Thursday, 27 September 2012

Huge Sumatran quakes in April a step in tectonic plate breakup

Planet Earth may be 4.5 billion years old, but that doesn't mean she can't serve up a shattering surprise now and again.

Such was the case on April 11 of this year when two massive earthquakes erupted beneath the Indian Ocean, far from the usual danger zones. Now scientists say the seafloor ruptures are part of a long suspected, yet never before observed, event: the slow-motion splitting of a vast tectonic plate.

The first of the quakes, a magnitude 8.7, was 20 times more powerful than California's long anticipated "big one" and tore a complex network of faults deep in the ocean floor. The violence also triggered unusually large aftershocks thousands of miles away, including four off North America's western coast.

"It was jaw-dropping," said Thorn Lay, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz. "It was like nothing we'd ever seen."

At first, Lay wondered whether the computer code he used to analyze earthquakes was wrong. Eventually, he and other scientists realized that they had documented the break-up of the Indo-Australian plate into two pieces, an epic process that began roughly 50 million years ago and will continue for tens of millions more. Lay and other scientists reported their findings online Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Most great earthquakes occur along plate borders, where one plate dives beneath the adjoining plate and sinks deep into Earth's mantle, a process called subduction. The April 11 quakes, however, occurred in the middle of the plate and involved a number strike-slip faults, meaning the ground on one side of the fault moves horizontally past ground on the other side.

Scientists say the 8.7 main shock broke four faults. The quake lasted 2 minutes and 40 seconds ? most last just seconds ? and was followed by a second 8.2 main shock two hours later.

Unlike the magnitude 9.1 temblor that struck in the same region on Dec. 26, 2004, and created a deadly tsunami, the April 11 quake did not cause similar destruction. That's because horizontally moving strike-slip faults do not induce the massive, vertical displacement of water that thrust faults do on the borders of plates.

The type of interplate faults involved in the Sumatran quakes are the result of monumental forces, some of which drove the continent of India into Asia millions of years ago and lifted the Himalayan Mountains. As the Indo-Australian plate continues to slide northwest, the western portion of the plate, where India is, has been grinding against and underneath Asia. But the eastern portion of the plate, which contains Australia, keeps on moving without the same obstruction. That difference creates squeezing pressure in the area where the quakes occurred.

The study authors say that over time, as more quakes occur and new ruptures appear, the cracks will eventually coalesce into a single fissure.

"This is part of the messy business of breaking up a plate," said University of Utah seismologist Keith Koper, senior author of one of the studies. "Most likely it will take thousands of similar large quakes for that to happen."

The quake was also notable for triggering powerful aftershocks thousands of miles away. While major quakes have been known to trigger aftershocks at great distance, they are usually less than 5.5 in magnitude. The April earthquake triggered 11 aftershocks that measured 5.5 or greater in the six days that followed the main shock, including one as big as magnitude 7. Remote shocks were felt 6,000 to 12,000 miles from the main quake.

Fred Pollitz, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and lead author of one of the studies, said the quake was extremely effective in transmitting seismic wave radiation around the world. Though the magnitude of the Sumatran quake is No. 10 on the list of historic quakes, Pollitz said no other quake has triggered so many strong aftershocks so far away.

"It's the most powerful earthquake ever in terms of capability of putting stress on other fault zones around the world," he said.

Pollitz said the quake is likely to teach seismologists about the physics of earthquakes, particularly those along strike-slip faults. That knowledge, he said, would certainly apply to the San Andreas fault, which is also a strike-slip fault.

Lay said that the quake was most surprising in that it was completely unanticipated by seismologists and that he did not expect to event to repeat itself any time soon.

monte.morin@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/DeRd14WkSpY/la-sci-sumatran-earthquake-20120927,0,6659504.story

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Lexus LF-CC Concept shows the future of touchscreen interiors

We're boots on the ground at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and Lexus is one of the first auto makers to roll out its concept hardware for the show. The company had a few machines to unveil, but the highlight is definitely the curvaceous LF-CC. It is, alas, just a concept that is intended more to show the future design direction of the company than give a clue into an actual production model to come, but more interesting is the clues this is hinting about both interior design and electrification on the powertrain front. Join us after the break for more details -- and more pictures.

