Nature Communications ? Nanoparticles Digging the World's ...

Graphite consists of layered carbon atoms. A metal particle bores into the graphite sample from the edges of these layers. Image: KIT

The world?s smallest tunnels have a width of a few nanometers only. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Rice University, USA, have dug such tunnels into graphite samples. This will allow structuring of the interior of materials through self-organization in the nanometer range and tailoring of nanoporous graphite for applications in medicine and battery technology. Results are now presented in the scientific journal Nature Communications. (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2399)

The tunnels are manufactured applying nickel nanoparticles to graphite which then is heated in the presence of hydrogen gas. The surface of the metal particles, that measure a few nanometers only, serves as a catalyst removing the carbon atoms of the graphite and converting them by means of hydrogen into the gas methane. Through capillary forces, the nickel particle is drawn into the ?hole? that forms and bores through the material. The size of the tunnels obtained in the experiments was in the range of 1 to 50 nanometers, which about corresponds to one thousandth of the diameter of a human hair.

To furnish proof of the real existence of these graphite tunnels, the researchers have made use of scanning electron and scanning tunneling microscopy. ?Microscopes, in fact, image only the upper layers of the sample,? the principal authors of the study, Maya Lukas and Velimir Meded from KIT?s Institute of Nanotechnology, explain. ?The tunnels below these upper layers, however, leave atomic structures on the surface whose courses can be traced and which can be assigned to the nanotunnels by means of the very detailed scanning tunneling microscopy images and based on computerized simulations.? In addition, the depth of the tunnels was determined precisely by means of a series of images taken by a scanning electron microscope from different perspectives.

Porous graphite is used, for example, in the electrodes of lithium ion batteries. The charge time could be reduced using materials with appropriate pore sizes. In medicine, porous graphite could serve as a carrier of drugs to be released over longer periods of time. Replacing graphite by nonconductive materials, e.g. boron nitride,? with atomic structures similar to that of graphite,? the tunnels could serve as basic structures for nanoelectronic components such as novel sensors or solar cells.

The graphite tunnel study was carried out by the study groups headed by Pulickel M. Ajayan from Rice University, USA, and Ralph Krupke and Wolfgang Wenzel from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

For further information on research by the KIT study groups, please refer to www.int.kit.edu.

Sources

Source: http://www.zeitnews.org/natural-sciences/nanotechnology/nature-communications-nanoparticles-digging-world-s-smallest-tunnels

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Photos: Bullet Flips Woman's Tooth

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'Mean Girls' on Broadway? Our Dream Cast Would Be?

Tina Fey is officially working on Mean Girls: The Musical, and we couldn't be more excited.

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Working to identify early warning signs in juvenile offenders

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Red flags are easy to recognize in the days following a tragic event like a mass shooting. That's why a group of Iowa State researchers is working to identify those early warning signs in juvenile offenders before they turn into a pattern of criminal behavior.

It is often difficult for people to understand what leads to criminal behavior in children or teens. But by the time a juvenile is arrested, or referred to the juvenile court system, the child generally has displayed a pattern of antisocial behavior, said Matt DeLisi, professor of sociology at Iowa State University.

In some extreme cases, DeLisi said children as young as 5 years old are committing crimes. So when that child becomes an adult, he or she may already have a lengthy criminal record. That is why DeLisi, and the team of researchers, wants to understand what contributes to this behavior in order to correct it.

"With onset in criminal careers, the first sign of that problem behavior is an indicator of how severe it will be," DeLisi said. "If you can help them, you save a ton of money and you save a lot of problems. But it's just the issue of correctly identifying them and that raises a bunch of ethical and other issues."

The connection between the onset and the severity is similar to other ways children start to develop, whether it is positive or negative, at an early age.

"If you have someone who is 3, or even 2, and is already reading it would suggest that the person is highly intelligent," DeLisi said. "The reason is because the emergence or the onset of the behavior is usually inversely related to what they will become. The earlier something appears the more special they are or extreme."

With criminal behavior, the onset begins with rule violations, but researchers found a juvenile's first arrest or contact with the police is the strongest indicator of future problems. The study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice included 252 children living in Pennsylvania juvenile detention centers. The offenders ranged in age from 14-18 and on average had committed 15 delinquent acts in the prior year.

Researchers also discovered that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder got into trouble at a younger age than other juvenile offenders without ADHD. In fact, their first contact with police happened more than a year prior to other offenders. Youth with conduct disorder were also more likely to be arrested at a younger age. However, researchers urge caution on how the results are interpreted.

"This by no way means that every child with ADHD or conduct disorder will become delinquent or ultimately be arrested. What it does mean is that future work needs to address why some youth with ADHD or conduct disorder become delinquent and others do not," said Brenda Lohman, an associate professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State.

"From a preventive standpoint, this information could then help identify support systems and intervening mechanisms for families and parents, and ultimately decrease rates of antisocial behaviors of children with ADHD or conduct disorder," Lohman said.

In addition to preventive measures, researchers hope to build on this study to better understand the family dynamics that can lead to mental and behavioral issues in children.

"Extensive research indicates that economic hardship has an adverse effect on the well-being of families," said Tricia Neppl, an assistant professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State.

Economic pressures increase the risk for emotional distress, which Neppl said can lead to harsh disciplinary practices. She is working on a study to determine if such hardships, when a child is between the ages of 3 and 5 years old, impact the child's mental health when they are 6 to 13 years old.

"The results suggest that economic adversity influences parental emotional health, marital distress, and hostile parenting which predicts child mental health disorders, such as conduct disorder and ADHD, during later childhood and early adolescence," Neppl said.

As researchers understand more about the connection with antisocial behavior, DeLisi expects there will be an even greater push for intervention and treatment for ADHD and conduct disorder.

"Early interventions are very successful, but they require a lot of investment on the part of people who may be the least willing or able to invest," DeLisi said. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Saint Louis University also contributed to the study.

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Journal Reference:

1. Matt DeLisi, Tricia K. Neppl, Brenda J. Lohman, Michael G. Vaughn, Jeffrey J. Shook. Early starters: Which type of criminal onset matters most for delinquent careers? Journal of Criminal Justice, 2013; 41 (1): 12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2012.10.002

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/r_OVL__YQyk/130129144753.htm

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Next generation solar cells: Trapping sunlight with microbeads

Jan. 29, 2013 ? In five to seven years, solar cells will have become much cheaper and only one-twentieth as thick as current solar cells. The trick is to deceive the sunlight with microbeads.

Nanoscientists are currently developing the next generation of solar cells, which will be twenty times thinner than current solar cells.

Over 90 per cent of the current electricity generated by solar panels is made by silicon plates that are 200 micrometres thick. Several billion of these are produced every year. The problem is the large consumption of silicon: five grams per watt.

