheap coal imports while they can. EU regulations, particularly the Large Combustion Plants Directive, stipulate that older coal plants that do not meet stringent emissions targets must be shuttered.

While tighter regulations on pollution could result in a decline in U.S. coal exports to Europe in the years ahead, it's unlikely producers in Pennsylvania or Montana will be cutting back on their activities. Asia, by far the biggest coal-consuming region, where demand continues to grow, is the next target.

Fourth-largest exporter
The United States is the world's fourth largest exporter of coal ? after Australia, Indonesia and Russia. U.S. firms are now setting their sights on the big markets in Asia, particularly China and India.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=af37955013c34dc062a57f6821b3a2a3

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Eva Mendes Needs To Stare At Ryan Gosling's Face More

Let's be honest: We make a point of looking at Ryan Gosling as much as possible. Whether he's on the red carpet, the big screen or sitting right in front of us, it's easy to get lost staring at his handsome face. That's why we've noticed that Gosling's character in The Place Beyond The Pines has a dagger tattoo dripping a drop of blood right below his left eye.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/eva-mendes-needs-stare-ryan-goslings-face-more/1-a-531223?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aeva-mendes-needs-stare-ryan-goslings-face-more-531223

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Mollusks to Hungry Lobsters: Snot Gonna Happen!

Spiny lobsters have hard shells and strong jaws easily capable of turning the soft-bodied, sluglike sea hare into an easy meal. But new research finds that sea hares have a snotty solution: Clog up potential lobster predators' nostrils.

When threatened, the sea hares excrete a white, sticky substance called opaline that stuffs up the lobsters' sensory organs. While the lobster struggles to deal with this sudden lack of smell, the sea hare can often escape its clutches.

Sea hares (Aplysia) are marine mollusks that get their name from two long, earlike projections on their heads. The largest species can grow up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms).?

Chemical protection

Size offers some protection from potential predators, but sea hares' main defenses are chemical. Like squid, they release purplish ink when threatened, but also excrete opaline. [See Video of Snotty Sea Hare in Action]

Georgia State University researchers knew that these chemicals could save sea hares from becoming a meal to spiny lobsters, but it wasn't clear whether the substances simply blocked the lobster sensory organs (which are on its antennae) or whether they actually induced chemical signals that prevented the crustaceans from smelling food.

To find out, the researchers used Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) and sea hares (Aplysia californica). They extracted the water-soluble part of the sea hares' opaline, which left them with all of the stickiness but none of the amino acids and other chemicals that might have affected the lobsters' chemosensory receptors. They painted the opaline abstract on the lobsters' antennae and then exposed the crustaceans to "shrimp juice," which was made by soaking shredded shrimp in water for an hour.

The researchers repeated the same experiment with three other substances: carboxymethylcellulose, which is sticky but lacks opaline's amino acids; a mixture of only the amino acids found in opaline, without the stickiness; and a combination of carboxymethylcellulose and the opaline amino acids. A final group of lobsters got to smell the shrimp juice with nothing blocking their antennae.

As the lobsters responded to the shrimp juice in each condition, the researchers measured the activity of their chemosensory neurons.?

Sticky defense

The results revealed that even without neuron-affecting chemicals, opaline's stickiness alone is enough to save sea hares from spiny lobsters. The amino acid-free carboxymethylcellulose had the same effect as opaline, the researchers report today (March 27) in the Journal of Experimental Biology. The opaline amino acids alone, however, did not stop the lobster neurons from responding to smells, perhaps in part because they were easily washed away by sea water.

Spiny lobsters have chemical sensory organs all over their head and legs, and the researchers suspect sea hares can clog them all.

"Typically, a sea hare is in the grasp of a spiny lobster before the sea hare inks," they wrote. "Our observations are that the ink sticks to all of the sensory appendages in the anterior end, including the antennules, mouthparts and anterior legs. We would expect an effect on these other chemoreceptors similar to that we have demonstrated for antennular chemoreceptors."

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter?and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mollusks-hungry-lobsters-snot-gonna-happen-000926692.html

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Computer chips: Building upward safely

Mar. 27, 2013 ? A computer model provides important clues for the production of tightly packed electronic components.

Greater numbers of ever-smaller components are required to fit on computer chips to meet the ongoing demands of miniaturizing electronic devices. Consequently, computer chips are becoming increasingly crowded. Designers of electronic architectures have therefore followed the lead of urban planners and started to build upward. In so-called 'three-dimensional (3D) packages', for example, several flat, two-dimensional chips can be stacked on top of each other using vertical joints.