Gallery: Lexus LF-CC

Lexus LF-CC

Continue reading Lexus LF-CC Concept shows the future of touchscreen interiors

Lexus LF-CC Concept shows the future of touchscreen interiors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Recommendations on Having a Fruitful Internet Business ...

Let?s get things straight here: because things are done online doesn?t mean it?s easy. In fact, it?s as complex and demanding as creating your personal real store. It takes lots of commitment to succeed in an business but lower capital is taken considerably by it to create the business online.The startup costsYou could dish out a hundred or so dollars to get your program began. In addition to that, you need a solid thought. It?s very important to have a good idea that you are feeling will undoubtedly be relevant in the internet world. Write these ideas down and do your research.It is not an individual ventureOnce you have the item and the assistance that?s unique and valuable, you need certainly to take some people with skills or learn them by yourself. But envision this: you already are complete with the core business aspect; the past thing you need would be to analyze sets from scratch. However, there is good results of knowing anything and finding experts to deal with the facts. People might be needed by you from net and graphic style, marketing and administration. You might also need help in interpretation, accounting and legal issues. Obviously, we are coping with a legitimate business therefore it has to follow legitimate rules.MarketingIf you have not heard about Search Engine Optimization, SEM or social networking marketing yet, then you need certainly to familiarize your self immediately. That or you get advertising specialists to greatly help you in your mission to promote your website. This can be a very helpful method to raise your traffic, boost your page standing and be identified by se?s. Businesses usually are looked with the use of search engines and that?s why half the competition is making programs that may compete with other businesses. It?s also wise to learn how to successfully market your services and products and cause them to become common online.Local versus internationalA lot of small to mid-sized businesses are convinced that the internet is for international reach. Unfortunately, the case is that many of people are actually searching for local organizations outlined online. Benefit from local search results by the addition of routes and promotion more on your own local audience who must certanly be your main audience. That is powerful to specific organizations. If you?re more of retail and e-commerce, you should make an effort to catch a particular area and start growing from that. Study your market and learn who buys your services and products more.

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Source: http://articlepdq.com/health-fitness/recommendations-on-having-a-fruitful-internet-business/

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German Shepherd Dog - Bolt - Large - Adult - Male - Dog | Osgood ...

German Shepherd Dog - Bolt - Large - Adult - Male - Dog

Hi my name is Bolt I was found by the dog warden and luckily he brought me here. I like being outside but I am housebroke by the way I act here in my pen. Like many of the other dogs here I get very excited when I get out of my pen but I do calm down quickly. The people here think I am very intelligent I get along with the other dogs and would be good with kids. They have not tested me with cats yet but I don't think I would bother them I am pretty laid back. All animals adopted from the shelter are spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Age appropriate vaccines and wormer is given to every animal at the shelter, including Bordatella. As a rule puppies must have at least two sets of vaccines prior to adoption. We use Frontline Plus products and all of our animals are on Science Diet food. Our shelter is very clean and family friendly, we encourage people to visit our shelter during regular hours. If you are interested in adopting a companion animal please complete an online application at www.rchumane.org. Email inquiries are answered as quickly as possible, typically within 24-48 hours.

CHARACTERISTICS:
Breed: German Shepherd Dog
Size: Large
Petfinder ID: 24146403

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Pet has been spayed/neutered

CONTACT:
Ripley County Humane Society | Osgood, IN | 812-689-3773

For additional information, reply to this ad or see: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=24146403

Brought to you by Petfinder.com

Source: http://cincinnati.ebayclassifieds.com/dogs-puppies/osgood/german-shepherd-dog-bolt-large-adult-male-dog/?ad=23592598

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Google's 'Driverless' Cars Are Now Legal On Calif. Roads ? CBS ...

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) ? Google?s self-driving cars may soon be seen on California roads.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday, officially making Google?s cars legal to drive on the street.