200 Alta power stations: This year, between five and ten billion solar panel units will be produced worldwide. This is the equivalent of 30 GW, or the capacity of 200 Alta power stations.

Though silicon is one of the most common elements on earth, pure silicon does not exist in nature. Silicon binds readily to other elements. In order for solar cells to function, the silicon plate must consist of at minimum 99,9999 per cent silicon. You read that right: if the solar cell consists of more than one millionth other materials, it does not work.

Today, pure silicon is created in smelters at 2,000 degrees Celsius. This requires a lot of energy. Factories supply silicon in bricks the size of a piece of firewood. They are then cut into slices thin enough for solar panels. Only half become solar cells. The rest turns into sawdust.

"About 100,000 tonnes of silicon are consumed every year. However, there is obviously something fundamentally wrong when half of the silicon must be thrown away during the manufacturing process," says Erik Marstein. He is the Head of the Norwegian Research Centre for Solar Cell Technology, the Head of Research for the solar cell unit at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) at Kjeller outside of Oslo, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Oslo (UiO), Norway.

The price of solar cells is falling steadily. Today, solar panels cost a half Euro for every watt. Only four years ago, the price was two Euros per watt.

"It is difficult to make money producing solar cells at current prices. To make money, solar cells must be manufactured much more cheaply."

Super-thin solar cells in 2020

Together with Professor Aasmund Sudb? in the Department of Physics, Erik Marstein is at the forefront of the development of the next generation of solar cells. They can come on the market in five to seven years.

"The most obvious way ahead is to make very thin solar cell slices, without increasing costs."

This general rule applies to all types of solar cells: the more electrons sunlight pushes out, the more electricity. And the more energy in the electrons, the higher the voltage.

"The thinner the solar cells become, the easier it is to extract the electricity. In principle, there will therefore be a higher voltage and more electricity in thinner cells. We are now developing solar cells that are at least as good as the current ones, but that can be made with just one twentieth of the silicon. This means that the consumption of silicon can be reduced by 95 per cent," says Erik Marstein to the research magazine Apollon at University of Oslo.

However, there is a big but! The thinner the plates, the less sunlight is trapped. This has to do with the wavelengths of light. Blue light has a much shorter wavelength than red light. Blue light can be trapped by plates that are only a few micrometres thick. In order to trap the red light, the silicon plate must be almost one millimetre thick. For infrared light, the plate must be even thicker.

When the solar cell plate is to be as thin as 20 micrometres, too much of the light will go straight through.

The thickness of current solar cells is doubled by a mirror. By reflecting the light, the passage of the light through the plate is doubled.

A 20 micrometre think solar cell with a mirror will in theory be 40 micrometres thick. However, that is not enough. Furthermore, the current mirrors are far from perfect: they only reflect 70 to 80 per cent of the light.

The magic

"This is where the magic comes in. We are trying every possible wonderful trick with light. Our trick is to deceive the sunlight into staying longer in the solar cell"

"We are trying every possible wonderful trick with light."

This extends the duration of the sunlight's passage within the solar cell," explains Erik Marstein. This is called light harvesting.

His research group is now making a back sheet peppered with periodic structures, to be able to decide exactly where the light should go. They have managed to force the light to move sideways.

"We can increase the apparent thickness 25 times by forcing the light up and down all the time. We have calculated what this back sheet must look like and are currently studying which structures work."

One of the options is to cover the entire back sheet with Uglestad microbeads, which is one of the greatest Norwegian inventions of the previous century. Uglestad microbeads are very small plastic spheres. Each sphere is exactly the same size.

"We can force the Uglestad microbeads to lie close together on the silicon surface, in an almost perfect periodic pattern. Laboratory trials have shown that the microbeads can be used as a mask." Doctoral Research Fellow Jostein Thorstensen shows that lasers are well-suited to etch indentations around the microbeads.

"We are now investigating whether this and other methods can be scaled up for industrial production. We have great faith in this, and are currently in discussions with multiple industrial partners, but we cannot yet say who."

Asymmetrical tricks

To trap even more light in the solar cell, Jo Gjessing has completed a doctorate on how to make asymmetrical micro indentations on the back of the silicon slice.

"Cylinders, cones and hemispheres are symmetrical shapes. We have proposed a number of structures that break the symmetry. Our calculations show that asymmetrical microindentations can trap even more of the sunlight," says his supervisor, Erik Marstein.

In practice, this means that 20 micrometre solar cells with symmetrical micro indentations are as effective as 16 micrometre plates with asymmetrical indentations. This means that silicone consumption can be reduced by another 20 per cent.

"Our main goal has been to get the same amount of electricity from thinner cells. We will be very satisfied even if our new solar cells are 30 micrometres," notes Professor Aasmund Sudb?.

The new solar cells are produced in different ways, for instance by splitting the thin silicone foil or growing thin silicon films. And the extra bonus? Silicon wastage is minimal.

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Belinda Parker is watching NFL GameDay Morning

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Iran denies explosion at underground uranium facility

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has denied media reports of a major explosion at one of its uranium enrichment sites, describing them as "Western propaganda" designed to influence upcoming nuclear negotiations.

Reuters has been unable to verify reports since Friday of an explosion at the underground Fordow bunker, near the religious city of Qom, that some Israeli and Western media have said caused significant damage.

Tehran has accused Israel and the United States of being behind cyber attacks and the assassination of its nuclear scientists, aiming to sabotage a nuclear program which the West suspects hides an attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

"The false news of an explosion at Fordow is Western propaganda ahead of nuclear negotiations to influence their process and outcome," state news agency IRNA quoted the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Saeed Shamseddin Bar Broudi, as saying late on Sunday.

The IRNA report also quoted the head of parliament's national security and foreign affairs committee, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, strongly denying there had been an explosion.

The plant at Fordow in late 2011 began producing uranium enriched to 20 percent fissile purity, compared with the 3.5 percent level needed for nuclear energy plants, and has been operating 700 centrifuges there since January this year, according to Western diplomats.

Western governments are concerned that high-grade enrichment is a significant step towards developing a nuclear weapons capability.

Iran maintains its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that it began producing high-enriched uranium that it was no longer able to obtain from abroad for medical use.

The two sides are set to resume negotiations in coming weeks but the talks have been beset by delays and wrangling over dates and location.

(Reporting by Marcus George; editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-denies-explosion-underground-uranium-facility-071928837.html

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The dung beetle as celestial navigator

Only humans, birds, and seals are known to navigate using stars. But the dung beetle does use the Milky Way to chart its path, say scientists.

By Joseph Castro,?LiveScience.com / January 25, 2013

Dung beetles have been shown to use the Milky Way to navigate.Researchers have known for several years that the inch-long insects use the sun or moon as fixed points to ensure they keep rolling dung balls in a straight line - the quickest way of getting away from other beetles at the dung heap. Pictured here, a South African dung beetle.