Controlling the properties of these complex structures is no easy task, as many factors come into play during production. Faxing Che and Hongyu Li and co-workers from the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics, Singapore, have now developed a powerful modeling method that allows large-scale simulations -- and optimization -- of the fabrication process, which provides welcome assistance to designers.

Among the challenges of producing tightly packed computer chips is the need to prevent warpage of the underlying silicon wafer as electronics components are stacked on it. Warpage leads to a number of unwanted effects. "Strong warpage can cause wafer breakage, it makes tight packing more difficult and some processing machines cannot handle high-warpage wafers," explains Li. The degree of warpage depends on many design and process parameters, and optimizing the procedure experimentally is time-consuming and costly.

Using their computer model, Che and Li studied a wide range of parameters that influence the warpage of an 8-inch diameter silicon wafer. They focused, in particular, on how a silicon substrate responds to the deposition of layers of copper -- through which electrical currents eventually flow. "This is the first time that a model has been able to predict warpage [at] the level of the entire wafer," says Li. Moreover, the stress on the wafer can be determined accurately. The calculated values agreed well with experimental data. Importantly, with the computer simulations, the researchers could explore regimes that cannot be easily studied experimentally, such as how the depth of the connections between layers influences wafer warpage.

The next goal is to simulate even larger wafers with variable connection sizes, explains Li. "Today, there are two industry standards for 3D packaging applications, 8-inch and 12-inch wafers, but the latter are becoming increasingly important," she says. The team's model is applicable to these larger wafers, too, but it requires optimization. Currently, Che, Li and their co-workers are collecting warpage and stress data for 12-inch wafers. They will use these data for developing their model further, according to Li.

The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the Institute of Microelectronics

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Faxing Che, Hongyu Y. Li, Xiaowu Zhang, Shan Gao, Kenghwa H. Teo. Development of Wafer-Level Warpage and Stress Modeling Methodology and Its Application in Process Optimization for TSV Wafers. IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, 2012; 2 (6): 944 DOI: 10.1109/TCPMT.2012.2192732

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/gt35Y3moD-8/130327162352.htm

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HBT: Yankees' Hughes to start season on DL

Kinda saw this coming:

?

Not the end of the world as he seems to be progressing from earlier back trouble this spring. But it?s not as if the Yankees needed any more DL time either.

He could be back the second week of April. Given the days off in the early schedule, that shouldn?t have too much of an impact.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/phil-hughes-to-start-the-season-on-the-disabled-list/related/

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U.S. rapper Gucci Mane jailed for alleged assault

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Rapper Gucci Mane was jailed in Georgia on Wednesday for allegedly hitting a fan in the head with a champagne bottle at an Atlanta nightclub earlier this month.

Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, turned himself in to authorities late on Tuesday, according to Fulton County Sheriff's Office records.

Mane, 33, faces an aggravated assault charge after causing a "severe laceration" to the man whom he hit with a champagne bottle on March 16, according to a police report. The fan had approached Mane and tried to strike up a conversation, police said. Mane left the nightclub before police arrived.

A magistrate judge denied bond for Mane at his first court appearance on Wednesday, sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.

Mane did not enter a plea. His next hearing will be on April 10, Flanagan said.

Mane's attorney, Drew Findling, told Reuters he would appeal the denial of bond to a higher court. He said six witnesses interviewed by his office about what he described as a melee at the club did not pin blame on the rapper.

"None of them said Gucci had anything to do with it," Findling said.

The incident is the latest in a long string of legal troubles for the rapper, who has appeared in remixes with the Black Eyed Peas and Usher.

In 2001, Mane was arrested for cocaine possession and spent 90 days in jail. He served a six-month prison term in 2005 for assault, and in 2009 was imprisoned for a year for violating probation in that case.

A Georgia judge sentenced Mane to six months in jail in 2011 after he admitted to pushing a woman out of his car.

(Reporting by David Beasley; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rapper-gucci-mane-jailed-alleged-assault-bottle-142618639.html

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T-Mobile USA to begin selling iPhone on April 12 for $99, no contract

As previously reported, the iPhone is finally coming to T-Mobile USA. The iPhone 5 will launch on the carrier on April 12, for the price fo $99 without a contract. The iPhone 5 will be compatible with T-Mobile?s LTE network, which launches today in seven cities nationwide. T-Mobile USA president and CEO John Legere said this about the launch:

?This is an important day for people who love their iPhone but can?t stand the pain other carriers put them through to own one,? said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA. ?We feel their pain. I?ve felt the pain. So we?re rewriting the rules of wireless to provide a radically simple, affordable iPhone 5 experience ? on an extremely powerful network.?