The company?s ?driverless? cars have computers controlling the pedals and steering wheels, which are guided by cameras, GPS systems and other sensors.

It is required that there is a ?backup? driver behind the wheel at all times to monitor the software and to take over if needed.

Representatives of the company tested these cars in California in Oct. 2010, saying the goal of this technology is to reduce carbon emissions, prevent traffic accidents and free up people?s time.

?According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We?re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new ?highway trains of tomorrow.? These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads,? project leader Sebastian Thrun wrote on Google?s corporate blog on Oct. 9, 2010.

RELATED STORY: Google Tests ?Driverless? Cars In California

Source: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/09/25/googles-driverless-cars-may-be-legal-on-calif-roads/

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Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Brazil judge orders arrest of Google exec over elections law

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-judge-orders-arrest-google-exec-over-elections-192806302--finance.html

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Heritage House Retirement Residence - Choosing a retirement ...

Sarah has always been the matriarch of the family. She is the one that her children and grandchildren turn to when they need advice or support, financial or otherwise.

Now that Sarah is 80 years old, she is considering entering a retirement home. Sarah doesn?t have any obvious health problems and she doesn?t experience any difficulty in maintaining a clean house and tidy yard. When Sarah was asked why she wanted to choose a retirement home, these are the reasons she listed:

I want to enjoy my golden years without worry about safety and security. Sarah has never had an accident where she fell and couldn?t get up, or broke a hip, but she wants to be happily inhabiting a retirement home, with assistance at the ring of a bell, if and when an accident should happen. Sarah still lives in the neighbourhood where she raised her children, but things have changed. It?s becoming a little more urban and crime has increased recently. She would feel safer living in a retirement home, with round-the-clock security systems in place.

I want to spend my energy every day doing things I enjoy; not cleaning and cooking and doing laundry. Sarah always wanted to take a painting class and at 80 years old she would still like to learn to play the piano. In a good, progressive retirement home, she will be encouraged and supported in pursuing her interests, whatever they may be. And daily chores will be taken care of by staff, so she can spend her energy and time doing the things that improve her quality of life and give her a sense of enjoyment.

As I get older, I wonder how I will travel to medical appointments, shopping malls and social events on my own.

Ever the independent one, Sarah does not want to rely on a family member to drive her on her daily outings. She doesn?t want to be a burden in the lives of the people she loves the most.

At Heritage House, a retirement home in Mississauga, social events are on site. There is no need to travel in inclement weather. For outings, transportation is organized as a group. Systems are in place for organized shopping trips, transportation to medical appointments, etc. For more information, call 905-279-4800.

?

Back to the Heritage House Retirement Residence profile page.

Source: http://www.portcreditshoptalk.com/2012/featured/choosing-a-retirement-home-for-your-independent-lifestyle/

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Rely On Web Design Los Angeles Experts For Real Estate Web ...

Posted by crafty77 on Sep 25, 2012 in SPORTS | Comments Off

The Bespoke Website Design tool helps give all the tabs and options on your site a professional look. Checking with a cheap price is not wrong, but working with a web designer looking not for your best interests is not worthy. Phoenix has some of the best internet marketing companies that are making businesses very popular online through SEO company Phoenix marketing strategies that lead to increased sales through effective internet marketing. Society is moving forward digitally. Your layout can also have an impact on the longevity of the visits to your site.

Generally a web design company Kolkata responds via email or phone within 24 hours of receiving the quote. One should always note that finished output should be easy to navigate and that online users find what they need easily. Creativity is the main essence of Web Designing, which makes it a very complex and challenging task. Let us face it; image plays a vital role. Websites need time to create and design and it only takes good designers who can do the job fast.

Web design plays an important role if you are generating business online. You can use appropriate keywords and do a quick Google search to accumulate the company names and then you can look into the works of several web design companies and compare each of them. The Bespoke Website Design lays down the rules clearly. We provide web design Brisbane services to any such business organizations looking to venture into the realm of the internet or even those with a strong internet presence to enhance their visibility?. Then it is time to look for a good web designer who meets your expectation by creating an affordable web design for you.