REUTERS/Marcus Byrne/University of the Witwatersrand

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Despite having tiny brains, dung beetles are surprisingly decent navigators, able to follow straight paths as they roll poo balls they've collected away from a dung source. But it seems the insects' abilities are more remarkable than previously believed. Like ancient seafarers, dung beetles can navigate using the starry sky and the glow from the Milky Way, new research shows.

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"This is the first time where we see animals using the Milky Way for orientation," said lead researcher Marie Dacke, a biologist at Lund University in Sweden. "It's also the first time we see that insects can use the stars."

After locating a fresh pile of feces, dung beetles will often collect and roll away a large piece of spherical dung. Last year, Dacke and her colleagues discovered the beetles climb on their dung balls and dance around in circles before taking off. This dance is not one of joy, however; the insects are checking out the sky to get their bearings.

"The dorsal (upper) parts of the dung beetles' eyes are specialized to be able to analyze the direction of light polarization ? the direction that light vibrates in," Dacke told LiveScience. So when a beetle looks up, it's taking in the sun, the moon and the pattern of ambient polarized light. These celestial cues help the beetle avoid accidentally circling back to the poo pile, where other beetles may try to steal its food, Dacke said. [Photos of Dung Beetles Dancing on Poop Balls]

In addition to these cues, Dacke and her team wondered if dung beetles can use stars for navigation, just as birds, seals and humans do. After all, they reasoned, dung beetles can somehow keep straight on clear, moonless nights.

To find out, the researchers timed how long dung beetles of the species Scarabaeus satyrus took to cross a circular arena with high walls blocking views of treetops and other landmarks. They tested the insects in South Africa under a moonlit sky, a moonless sky and an overcast sky. In some trials, the beetles were fitted with cardboard caps, which kept their eyes to the ground. Overall, the beetles had a difficult time traveling straight and took significantly longer to cross the arena if caps or clouds obstructed their view of the sky.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/_kLAbUmFlvs/The-dung-beetle-as-celestial-navigator

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Senate Approves Bill on Sandy Aid (WSJ)

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Nightclub inferno: Locked door trapped patrons?

A fire broke out early Sunday morning at a night club in Santa Maria, in southern Brazil, killing revelers ? many of them students. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff Writer, NBC News

Dozens of victims of a fast-moving nightclub inferno that claimed the lives of more than 230 people in southern Brazil were due to buried on Monday as reports emerged that fleeing patrons were blocked by a locked door.

About 50 funerals were expected to take place at the municipal cemetery in Santa Maria, according to Brazilian television news broadcast Zero Hora, while other bodies removed from the Kiss nightclub remained at the city?s gymnasium awaiting identification

The cemetery opened early, at 7.30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET), and was planning to conduct burials at half-hour intervals, O Globo reported, saying the army had helped dig graves.

The newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported that a refrigerated truck was used to preserve some of the bodies overnight because local mortuary facilities were full.

The blaze began early Sunday when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound-insulating material on the ceiling.

Yuri Weber / Agencia O Dia via Reuters

A view inside the blackened Boate Kiss nightclub in which at least 233 died.

The first images from inside the blackened building show the extent of the panic, with drinks and clothing scattered across the floor.

Many of the victims were under 20 years old, The Associated Press reported, and were attending a party organized by students from several academic departments from the Federal University of Santa Maria.

'Barrier of bodies'
The main door of the nightclub was locked at the time, fire chief Guido Pedroso de Melo told O Globo.

He added that firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance.?

Local authorities told Reuters that 120 men and 113 women died in the fire, and 92 people are still being treated in hospitals.

Survivors and the police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club, according to the AP, perhaps fearing that patrons would leave without paying their tab.

Marcelo Sayao / EPA

Relatives gather at the city gymnasium in Santa Maria, Brazil, to mourn victims from the 'Kiss' nightclub fire.

But Arigony said the guards didn't appear to block fleeing patrons for long. "It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he told the AP.

In a radio interview, the band?s guitarist Rodrigo Martins said the fire began shortly after the band took to the stage at 2.15 a.m. local time Sunday.

"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working," he said, adding that the accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16735889-blazing-nightclubs-main-door-was-locked-brazil-official-reportedly-says?lite

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The Importance Of User Experience In Web Design

Note From Steve: This is a guest post from another blogger. (Click here info about guest posting on my site.)

There is much debate surrounding just what makes a website a success. Of course, content and design are huge factors, but they are perhaps not the definitive reasons why a website attracts new business. Online marketing is also a major contributing factor, but that will only get people to visit the site; what makes visitors new customers? Well, the answer is user experience, and that is usually a combination of design, flow, content and reward. Referred to by some IT professionals as UX, user experience is the overall benefit your potential customers gain from visiting your site. Let?s face it; there is little point to a website if it fails to convert visitors into paying customers.

Although user experience is hard to quantify ? or even explain ? a web agency might define it as how the visitor feels whilst exploring a site, as well as how they respond. Visitor responses may be physical, which could include signing up to free-trials, interacting with various features or even purchasing a product or service. An emotional response is more difficult to assess, but it could include something as simple as a positive reaction to the general message. It is the emotional responses that leave lasting impressions, and it is those emotions that are responsible for making loyal customers out of first-time visitors. There is no ?one-size-fits-all? approach to user experience, as each company must tailor its approach depending on a number of factors.

The Target Market

The specific industry in which a website will operate is hugely important, as it will help to determine the target audience, as well as ascertaining the expectations of visitors. Will visitors want to learn, or will they be looking to make a quick purchase? Is the purpose of the website to build a network of business contacts, or is it intended to directly market products and services. Only by being completely sure of the website?s target market and its central purpose can business-owners tailor the user experience accordingly.

Live the Experience

The only way to truly understand if an existing website flows in a natural and logical way is by navigating through it with the eyes of a potential customer. The ?flow? of a site is, once again, difficult to define, yet it encompasses visual aspects, content and ease of navigation. Websites that flow in a logical way will make it easy for visitors to get the information they need as quickly as possible; bored or frustrated visitors are very unlikely to become future customers.

Websites should be given the Human Touch

Too many corporate websites are being designed for search engines, and while this may make them more likely to be discovered, it means visitors are unlikely to ?buy in? to the site?s core message. A human touch could mean aesthetically pleasing designs, or it could be a simple case of including content that strikes a conversational tone. A particularly effective strategy for many companies involves the use of humour, illustrations and interactive features. Customers who are engaged from the moment they land on a website are far more likely to invest in the business ? both emotionally and financially.

These important steps for creating a valuable user experience may sound simple, but they need to be implemented after some careful research into the industry and its customer base. The most cost-effective solution is often to hire a web design agency in order to manage the process in its entirety.? A website that has been designed to deliver the best user experience possible may be costly, but the potential rewards could make it a shrewd investment.