T-Mobile's iPhone 5 uses 4G LTE in the AWS spectrum, HSPA 42+ in AWS, as well as 1900 MHz.

T-Mobile USA has been the only major U.S. carrier without the iPhone since the iPhone 4S debut on Sprint in 2011. Customers paying $99 for the iPhone up front will pay $20 per month after that for 24 months, though again, they won?t be bound by a contract. In addition to the iPhone 5, T-Mobile will also be offering the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, starting at $69 and $15, respectively.

Source: T-Mobile

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/SY8biWK1Blo/story01.htm

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reconnecting | The Parenting Place's Parent Pulse Blog

I smile to myself whenever I overhear ?I love you? being quietly shared by a co-worker checking in on their child after school or leaving a message for a spouse at work.?? We spend a great deal of time away from those we care about so much, and every connection we make helps to maintain and grow the intimacy relationships need to thrive.

As parents, we need to be intentional about re-entry with our children after being separated during the day.? One of the most significant factors in reconnecting at this time is to listen and to offer our child eye contact.? So often direct eye contact with our children is reserved only for when we are making an emphatic point to them, usually a correction of some sort.? But during just a casual conversation, (a child telling us about their day), we are often preoccupied with doing several other things at once.

Neufeld and Mate, authors of the book, Hold Onto Your Kids coined the expression ?collecting your child?.? I like the image that brings to my mind that we are bringing our child back into the circle and spirit of our own family.

Recently during dinner at the China Buffet, we sat next to a mom and dad and their two sons ? one about 8 years old and the other one probably about 11 years old.? From the conversation of the eager boys, I could tell this was definitely their attempt at re-entry ? their time to ?refuel?.? The parents sadly were not responding ? staring into space as the oldest one shared a pretty dramatic story about how the lights went out in the lunch room at school.? (yes, I have big ears, but we were sitting very close to them- so close, in fact, it was all I could do to not respond to this young boy who so wanted to connect.)

His conversation began to take on a bit louder, sillier tone, I believe, to try to get some reaction even a negative one ? which unfortunately happened.

Oh, what a missed opportunity for all involved.

When I got up to leave, I made a comment to the older boy that he had made quite a bit of progress using his chop sticks. He brightened right up ? until his dad turned to me and apologized for his son annoying us during dinner.

I assured him I was not in the least annoyed and shared that our children were grown now and we miss and appreciate those non-stop chatty moments of the past.

I told him I thought he had a pretty creative storyteller there ? curious and engaging.? I saw his eyes soften ? he looked at his son and smiled.? His son smiled back.

I think this dad needed some refueling of his own.

?Families are made of humans, who by definition aren?t perfect.? That?s okay.? Love serves us better than perfect every time.?? Dr. Laura Markham

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Source: http://parentpulse.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/reconnecting/

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We All Want To Live In Monaco's Odeon Tower, But We're All Too Poor

Holy crap, look at the Odeon Tower, a slick new skyscraper in Monaco set to be completed in summer 2014. But good luck affording a unit—the place is expected to be the most expensive building per square meter in the world. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uiJHGTEt8B4/we-all-want-to-live-in-monacos-odeon-tower-but-were-all-too-poor

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GVSU roundup: Women's golf fourth at tournament

The Grand Valley State University women?s golf team finished fourth at the Perry Park Spring Fling this weekend in Kentucky.

Sophomore Kelly Hartigan was the top player on the course for GVSU, finishing in a tie for sixth.

The tournament was originally scheduled for three rounds, but inclimate weather in the forecast for Sunday forced the cancellation of the last round.

GVSU was led by Hartigan, who shot rounds of 78 and 74 to finish at 152 (plus-8) and in a tie for sixth place.

Senior Marni Weinstein, who has come on strong lately for the Lakers, finished in a tie for 22nd with rounds of 82 and 78 to card a total of 160.

Freshman Gabrielle Shipley and junior Veronica Ryan both finished in a tie for 32nd. Shipley used consecutive rounds of 81 and Ryan carded a first-round 85 and second-round 77, as both finished at 162 for the tournament.