Use these tips to create an original design your customers can identify with your brand. Design your site the way you want it to be. It is important to remember to test your website?s design on various web browsers. Internet is said to be one of the most powerful mediums that is purveying your household wares constantly to masses of people, and answering queries about your business and you. Target market measures the strength of an organization?s corporate calibre by evaluating the quality and standard of its website.

User friendliness should be the number one priority when you design your company?s website. Aside from the WYISWYG editors, there are tools that make websites more appealing and click- or browse-worthy with attractive animations. The majority of beginner web designers seem to think that the homepage is the only page that truly matters in a website. While captchas may be useful in some cases, forcing them to do so for mundane tasks, will make them leave your site quickly. The success and popularity of a website depends on a number of factors.

For more good information about web design company, development and interactive marketing company please visit olive e-business. You should ensure that you have such design of your website which closely reflects the brand of your company in the market so that the potential customers can easily pick your website on the internet. You need to create a design that is easily recognizable for your customers. Working with clients can be a challenge as you try to blend good design with the wants and wishes of the client. A website that has been designed using Responsive Web Design will give you the confidence that you are not missing out on any user base that is out there.

Web design Los Angeles services aim at designing your real estate website to maximize targeted traffic and increase the conversion rates as well. Websites should always be easy to use. Nature of the business for which website is to be designed should be kept in mind while selecting the color scheme so as to make that website look more professional. Don?t be afraid to use white space and allow the text to speak for itself without the help of too many additives. Different pages can be customized differently with different themes.

Well, if you believe in healthy competition, you cannot afford to overlook your online presence. In many cases, that cost is the user experience.
This Site (18)

Source: http://funclub24.com/2012/09/25/rely-on-web-design-los-angeles-experts-for-real-estate-web-design/

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Monday, 24 September 2012

Ifo economist says German momentum slackened in Q3

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Dina Lohan to Dr. Phil: Gimme Another Shot!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/09/dina-lohan-to-dr-phil-gimme-another-shot/

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In Europe crisis, connection culture stifles youth

(AP) ? Maria Adele Carrai has two master's degrees from Italian universities in economics and Asian languages and is now earning her Ph.D. in international law in Hong Kong. Her linguistic credentials are formidable: Besides native Italian, she has nearly flawless English, a rarity in Italy, as well as French, Arabic, Japanese and Mandarin.

But the 26-year-old from a family of physicians in a small town near the Adriatic Sea, lacks an increasingly crucial key to unlocking the door to work in Italy: a "raccomandazione." It's Italian for the right word from the right person to get you hired, even if you might not be the best one for the job.

As Europe's economic crisis darkens the future of millions of youth, the culture of connections that has lain at the heart of hiring practices in much of the continent is becoming ever more entrenched, even as it harms prospects of recovery. It is blocking young talent or driving it overseas, and contributing to a vicious circle of stagnation that threatens to leave Europe behind in the game of globalization.

___

Editors: This is the latest installment in Class of 2012, an exploration of Europe's financial crisis through the eyes of young people emerging from the cocoon of student life into the worst downturn the continent has seen since the end of World War II.

___

"What matters is not how good you are, but who you know," laments Carrai, who first spoke to the AP for a Class of 2012 story on the continent's devastating brain drain. To be sure, having a good connection never hurts, anytime, anywhere. But in much of Europe, especially the crisis-hammered south, it's often the main ticket to economic opportunity: Without one, young people and experts say, there's little chance of being launched on a promising career.

Marco Pacetti, rector of Ancona's Polytechnical University, puts it this way: "In the U.S. ... connections matter, but you'd better be good. In Italy, nobody counts on the one with the connection to have competence, merit."

"That's the difference between a letter of recommendation and a 'raccomandazione,'" Pacetti says with a wry chuckle. In America, "the letter writer takes on the responsibility of sending over someone who is well prepared ? who's not an idiot."

A scandal at Rome's Sapienza, one of Italy's oldest and best-known universities, drives home the point. In a case dubbed "relative-gate," the wife, daughter and son of Sapienza's longtime rector landed prestigious teaching posts despite having limited qualifications. The real shocker came when it emerged that the rector's son passed his cardiology exam thanks to an examining panel made up of three dentists and two dental hygienists.