Energy House Digital is a specialist?web?agency?committed to providing high performance web solutions. For more information please visit ? http://www.energyhousedigital.co.uk/

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Source: http://www.weberinternetmarketing.com/web-design-issues/

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Medical aid group: Thousands flee Congo fighting

GOMA, Congo (AP) ? Aid group Doctors Without Borders says thousands of people are without access to medical care after fleeing fighting between the army and a local militia in southeastern Congo ? putting their lives at risk.

The exodus from villages in Katanga province and into the bush follows an army operation begun two weeks ago against loyalists of local warlord Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga. He escaped from prison in a mass prison break in 2011 while serving a conviction of crimes against humanity.

The aid group said Friday that thousands of people can no longer access its medical facilities, most children in its nutrition programs have left and a measles vaccination campaign has been suspended.

Many locals fear the militia that pillaged villages and was behind hundreds of killings between 2003 and 2006.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/medical-aid-group-thousands-flee-congo-fighting-165858656.html

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Video: Ackman, Icahn slug it out on CNBC

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Seven die in Egypt violence on anniversary of uprising

CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Seven people were shot dead in the Egyptian city of Suez during nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi on Friday, underlining the country's deep divisions on the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

One of the dead was a policeman, medics said. Another 456 people were injured across Egypt, officials said, in unrest fuelled by anger at Mursi and his Islamist allies over what the protesters see as their betrayal of the revolution.

Mursi said the state would not hesitate in "pursuing the criminals and delivering them to justice". In a statement, he also called on Egyptians to respect the principles of the revolution by expressing their views peacefully.

The January 25 anniversary laid bare the divide between the Islamists and their secular rivals.

The schism is hindering the efforts of Mursi, elected in June, to revive an economy in crisis and reverse a plunge in Egypt's currency by enticing back investors and tourists.

Inspired by the popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose that united Egyptians two years ago has given way to internal strife that already triggered bloody street battles last month.

Thousands of opponents of Mursi massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the cradle of the revolt against Mubarak - to rekindle the demands of a revolution they say has been hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Mursi emerged.

In Suez, the military deployed armored vehicles to guard state buildings, witnesses and security sources said, as symbols of government were targeted across the country.

Street battles erupted in cities including Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Port Said. Arsonists attacked at least two state-owned buildings. An office used by the Muslim Brotherhood's political party was also torched.

"Our revolution is continuing. We reject the domination of any party over this state. We say no to the Brotherhood state," Hamdeen Sabahy, a popular leftist leader, told Reuters.

The Brotherhood decided against mobilizing for the anniversary, wary of the scope for more conflict after December's violence, stoked by Mursi's decision to fast-track an Islamist-tinged constitution rejected by his opponents.

The Brotherhood denies accusations that it is seeking to dominate Egypt, labeling them a smear campaign by its rivals.

DEATH IN SUEZ

There were conflicting accounts of the lethal shooting in Suez. Some witnesses said security forces had opened fire in response to gunfire from masked men.

News of the deaths capped a day of violence that started in the early hours. Before dawn in Cairo, police battled protesters who threw petrol bombs and firecrackers as they approached a wall blocking access to government buildings near Tahrir Square.

Clouds of teargas filled the air. At one point, riot police used one of the incendiaries thrown at them to set ablaze at least two tents erected by youths, a Reuters witness said.

Skirmishes between stone-throwing youths and the police continued in streets around the square into the day. Ambulances ferried away a steady stream of casualties.

Protesters echoed the chants of 2011's historic 18-day uprising. "The people want to bring down the regime," they chanted. "Leave! Leave! Leave!" chanted others as they marched towards the square.

"We are not here to celebrate but to force those in power to submit to the will of the people. Egypt now must never be like Egypt during Mubarak's rule," said Mohamed Fahmy, an activist.

There were similar scenes in Suez and Alexandria, where protesters and riot police clashed near local government offices. Black smoke billowed from tires set ablaze by youths.

In Cairo, police fired teargas to disperse a few dozen protesters trying to remove barbed-wire barriers protecting the presidential palace, witnesses said. A few masked men got as far as the gates before they were beaten back.

Teargas was also fired at protesters who tried to remove metal barriers outside the state television building.

Outside Cairo, protesters broke into the offices of provincial governors in Ismailia and Kafr el-Sheikh in the Nile Delta. A local government building was torched in the Nile Delta city of al-Mahalla al-Kubra.

BADIE CALLS FOR 'PRACTICAL, SERIOUS COMPETITION'

With an eye on parliamentary elections likely to begin in April, the Brotherhood marked the anniversary with a charity drive across the nation. It plans to deliver medical aid to one million people and distribute affordable basic foodstuffs.

Writing in Al-Ahram, Egypt's flagship state-run daily, Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie said the country was in need of "practical, serious competition" to reform the corrupt state left by the Mubarak era.

"The differences of opinion and vision that Egypt is passing through is a characteristic at the core of transitions from dictatorship to democracy, and clearly expresses the variety of Egyptian culture," he wrote.

Mursi's opponents say he and his group are seeking to dominate the post-Mubarak order. They accuse him of showing some of the autocratic impulses of the deposed leader by, for example, driving through the new constitution last month.

"I am taking part in today's marches to reject the warped constitution, the 'Brotherhoodisation' of the state, the attack on the rule of law, and the disregard of the president and his government for the demands for social justice," Amr Hamzawy, a prominent liberal politician, wrote on his Twitter feed.

The Brotherhood says its rivals are failing to respect the rules of the new democracy that put the Islamists in the driving seat via free elections.

Six months into office, Mursi is also being held responsible for an economic crisis caused by two years of turmoil. The Egyptian pound has sunk to record lows against the dollar.

The parties that called for Friday's protests list demands including a complete overhaul of the constitution.

Critics say the constitution, which was approved in a referendum, offers inadequate protection for human rights, grants the president too many privileges and fails to curb the power of a military establishment supreme in the Mubarak era.

Mursi's supporters say enacting the constitution quickly was crucial to restoring stability needed for economic recovery.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed el-Shemi, Ashraf Fahim, Marwa Awad, Shaimaa Fayed and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo and Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Robert Woodward and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seven-die-egypt-violence-anniversary-uprising-003521804.html

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Biden heading to Virginia to push gun control (The Arizona Republic)

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IBM's results lift Dow average to a 5-year high

NEW YORK (AP) ? Strong earnings from tech giants nudged the stock market to a five-year high Wednesday. Investors drew encouragement from a vote by the House of Representatives to let the government keep paying all of its bills for another four months.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 67.12 points to close at 13,779.33. That's the highest level since Oct. 31, 2007, a month before the Great Recession started.

Google and IBM reported surprisingly solid fourth-quarter earnings late Tuesday, a hopeful sign for investors who expected tech companies to struggle at the end of last year.