Junior Cassady Kauble used rounds of 83 and 82 to finish at 165 and in a tie for 50th, while sophomore Molly Esordi had rounds of 82 and 87 to finish in a tie for 63rd.

GVSU struggled in the first round with a team score of 324, but turned things around in the second with a score of 310 to finish at 634 for the tournament and in fourth place.

Indianapolis ran away with the team crown, using rounds of 307 and 304 to finish at 611. Findlay and Ashland tied for second place with a total of 628, GVSU was fourth at 634 and Illinois-Springfield and Missouri-St. Louis tied for fifth with a score of 640. Illinois-Springfield also had the individual medalist with Abby Vorreyer shooting a two-round 149 with scores of 77 and 72.

Women?s lacrosse

Dowling 20, GVSU 9

Grand Valley could not overcome the strong offense from the No. 8 Dowling squad as the Lakers fell, 20-9, on Sunday afternoon at Golden Lions Field in Brookhaven, N.Y.

The loss drops GVSU to 2-3 on the season, while Dowling improves to 5-1 on the season. The Lakers return to the field on Tuesday, March 26 against No. 4 Adelphi at 7 p.m.

Grand Valley got on the board first thanks to a goal from sophomore Victoria Devine, but Dowling went on a 7-0 run to control the game.

Freshman Taylor Bierwagen snapped the streak with a goal at the 17:30 mark, but the Golden Lions went on a 6-3 run to end the half and hold a 13-5 edge into the break. Despite the lead, GVSU held Dowling without a goal for the last four minutes of the opening stanza, while senior Allyson Fritts and sophomore Rachel Leibovitz recorded goals to close the gap to eight goals.

Men's tennis

GVSU splits two matches

Grand Valley split its pair of matches on Sunday with a 7-2 win against GLIAC foe Lake Superior State before falling to Western Michigan 7-0.

Grand Valley is 10-7 on the year and 5-0 in league action.

In the opening match of the game, GVSU picked up two points in doubles competition with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Andrew Darrell and Francis Bertrand picked up an 8-4 victory in the top position. Zac Felice and Andrew Heuerman paired up to win 8-6 in the second slot.

Bertrand opened up singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the No. 1 position, while Darrell also won, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the No. 2 spot. Bryan Hodges grabbed a 6-0, 6-3 victory in No. 3 singles, while Andrew Bole defeated his opponent 7-5, 6-1 in the No. 4 spot. Michael Kaye wrapped up the wins in singles with a three-set win, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), in the No. 6 spot.

Grand Valley then traveled to Western Michigan where the Lakers were shut out. Western Michigan picked up the first two doubles matches to get the point. The Broncos were able to take all the singles matches, but Hodges made it difficult, before eventually falling, 6-3, 7-6 (10-7).

In the second half, sophomore Jordan Luberto opened the scoring for the Lakers, but Dowling went on a 5-0 run over the next 10 minutes to run away with the game. ?A pair of goal from Luberto and Fritts ended the run, but two more nets from the Golden Lions made it a 20-8 game with 4:43 left in the second. ?Fritts found the back of the net with 2:11 left for her team-high third goal of the game.

Fritts topped the team with three goals, while also notching three caused turnovers and converting a free-position shot. ?Luberto notched two goals and two draw controls, while Leibovitz had a goal and an assist.

Grand Valley held a slight 28-27 edge in shots, while Dowling boasted a 19-10 advantage on draw controls. ?Both teams tallied 10 turnovers in the opening half, but GVSU limited itself to two in the second half to record a season-low 12 miscues.

Sophomore Audrey Kobe picked up three saves in between the pipes, while junior Lindsay McCarty stopped two. ?Tina Fey earned the victory in the net for Dowling, picking up 12 saves.
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Source: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1959361959/GVSU-roundup-Womens-golf-fourth-at-tournament?rssfeed=true

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Johnson City church is packed for Palm Sunday

Johnson City, NY (WBNG Binghamton)

By Steph Machado

Johnson City church is packed for Palm Sunday

March 25, 2013 Updated Mar 25, 2013 at 12:58 AM EDT

Johnson City, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Local Catholics kicked off Holy Week Sunday at St. James Church.

More than 600 people attended the Palm Sunday mass that represents the beginning of Holy Week and the last week of Lent.

"It commences Holy Week," Father John Donovan said. "We celebrate not only the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, we also celebrate the Passion of Christ as we read the entire Gospel passage of this sentencing and crucifixion."