Spain has its own deep-rooted system of connections ? called "enchufismo." As in Italy, it's an outgrowth of a Mediterranean culture of family networks where members of the clan look out for each other. Many southern Europeans have a practically inbred distrust of the state, often associated with corruption ? and family is the one institution they can count on.

Connections became less critical during Spain's economic boom from the late 1990s until 2008, but are now proving crucial again in a country with unemployment at nearly 25 percent.

"In Spain, you always had 'enchufismo,' but at least in boom times you had access to interviews and work (without connections)," said Maria Astilleros, an unemployed teacher in Madrid. "Since the crisis hit, the interviews have ended and we've gone back to 'enchufismo.'"

Astilleros recently secured her first job interview in two years, with a public relations company, because the owner is a client of her uncle.

Gayle Allard, an American professor of managerial economics at the IE Business School in Madrid, estimated that about 95 percent of jobs in Spain depend on connections.

"It was one of the things that shocked me in Spain," said Allard, "that you could only move around in the labor market with contacts."

The professor said that such an ingrained culture of nepotism has a corrosive effect on economic growth, which is more crucial than ever as Spain reels under staggeringly high youth unemployment of nearly 53 percent. Spain is "definitely not a meritocracy," Allard said. "You're probably not getting the best qualified candidate for a job. You're just getting the candidate with the best contacts."

Class of 2012 member Moira Koffi, who recently completed her studies at the prestigious Sorbonne university in Paris, talks about the importance of connections in France: "If you are recommended by someone, it's the first thing you say: It's how you get a job."

While Koffi, a 22-year-old communications grad, has herself benefited from the system, she still wishes connections weren't so decisive in finding employment. "In the U.S.," Koffi said, "people give you a chance because of what you are."

Sorbonne sociology professor Jean-Francois Amadieu said that 70 percent of French people find a job through personal connections or through an internship ? which itself is usually only possible with the right connection. "Youths from modest backgrounds have great difficulties finding internships compare to those from the middle or wealthy classes because of more restricted family networks," he said.

In Italy, the connections culture "has grown even more with the worsening of the economic crisis," said economist Emiliano Mandrone. He's well-positioned to know: Every year, Mandrone helps prepare a state-funded telephone survey of some 40,000 citizens to learn how Italians find their jobs.

"The issue of 'raccomandazioni' isn't, do you find work or don't you," said Mandrone. "Rather, the problem is, you take work away from someone who is better."

Mandrone said the price of the "raccomandazione" system to Italian society and economy has not been quantified in financial terms, but it's clearly "huge."

Italy's connections culture has long been blamed in large part for spurring the "brain drain" of many of Italy's best and brightest. The Institute for Competitiveness, a non-profit Italian think tank, recently estimated that brain drain costs Italy some euros 1.2 billion (more than $1.5 billion) annually in terms of lost patent and other royalties from inventions that highly qualified emigrants from Italy developed while working abroad.

In Greece, ground zero for Europe's financial crisis, a vast connections-based political machine is seen as a major factor in the economic implosion. In return for votes, the major parties slotted job seekers with political connections into cushy bureaucratic jobs ? with little experience or qualifications.

The result: When the financial crisis erupted in late 2009, the government didn't even know how many people it had on its payroll or how much it was paying them.

Germany may be an exception to the trend of European talent taking flight or being stymied in realizing professional dreams. In former communist East Germany, who you knew in the party apparatus was very important to climbing the economic ladder. But in today's united Germany, connections are not seen as a major part of corporate culture.

Class of 2012 member Lutz Hentschel, 27, who completed his master's in electrical engineering earlier this year, sent out about 40 applications before landing a job in Berlin developing electrical circuits for elevators.

During his job hunt, he said, he was once interviewed for a job that ultimately went to a less qualified applicant who knew the interviewer.