IBM's results beat expectations, thanks to its lucrative Internet-based "cloud computing" business and sales of software services to Brazil, Russia and other developing countries. The company also raised its earnings outlook for the current year. IBM led the Dow's 30 stocks, rising $8.64 to $204.72.

Without IBM's 4 percent gain, the Dow would have been nearly flat.

Other indexes made slight gains. The Standard & Poor's 500 index inched up 2.25 points to 1,494.81, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 10.49 points to 3,153.67.

The stock market has climbed so quickly this month that it will likely take more than good earnings to keep it heading higher. "This market is really stretched," said Clark Yingst, chief market analyst at the securities firm Joseph Gunnar. "We've essentially gone straight up since January 2. There's certainly room for people to take profits."

The S&P 500 index is already up 4.8 percent in 2013. That's more than half of what most stock-fund investors hope to make in a single year.

The House passed a bill Wednesday afternoon to suspend the government's borrowing limit until May 19. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said his chamber would immediately move the legislation to the White House.

House Republicans had previously said they would use the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to push for deeper government spending cuts.

Google gained 6 percent after its earnings climbed at the end of last year as online advertisers spent more money in pursuit of holiday shoppers. Google rose $38.63 to $741.50.

Another tech giant, Apple, fell in after-hours trading after reporting sales that fell short of forecasts.

Slumping coal shipments have been a drag on railroad operators, but CSX and Norfolk Southern posted better revenue and profits than expected. The railroads managed to offset some of the hit from falling coal demand by getting more money from carrying car parts, building materials and other products.

Norfolk Southern rose $1.47 to $68.41 while CSX gained 87 cents to $21.68.

The quarterly earnings season is off to strong start. Of the 83 companies in the S&P 500 that reported through Tuesday, 54 have beaten Wall Street's estimates, according to S&P Capital IQ.

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dipped to 1.83 percent from 1.84 percent late Tuesday.

Among other companies posting quarterly earnings:

? Advanced Micro Devices jumped 11 percent, making it the top stock in the S&P 500. The world's second-largest maker of microchips, behind Intel, posted a smaller loss and higher revenue than analysts had forecast. AMD rose 28 cents to $2.73.

? Coach plunged 16 percent, or $9.93, to $50.75. The luxury handbag maker said a challenging economy and heavy price-cutting by competitors weighed on its results. Rivals like Michael Kors have attracted more followers.

? McDonald's Corp. eked out a higher quarterly profit with the help of its Dollar Menu and the McRib sandwich. The world's biggest hamburger chain plans to roll out new menu items this year to support sales, including the Fish McBites. McDonald's inched up 53 cents to $93.48.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ibms-results-lift-dow-average-5-high-214012950--finance.html

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Manitoba enters world of online gaming | Manitoba | News ...

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Manitoba is officially in the online gambling game, but the leader of the Opposition says the province has no business being there.

The province?s first foray into online gaming kicked off Wednesday as PlayNow.com was launched, a partnership with British Columbia that Manitoba?s NDP government touts as a safe alternative to other websites.

?This is a responsible, safe site,? Steve Ashton, the minister responsible for lotteries, said. ?They know where the money is going, they know who?s behind it. ... a lot of these other sites you might describe them as gray market or black market sites.?

More details also emerged on the new gaming facility that will open in the spring across from MTS Centre at cityplace and will feature 140 slot machines as well as gaming tables. The centre will be owned by True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NHL?s Winnipeg Jets.

Ashton said this news is not new, adding it was announced when the Jets returned in 2011.

?The bottom line here is we have the MTS Centre and the Jets, and quite frankly to have 140 gaming machines and 5,000-foot gaming centre downtown was very clearly part of the business plan right from Day 1,? said Ashton, who projected the facility?s revenue at around $4 million. ?We?re sticking to our commitment.?

Tory leader Brian Pallister has issues with what he sees as the NDP?s reliance on gambling as a revenue stream.

?I think all Manitobans should be concerned about the increasing reliance on gambling revenues by the provincial NDP government,? he said. ?In Vegas they say the house always wins, but for the NDP house to win on gambling revenue, it means some Manitoban is losing. A lot of Manitobans are experiencing, directly and indirectly, the effects of gambling addictions and excess spending ... so I?m naturally concerned about that when I see any government increasingly rely on gambling revenues.?

Meanwhile, Premier Greg Selinger told a local radio station Wednesday that Investors Group Field, the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ?may have some VLTs in the facility.?

Darren Cameron, the Blue Bombers director of communications, however, shot that down.

?I can confirm that not only will there be no VLTs in the new stadium, but we don?t in fact have a restaurant to support this and therefore, no venue for them,? Cameron said in an email response. ?More importantly, VLTs were never a part of our game-plan so there won?t be any in the new facility.

david.larkins@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun

Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/01/23/no-vlts-in-new-stadium-bombers

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Snow, M&S 1/18, Property Management and RE Tax Abatement 1 ...

Email that just went? out:

Good afternoon,
-Snow storm (Monday evening)
It seems like every time I prepare the Shovels (that our Tenants might need before we get there) and Pickup *5 bags of rock salt, *2 bags of sand and a *Special ?Dog friendly? bag of some weird ice melt. (for several properties with pet owners) that a snow storm misses us. And I don?t mind!

-Movers and Shakers Friday 1/18/2013
Good meeting with some serious Investors and those working on their first few Investments. I posed a challenge to Sam, Juan, Joe and Ed:
1. I?d send them Properties on the Market from the Multiple Listing Service (in their area, type and price range they select).
2. We made sure they have access to a Software program for Estimating Rehab costs and also a Guide to Rehab and value.
3. They must come up with a detailed offer by our next meeting January 29, 2013.
This may not seem as easy as on TV but remember what Napoleon said: ?You?ll never have everything you need. Start now and you can pick everything as you go!? (that?s Napoleon Bonaparte, not Napoleon Dynamite;-)

-I?m seeing values in some areas of Dorchester, Condos, going up about $1k/week in this 2013 Real Estate comeback. So wait all you want as those without it say ?It?s only money.?

-JD and MK, welcome to our Coached Course ?How to Become a Real Estate Investor in 12 Easy Lessons? We look forward to working with you and saving you time and money in your RE Investing Career!

Next Tuesday January 29, 2013
5:30 ? 6:30 PM Coaches Corner ? Anyone who has purchase our Course How to Become a Real Estate Investor in 12 Easy Lessons or any other Real Estate Investing Course (please bring a receipt) is welcome to join us to Restart your Career, Move up if you are Plateaued or just Network.
6:30 -7:00 PM Buy, Sell Networking and Refreshments
7-9 PM Property Management with Moshe. How to get those rents up (for cashflow and value) and have your Tenants thank you!
There is a very small annual window of opportunity to file for an Abatement (reduction) on your Real Estate Tax which is closing at the beginning of February.
You?ll find out from Attorney Jim: Is your Property overvalued? Does it make sense to file an Abatement? Should you look at Improvements that will eventually increase your value but not declare them now?