This was one of the first masses after the election of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit leader of the Catholic Church. Donovan said these first holidays will set the tone for Francis' papacy.

Holy Week will continue with Holy Thursday, Good Friday and finally Easter Sunday.

Source: http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Palm-Sunday-kicks-off-199781011.html

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30 Quadrotors Form a Star Trek Constellation In the London Skyline

It's supposed to be an hour when everyone conserves energy by turning off the lights and other superfluous power drains. But apparently Paramount is still not up-to-speed on what Earth Hour is all about since over the weekend it celebrated the event by sending 30 quadrotor drones into the air, forming the Starfleet insignia to promote the upcoming release of Star Trek Into Darkness. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-ObMyrtdTkc/30-quadrotors-form-a-star-trek-constellation-in-the-london-skyline

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Time Out: Foley unfiltered on the GOP brand, taxes and Malloy

He's gone from the "Green Zone" of Baghdad to the Emerald Isle.

Yet there is one destination that has proven elusive for Greenwich Republican Tom Foley.

And it's not the U.S. ambassador's residence in Dublin.

It's the governor's office, which Foley will seek for a second time in 2014 after coming 6,500 votes short to former Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy in 2010.

Foley, 61, a GOP bundler and Harvard Business School friend of former President George W. Bush, discussed the Republican brand, the fiscal climate in his home state and his political foil with Hearst Connecticut Newspapers recently.

Q: You wrote an op-ed in Politico this week praising Abraham Lincoln and calling on Republicans to live up to his legacy, particularly when it comes to fighting poverty. How do Republicans get their message to resonate better with minority and low-income voters, and is it possible for a candidate of your means and your background in venture capital to make that connection?

A: The op-ed pointed out that Lincoln was first and foremost an extraordinary person. But what made him great and what has endeared him to generations is that he was committed to a noble cause. What I was suggesting in the piece was that if Republicans were to commit themselves to a noble cause that was clearly in everyone's interests and would take the country forward, that it would broaden the party's appeal. So I mentioned poverty as one opportunity to do that. I believe that if the Republican Party took on the challenge of addressing poverty in this country, that it would show that Republicans are interested in serving everyone's interests and moving the country forward on an important challenge and would endear us to minorities, urban dwellers, younger people, Hispanics and other constituencies that today aren't typically Republican.

Q: What gives you optimism that a Republican can win statewide office in Connecticut after the recent blue tide and the makeup of the electorate in this state?

A: It's a very challenging state for a Republican, but as you know, I came within 6,000 votes of winning the governorship in 2010, which I think shows that a Republican can win statewide office here. I was a first-time candidate. The challenge is particularly tough for a first-time candidate, starting off with no name recognition. Republicans have an easier time in Connecticut in the governor's race because it's a mid-term cycle. So you don't have a Democrat incumbent president on the top of the line. President Barack Obama won the state by about 18 points, which made it virtually impossible for a Republican on the under ticket to win statewide office. That won't be the case in 2014 in the governor's race.

Q: This week there was a new report that revealed that the state was trying to lure Bushmaster Firearms International from North Carolina to Stamford before the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and then withdrew the development deal afterward. What do you think that says, the fact that the state was trying to lure this business and now, obviously, there's all the discussion about the assault weapons?

A: Well, the Connecticut Policy Institute, which I founded, published an op-ed that was following on a white paper about incentives that states offer and pointed out that many of the incentives that Connecticut has offered have been haphazard and probably don't make sense. So I think that the offer to Bushmaster to come here was, again, another one of those ad hoc incentives offered to a company to bring jobs here that doesn't tie into a logical long-term economic development plan for the state. So I think it was probably a mistake in the first place and then it was allowed to get politicized by the governor. I'm not surprised by the reaction of the firearms companies to what the governor is trying to do here in Connecticut.

Q: What are some of the specific changes we would see in a Tom Foley administration concerning tax policy?

A: Well, there wouldn't be any new taxes. The solution to the budget is actually pretty simple. If you held spending level for two years, the budget problems would go away. There's no need to raise taxes, though I wouldn't be surprised if Gov.Malloy does raise taxes because I don't think he has any intention of holding spending flat.

Q: You recently alluded to Gov. Malloy's 48 percent public approval rating, his highest since taking office, as partially a product of a "Newtown bounce" during a Sunday talk show. Would you still use that wording and how would you respond to your critics, namely Democrats, who called it insensitive and tried to draw a comparison between you and the NRA.