Mike will be reviewing the Real Estate market and where the ?sweet spots? (areas with the most activity that YOU DO want to be in) are. Also a quick review of Financing Options.
9:00P Recap and adjourn

Mike Hurney, Director MassRealEstate.net PO Box 307, Marblehead, MA 01945 781-639-8616 office

PS Thank you for all your referrals (for Financing and joining us at the Association), I?ve met some really nice folks lately!

Source: http://massrealestate.net/snow-ms-118-property-management-and-re-tax-abatement-1292013o/

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Indian banks must finance the poor to prevent another subprime ...

India is trying hard to get the rural poor access to bank accounts and loans.?It is a laudable aim. As Reuters reports, only 35% of Indians have bank accounts. The country?s farmers are incredibly unproductive as they do not have the cash to invest in upgrading processes or machinery. That inefficiency holds the economy back. Bank loans could be a partial solution.

But Indian banks may be reluctant to help. Lending cash to poor farmers is high risk. This makes lenders want to charge extremely high interest rates on loans to compensate for likely high defaults caused by bad harvests, monsoon damage, or farmers simply not understanding the economics of interest rates and repayment schedules.

The gap in the market created by Indian banks? reluctance to lend to the poor has been filled before, but at times catastrophically.

Several years ago, hoards of small, specially created lending companies rushed into ?micro-credit? to dole out small, high interest loans to the rural poor. The result was India?s own version of America?s subprime real estate crisis. Attracted by the high interest yields on micro-loans, and encouraged by investment banks who were attracted by the possibility of slicing, dicing and selling the debt, Indian banks and private micro-credit companies over-lent. By 2010, the micro-credit industry was on the verge of collapse, and banks greatly reduced their exposure to the small lenders.

Heartbreaking reports such as this one?showed how some Indian borrowers were driven to suicide after being aggressively chased for loans they could not repay by some of the more rapacious credit providers. The debacle led one state, Andra Pradesh, to change its rules, forcing lenders to?write off?a large chunk of their rural debts.

Now, as the Economist notes here, micro-lending companies are experiencing a revival. Investors are supporting the industry again.?There is new hope because Indian?regulators have taken steps to clean up micro-finance.

The Reserve Bank of India has published guidelines for micro-financiers and set up a licensing system. Interest rates have been capped at 10-12 percentage points above lenders? borrowing costs, after the rates they charged customers soared to 28-30% in 2010. And companies are barred from lending to anyone with more than one outstanding loan.

The revival looks dangerous, however, as the new rules may not prevent old problems re-occurring.

Vijay Mahajan, the president of the Microfinance Institutions Network of India, outlines here?how small micro-lenders may have to push farmers? borrowing costs back into the mid 20%?s again. They need to charge this much to make a profit.

Because Indian interest rates are already high and independent micro-finance companies are considered a high credit risk, these small lenders have to borrow at double-digit rates themselves. To make money, allowing for farmers? high defaults, they have to pile on the interest. And they can do so while fitting in with the RBI?s new caps on lending rates. If a micro lender borrows at a 14% annual rate, it can charge 26% to its customers.

Mahajan says breaking even is ?a function of scale?.Assuming the [micro-lenders'] borrowing rates are at around 13-14%, if you have a million customers, you could break even [by lending] at 24%?.Anything less than [half a million customers], you will not really break even at ?26%.?

The risk, then, is that micro-credit firms and poor farmers find themselves back where they were three years ago.

The solution is for bigger Indian banks to step in and help. Mahajan?s comments imply that large banks,?who can borrow cheaply and ?build rural customer bases quickly if they put their minds to it, could lend to farmers at more palatable rates than the micro-lenders can manage. Hopefully the government can persuade them to try.

Source: http://qz.com/45905/indian-banks-must-finance-poor-to-prevent-subprime-microcreditloan-crisis/

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I Don?t Drink

Alcohol isn?t just a drink, it?s a rite of passage

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

I don't drink alcohol the way other people don't eat oysters, or don?t start the day with a cup of coffee. I don't drink because I don't like it, I never have. But the difference between me and people who don?t eat oysters is that I have to explain my choice?and I've had to for 20 years.

Alcohol isn?t just a drink, it?s a rite of passage. Forget getting your period, or your voice finally breaking?being an adult in North America means being legal. The irony being that alcohol is essentially childhood in a bottle. For a few bucks, you get a trip back to the carefree days of slurred speech, impaired balance and nonexistent inhibitions. Who?d turn down a bargain like that?

"You just don't like it or ..." is generally the response I get when I abstain. The ellipsis, along with the furrowed brow, covers everything from a bad case of alcoholism to a bad case of religious zealotry. A female friend of mine whose uncle owns a bar and who recently stopped drinking, added, "people always ask me if I'm pregnant, which makes me want to have a drink."

It?s not that I haven?t tried alcohol. I have. I've tried it more times than I would ever try anything else I know I don't like. And I still don't like it. My mom recently told me that when I was a toddler she was once in the bath with her eyes closed, and when she opened them she found her glass of Bailey's gone. Apparently, when she asked where it went, I yelled from the hallway, "Chocolate milk!" (Despite that bathtub cocktail, my parents barely drank. ?Neither mom nor dad were particularly big drinkers,? my brother recently reminded me as we both considered why neither of us drink. ?They tended not to keep alcohol in the house, so it's not something we associated with adulthood or anything else.?) In addition to that premature shot of Bailey?s, I?ve given beer, wine, and hard liquor a chance. And I still don?t like to drink.

In high school, I lied about why I never drank. "I don't want to lose control,? I said. The truth?I don?t want to be like you?would no doubt have been less palatable. I remember one kid, eyes filled to the brim with Molson Canadian, asking me, "Don't you want to know what's going on in my head right now?" And, well, the joke kind of wrote itself. According to my best friend at the time, who I consulted for this piece, I spent my teen years looking "uncomfortable and a little bit disgusted" with everyone. "I guess I felt like I was disappointing you," she said. "But I was like, 'Hrm, I'm gonna go get drunk anyway.' "

I grew out of the disappointment but not the disgust. When I finally elbowed my way past the high school meat heads and into university (more meat heads!), I still couldn?t stomach the flavor of fermented what-have-you enough to benefit from the euphoria it afforded. These days, I use that excuse more than any other because it seems to be the one that everyone can understand. In an episode of the U.K. sitcom Peep Show, for instance, socially awkward anti-hero Mark Corrigan, struck with a case of insomnia, bemoans having to suck down fermented grain mash instead of something a little sweeter. "Ahh! Horrible whiskey," he says. "Still, midnight down the bar, can?t exactly have a chocolate milkshake, can I?"