A: It actually wasn't my wording. It was wording that others had used in responding to a Quinnipiac poll. The point I was trying to make is that leaders during crises get what I call a halo effect. Everybody during a crisis looks to their leaders and wants to look favorably on them and their ability to address a crisis. The Quinnipiac poll is the first poll that had come out measuring his favorables and unfavorables since Sandy Hook and the storm in the fall, and so I was making the point that whatever benefit he got from those two crises was embedded in those two poll results. The good will that comes from a leader during a crisis has a pretty short half-life, so I don't think that the governor can count on that result and those polls lasting unless he does something about the issues that matter most to Connecticut residents, which are jobs and the economy. And I pointed out on that "Capitol Report" show that, despite a 48-percent favorable perception of the voters, he only had a 42-percent re-elect number, so many of those people who perceive him favorably still aren't planning to vote for him in 2014.

Q: What would you say are some redeeming qualities of the governor, if any?

A: (Laughing) Trick question. I just think I would have handled the challenges that face the state so differently from Gov. Malloy and I'm disappointed in the policy and direction that he's taken our state. I don't think that he's addressing the issues that matter most to our citizens and I don't think he's solving people's problems. So it's hard for me to think of any redeeming parts of his administration because he's not getting the job done.

Q: You were tasked with overseeing private sector development for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq by President Bush. What was it like living in Baghdad?

A: It was very challenging. It was difficult, both in terms of the job and responsibility I had, and the work environment, but I think everybody who was there was glad to be there and committed to the goal of having Iraq emerge as a Western-style democracy with representative government, rule of law and respect for human rights. We achieved a lot in the short amount of time that we had and I'm proud of my service there, as well as the service of all of the others who were there with me.

Q: Now we get the lightning round. Do you have a Twitter account and do you do your own tweeting?

A: Sometimes.

Q: Do you ever have other people do your tweeting for you?

A: Yes, if you're in a campaign, certainly. It's almost required that somebody at least assist with tweeting.

Q: Best perk of being ambassador to Ireland?

A: Well, representing the United States of America overseas is a wonderful privilege, but the best perk I would say is that you can get anybody over for dinner.

Q: Who are some of the people you had over for dinner?

A: Bono and The Edge. Seamus Heaney. Van Morrison.

Q: Is it true The Edge was at your wedding?

A: Yes.

Q: Was Bono there?

A: Bono was out of the country.

Q: Favorite U2 song?

A: That was a little out of my generation, a little late for me. They had some very good music. And Edge, who's primarily the music writer and the lyricist, is extraordinary.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy

Source: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Time-Out-Foley-unfiltered-on-the-GOP-brand-4380713.php

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Key US decision on Cuba terror-designation coming

Miniature flags representing Cuba and the U.S. are displayed on the dash of an American classic car in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 22, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry must decide within a few weeks whether to advocate that President Barack Obama should take Cuba off a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a collection of Washington foes that also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan. Cuban officials have long seen the terror designation as unjustified and told visiting American delegations privately in recent weeks that they view Kerry's recommendation as a litmus test for improved ties. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

Miniature flags representing Cuba and the U.S. are displayed on the dash of an American classic car in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 22, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry must decide within a few weeks whether to advocate that President Barack Obama should take Cuba off a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a collection of Washington foes that also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan. Cuban officials have long seen the terror designation as unjustified and told visiting American delegations privately in recent weeks that they view Kerry's recommendation as a litmus test for improved ties. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

Secretary of State John Kerry, left, followed by National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, arrives for the joint news conference between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel,Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

HAVANA (AP) ? A normally routine bit of Washington bureaucracy could have a big impact on U.S. relations with Cuba, either ushering in a long-stalled detente or slamming the door on rapprochement, perhaps until the scheduled end of the Castro era in 2018.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry must decide within a few weeks whether to advocate that President Barack Obama should take Cuba off a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a collection of Washington foes that also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan.

Cuban officials have long seen the terror designation as unjustified and told visiting American delegations privately in recent weeks that they view Kerry's recommendation as a litmus test for improved ties. They also hinted the decision could affect discussions over the release of jailed U.S. subcontractor Alan Gross, whose detention in 2009 torpedoed hopes of a diplomatic thaw.

Inclusion on the list means a ban not only on arms sales to Cuba but also on items that can have dual uses, including some hospital equipment. It also requires that the United States oppose any loans to Cuba by the World Bank or other international lending institutions, among other measures.