I am the midnight milkshake drinker. According to my boyfriend, I regularly replace alcohol with food. Apparently I ask to see the dessert menu every time I accompany him to the bar. Presumably, the drunker he gets, the fatter I get. When I asked if he ever wished I drank, he emphatically denied it. "I see it as a bonus that I don't have to worry that you are choking on your own vomit down an alleyway when you're not back 'til late," he said. "I just know you've collapsed in a cake shop." (I never said I had self-control?sugar is my drug of choice.)

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=5186b4aff1b9d476c7f336f50ee41ec9

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Exclusive: Brazil cenbank sees better inflation outlook - source

BRASILIA (Reuters) - New projections by Brazil's central bank show a slightly more benign outlook for inflation this year, a government source told Reuters on Tuesday, giving President Dilma Rousseff some breathing room as she tries to revive the sputtering economy.

The bank's latest projections suggest that an upcoming 20 percent cut in electricity prices should shave a full percentage point off consumer inflation by the end of 2013, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The bank's estimate of the electricity cuts' disinflationary effect is about double that of many private analysts. The more dovish forecast could make it easier for Rousseff to enact tax cuts and other stimulus measures without worrying about inflation breaching the bank's target range this year.

Independent economists on average see the IPCA inflation index finishing 2013 at 5.65 percent.

The central bank declined comment.

The bank also anticipates that an imminent rise in gasoline prices will push the IPCA consumer price index about 0.3 of a percentage point higher in 2013, the source said.

That forecast is based on Rousseff's government authorizing a roughly 7 percent increase in gasoline prices, although no final decision on the actual amount is expected until at least the beginning of February, the source said.

The central bank has declined to publicly release its forecast for the effect higher gasoline prices could have on inflation, because Rousseff has not made a decision yet.

(Reporting by Brian Winter and Todd Benson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-brazil-cenbank-sees-better-inflation-outlook-source-190739507--finance.html

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Review: The Iomega StorCenter px2-300d NAS Drive Is Heavy Iron For The Small Office

Short Version While there is plenty to be said for cloud storage, sometimes it’s nice to have a few terabytes on your local network for backups, document storage, and fun. That said, the Iomega StorCenter px2-300d NAS drive performs all of the functions of a small NAS admirably and, with a bit of tweaking, can become a very usable system for remote access of your files on the road. Features: Multi-protocol support Secure accounts Front LCD screen Full Linux server built-in MSRP: Diskless $499, 2TB $699 (Product Page) Pros: Intuitive interface Easy set up Built-in antivirus Cons: A little daunting for beginners Cloud connectivity is difficult to finagle Some features are hard to use It’s hard out there for a NAS. You get no respect, you’re ignored most of the time, and people dump files onto you without using your whole feature set. Luckily, NAS devices are getting easier and easier to use and new devices like the StorCenter px2-300d are actually more like mini computers than dumb hard drives on the network. The $699 2TB model I tested can be used in two ways. If you’re in a hurry you can easily drop the drive on your network and begin copying files to it. It supports Time Machine backups as well as a number of backup solutions including Atmos, Avamar, and a scripted copy job system that will grab files at certain intervals. DLNA support ensures that your drive pops up on media devices around the house and you can even use the drive as a DVR by connecting webcams to the Axis or Securemind Surveillance systems. Once you really dig into the drive, however, beginning users will be stymied. Remote file access, for example, requires a quick trip to your router’s port forwarding settings, a visit that could turn many users off. The company offers an app called Storage Manager to connect to distant drives and if you’re comfortable with port forwarding it works quite well. If you’re less than comfortable, however, you may want to stick with Pogoplug-compatible devices like Buffalo’s CloudStor solutions. To be clear, Iomega makes it very simple to set up cloud access but it’s just wonky enough that beginning users may not enjoy it. Once you get past those configuration problems, however, the drive is smooth sailing. IT managers will enjoy the built-in anti-virus scanning as well as the system status data that

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ju3XqOOankY/

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Kate Upton Super Bowl Ad Teaser: Model Washes Mercedes in Slow Motion!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/kate-upton-super-bowl-ad-teaser-washing-a-mercedes-in-slow-motio/

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CSN: Kaepernick, Justin Smith embrace the moment

BOX SCORE

ATLANTA -- With a ticket punched to Super Bowl XLVII, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and defensive tackle Justin Smith embraced.

The new leader of the team's offense and the old sage on defense shared a congratulatory moment in the immediate aftermath of the 49ers' thrilling 28-24 come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.

[INSTANT REPLAY:?'Quest for Six' rolls on]

Kaepernick made all of the right decisions on Sunday for an offense that overcame a 17-point deficit early in the second quarter.

Smith gave the 49ers an emotional lift in the playoffs with his return from a partially torn left triceps tendon.

[RATTO:?New and improved 49ers looking to make their own history]

So the young and the old -- two understated, hard-working players who symbolize the 49ers as well as anyone -- knew they probably would not have been able to advance to the NFL title game without each other. The 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

"He doesn't flinch," Smith said of Kaepernick. "He doesn't flinch. Those are the types of guys in this league, you plug them in and they don't flinch. They're bred that way. It's in their DNA. That's the type of guy he is. Tough, competitive, physical guy."

Smith was one of the first players Kaepernick met after being invited to participate in daily workouts at San Jose State during the lockout of 2011. The 49ers traded up to select Kaepernick in the second round of the draft. And because of the labor dispute, he could not communicate with coaches and 49ers staff members. Instead, he eagerly joined workouts with his new teammates. Justin Smith was a regular during those sessions.

"He was one of the first people I met coming here during the lockout," Kaepernick said. "He's always been a great guy to me. He's always been a hard-worker. I've always admired the way he works. He's one of the leaders on this team and he deserves this."

Smith spent most of his first 10 NFL seasons in relative obscurity. Throughout his first decade in the NFL, Smith played in just one playoff game -- a loss while with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005.

Now, he and most of his teammates are heading to their first Super Bowl. Jonathan Goodwin is the only player on the 49ers with a Super Bowl ring. Randy Moss, Clark Haggans and David Akers have played on Super Bowl-losing teams.

"I don't know how to explain it right now," Smith said. "We have one game left. It's all for naught if we don't take care of the next one. Whoever we're playing is going to be tough. I think we're prepared. This definitely isn't what we came to accomplish."

The 49ers made it to the NFC Championship Game last year, but lost 20-17 to the eventual Super Bowl-champion New York Giants in overtime. That defeat, in many ways, began a path that led beyond the NFC title game this season.

"We were so pumped the prior year when we beat the Saints, we didn't know what to do with ourselves," Smith said.

Smith said after the 49ers' divisional-round victory over the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers did not celebrate. Instead, Smith said, the mentality was, "On to the next one."