U.S. officials agree the recommendation, which Kerry must make before the State Department's annual terror report is published April 30, has become ensnared in the standoff over Gross. The American was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was caught bringing communications equipment onto the island illegally while working for a USAID-funded democracy-building program.

Cuba has been on the terror list since 1982, and is also the target of a 51-year U.S. economic embargo ? the reason why the island of beaches, music and rum is the only country Americans cannot visit as tourists. Removal from the list would not change that.

Critics say Cuba's inclusion on the list has little to do with any real threat posed by the Communist-run Caribbean island, and they say the list has become so politicized it's useless. North Korea was removed in 2008 during nuclear negotiations that ultimately failed, and was never put back on. Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden had been hiding out, is not on the list in large part because of its strategic importance.

Longtime Cuba analyst Philip Peters of the Virginia-based think tank the Lexington Institute said removing Cuba from the list "makes sense ... just because it's been a specious allegation that the United States has repeated for many years ... It would improve the atmosphere."

Others argue against rewarding Havana unless it releases Gross.

"I have long believed it's in our interest to see an improvement in relations with Cuba," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Gross's home state of Maryland who traveled with a congressional delegation to Havana last month. But "the first step needs to be resolving Alan Gross's situation."

Voices calling for a change in the policy are growing louder, however.

Last month, The Boston Globe cited administration sources saying high-level diplomats determined Cuba should be dropped from the list. That prompted State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland to say there were "no current plans" to do so, though she did not explicitly rule out the possibility.

Last week, a Los Angeles Times editorial called for Cuba's removal from the list, and other newspapers have voiced similar opinions. The Cuba Study Group, a Washington-based exile organization that advocates engagement to promote democratic change, issued a white paper in February calling for an "apolitical" reexamination of the terror designation.

While Kerry can review the designation even after the State Department's report comes out, Cuba's continued inclusion on the list in April would almost certainly rule out its chances of removal in 2013.

A U.S. official involved in deliberations told The Associated Press that Kerry will ultimately decide and nobody under him is in a position to predict what will happen. "It's very much up in the air," he said.

But another administration official said that lifting the terror designation will be a hard sell while Gross remains imprisoned.

"It's very unlikely," the second official said. "There is no consensus. And if you are on (the list), you stay on as long as there is no consensus on taking you off."

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Ostensibly, Cuba has been designated a terror sponsor because it harbors members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, the Basque militant organization ETA and a handful of U.S. fugitives, many of whom have lived here since the 1970s.

But much has changed in recent years.

Late last year, peace talks began in Havana between Colombia and the FARC, and even Washington has voiced hope that the negotiations will end Colombia's half-century old conflict.

ETA announced a permanent cease-fire in 2011, and Madrid has not openly called for the return of any Basque fugitives. Cuba has enjoyed improved relations with Spain and Colombia in recent years, and both countries routinely vote at the U.N. against continuing the U.S. embargo.

Under President Raul Castro, Cuba has freed dozens of dissidents and has begun opening its economy and society, though it remains a one-party political system that permits no legal opposition. Castro announced in February that he would step down in 2018 and signaled a likely successor.

The time might also be ripe in terms of U.S. politics.

While in the Senate, Kerry was an outspoken critic of America's policy on Cuba, saying it has "manifestly failed for nearly 50 years." He called for travel restrictions to end and held up millions of dollars in funding for the type of programs Gross worked with.

His boss, President Obama, no longer has to worry about reelection or pleasing Cuban-Americans, an all-important voting bloc in the crucial swing state of Florida.

Ann Louise Bardach, a longtime Cuba observer and the author of "Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington," said all the political winds would seem to point toward a reboot in relations ? except for Havana's decision to hold Gross and try to swap him for five Cuban agents in the U.S.

"In a way they cooked their goose with Alan Gross," she said. "The Cubans thought, 'Gee what a brilliant idea, we'll have a chit to trade.' Little did they know that they would be at this moment where you have considerable momentum to move on in Washington, and politically, because of the Gross mess, Washington can't act."

___

Associated Press reporters Bradley Klapper and Jessica Gresko in Washington, and Peter Orsi in Havana contributed to this report.

___

Follow Paul Haven on Twitter: www.twitter.com/paulhaven

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-23-Cuba-Terror%20List/id-728bed4ebd7042eba2f799fffbbcbd95

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