"It's got that feel here, too," Smith said. "Great, NFC Champs. Awesome accomplishment. Let's go win the Super Bowl."

Team CEO Jed York said the appearance in the NFC Championship Game last season, in coach Jim Harbaugh's first year, might have come before the 49ers' time had arrived.

"It was a young team, got together quickly after the lockout," York said. "They probably didn't deserve to be 13-3, probably didn't deserve to host an NFC Championship Game, just because of the youth and inexperience. And it just kind of happened so quick.

"If you look at Bill Walsh, he hosted an NFC Championship Game in his third season. They were together for a while. The moment might have been too big for us last year."

But the moment was not too big for Kaepernick, who was making just his eighth career start on Sunday. After the 49ers scored the go-ahead points on Frank Gore's 9-yard touchdown run with 8:23 remaining, the attention shifted to the defense.

The Falcons moved the San Francisco 22-yard line. During a replay challenge, in which coach Jim Harbaugh disputed a 22-yard catch along the 49ers' sideline, Kaepernick spoke to the defense. He said he was confident the defense would get the job done.

"I have great confidence in our defense," he said. "I went out and talked to them and I said, 'This is for the Super Bowl right here.' And they said, 'We got you.' I take a man at his word."

Source: http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/matt-maiocco/kaepernick-justin-smith-embrace-moment

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Inside job, 2 Canadian militants in Algerian siege

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) ? The Islamist militants who attacked a natural gas plant in the Sahara included two Canadians and a team of explosives experts who had memorized the layout of the sprawling complex and were ready to blow the place sky-high, Algeria's prime minister said Monday.

Militants in the highly-organized operation also wore military uniforms and appeared to have help from the inside ? a man from Niger who had once worked as driver at the plant, according to accounts from the prime minister and state television.

Algeria detailed a grim toll from the attack, saying that 38 hostages and 29 militants died in four days of mayhem. Three of the attackers were captured and five foreign workers remained unaccounted for, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told reporters at a news conference in Algiers, the capital.

He did not specify the nationalities of the captured militants, report their medical conditions or say where they were being held.

Monday's account offered the first Algerian government narrative of the four-day standoff, from the attempted bus hijacking early Wednesday to the moment when the attackers prepared to explode bombs across the gas plant, which spreads out over 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) deep in the desert, 800 miles (1,300 miles) south of Algiers.

All but one of the dead hostages ? an Algerian guard ? were foreigners. The dead hostages included seven Japanese workers, six Filipinos, three energy workers each from the U.S. and Britain, two from Romania and one worker from France.

The final death toll was still unclear, since accounts from other governments appeared to indicate that more than five workers were still missing. It was also lower than the 81 estimated Sunday from Algerian reports of dead and missing.

The militants had said during the standoff that their group included Canadians, and hostages who had escaped recalled hearing at least one of the militants speaking English with a North American accent.

In addition to the Canadians, the Algerian prime minister said the militant cell included men from Egypt, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Tunisia, as well as three Algerians.

Officials in Canada could not immediately confirm whether two of the attackers were citizens.

"Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this deplorable and cowardly act and all terrorist groups which seek to create and perpetuate insecurity," said Chrystiane Roy, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"We are pursuing all appropriate channels to seek further information and are in close contact with Algerian authorities," she said in a statement.

The Algerian prime minister indicated that this operation was not ? as the Islamists had claimed ? an immediate reaction to France's recent military intervention against Islamists in neighboring Mali, since the captured militants said it took two months of planning. But he said the group did come from northern Mali, hundreds of miles away from the gas plant.

He said the group included a former driver at the complex from Niger and that the attackers "knew the facility's layout by heart."

They wore military uniforms, state TV reported, bolstering accounts by escaped hostages that they didn't just shoot their way in.

"Four attackers stepped out of a car that had flashing lights on top of it," one of the former hostages, Liviu Floria, a 45-year-old mechanic from Romania, told The Associated Press.

The prime minister said "the last words of the terrorist chief" was to slaughter the hostages.

"He gave the order for all the foreigners to be killed, so there was a mass execution, many hostages were killed by a bullet to the head," he said.

Three Americans died in the attack and seven made it out safely, a U.S. official in Washington said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Their bodies have been recovered, the official said.

Algeria has not reported any military deaths from four days of confronting the fighters.

The attack began early Wednesday with the attempted hijacking of two buses filled with workers outside the complex. Under assault from Algerian forces, the militants moved on the main complex, armed with missiles, mortars and bombs for their three explosives experts, Sellal said.

He praised the quick wits of a guard who tripped an alarm that stopped the flow of gas and warned workers of an imminent attack.

"It was thanks to him that the factory was protected" from what could have been a far deadlier attack, he said.

Floria, the former hostage, remembered the moment when the power was cut.

"I ran together with other expats and hid under the desks in my office, locking the door. Attackers went scanning the office facility, kicking the doors in. Luckily our door did not break and they went on to other offices," he said. "Locals were freed, the attackers made clear from the beginning that only foreigners were a target."

Floria ultimately escaped, but not before he heard the two gunshots that killed two wounded foreign hostages that he said he had tried to save.

Sellal said the facility had 790 Algerian workers and 134 foreigners from 26 countries. The Algerians were freed early in the standoff ? former hostages said the attackers immediately separated out the foreigners, forcing some to wear explosive belts.

The prime minister said the militants carried a great deal of explosives and mined the facility. Sellal justified the Algerian military helicopter attack Thursday on vehicles filled with hostages and Islamists out of the fear that the kidnappers were attempting to escape.

The Algerian special forces assault on the refinery on Saturday that killed the last group of militants and hostages came after the kidnappers attempted to destroy the complex.

The Masked Brigade, the group that claimed to have masterminded the takeover, has warned of more such attacks against any country backing France's military intervention in Mali. Algeria had allowed French planes to fly over its territory to reach Mali.

Sellal said the militants had expected to return to Mali with the foreign hostages. Seven French citizens taken hostage in recent years are thought to be held by al-Qaida linked groups in northern Mali.

"Their goal was to kidnap foreigners," Sellal said. "They wanted to flee to Mali with the foreigners but once they were surrounded they started killing the first hostages."

The operation was led by an Algerian, Amine Benchenab, who was known to security services and was killed during the assault, he added. Sellal said negotiating was not impossible.

"They led us into a real labyrinth, in negotiations that became unreasonable," he said.

Norway said five of its citizens from the plant were still unaccounted for, while Japan said three Japanese were still missing. Britain said three citizens and one resident were feared dead but not accounted for. Four Filipinos and two Malaysian plant workers were also missing, according to their governments.

___

Associated Press reporters Bradley Klapper in Washington, Rob Gillies in Toronto, and Nicolae Dumitrache and Vadim Ghirda in Pitesti, Romania, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/inside-job-2-canadian-militants-algerian-siege-181803197--finance.html

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