But, in Germany, said Hentschel, "if you are qualified, you will get a job in the end,"

Britain grapples with another longstanding system of patronage ? its "old school tie network" that conjures up images of men sporting school blazers or hobnobbing in exclusive gentleman's clubs. While Britain has made great strides in becoming more meritocratic, complaints remain rife that access to prestigious jobs often relies on upper-crust social background and education.

In southern Europe, however, the culture of "raccommandazioni" permeates all social classes and sectors ? from landing a job in a bank to winning a building contract.

Carrai, the linguist and aspiring international law expert, ruefully learned how much connections count even in the rarefied world of academia. She moved to Hong Kong to escape the stifling atmosphere of university nepotism: "I saw how it worked. I didn't want to stay in Italy and stick with this system."

"'Raccomandazioni' are to a certain degree a normal, human," she said. But cross a certain line "and it becomes corruption."

___

AP reporters David Stringer in London, Greg Keller in Paris, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Alan Clendenning in Madrid, Spain, David Rising in Berlin, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, and Paola Barisani in Rome contributed to this report.

___

Follow The Class of 2012 on the AP Big Story page:

http://bigstory.ap.org/topic/class-2012

___

Follow The Class of 2012 on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/(hash)!/AP/class-of-2012

Associated Press

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Build a Basic Chair with Two Planks [DIY]

Build a Basic Chair with Two PlanksIf you need inexpensive seating for parties or outdoor events that can be stored away when not in use consider making a very basic chair using two planks.

Instructables user jesse.hensel notes that only three cuts need to be made; the slot cut into the first plank and two cuts on the sides of the second plank so it will fit into the slot on the first. This definitely isn't the most comfortable seat we've ever featured but is simple to make, can be done for free if you can find scrap planks, and the design of the chair actually makes it more sturdy when someone is sitting in it. You'll probably also want to sand it down to avoid splinters and consider painting or staining the wood.

Plank Chair | Instructables via Dornob

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/-5bJoqwdvK4/build-a-basic-chair-with-two-planks

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Sunday, 23 September 2012

Israelis fear their prime minister meddling in U.S. politics

JERUSALEM (AP) ? It is a taboo for Israeli leaders to give even the slightest hint of favoritism in politics in the United States, Israel's closest ally. So some Israelis are squirming over a perception that their prime minister is siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S. presidential race, in the belief he will take a harder line on archenemy Iran if elected.

With President Barack Obama holding a narrow lead in opinion polls, Benjamin Netanyahu's perceived strategy looks risky to Israelis who fear their alliance with the U.S. could be in trouble if the incumbent wins.

"If our prime minister doesn't get along with their leader, it will hurt our relations," said Shai Hugi, 20, a car rental clerk in Jerusalem. "The United States is Israel's best ally, and it's always good that you have a strong friend behind you."

Netanyahu, convinced that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons, says Tehran must be stopped. Claiming international diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions have failed, Netanyahu says the threat of force must be seriously considered. He has urged Obama to declare "red lines" that would trigger an American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, coupling his appeals with veiled threats of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran.

Obama has rejected these calls, saying diplomacy and U.S.-led sanctions must be given more time and that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. At the same time, American officials have pressed Israel not to attack unilaterally, a move that could set off regional mayhem just ahead of the November election.

Netanyahu has not backed down. In a message directed at the White House, he recently said: "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."

Israeli leaders have relied on broad bipartisan support in the U.S. for decades, but Netanyahu has had a rocky relationship with Obama, underscored by public differences over Iran. These agreements, coupled with his longstanding friendship with Romney, have created a perception that Netanyahu backs the Republicans.

"Whether or not it is true that he is actively taking sides . I don't know," said Alon Pinkas, Israel's former consul-general in New York. "But the pattern of behavior clearly suggests this perception is founded in reality."

Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, said Obama, if re-elected, may seek payback from the Israelis by pressuring Netanyahu to make new concessions to the Palestinians to overcome a deadlock seen as a key failure of the U.S. administration.

Gilboa also said support for Israel is increasingly being seen as a Republican, not bipartisan, issue in America. Recent polls have shown that Republican support for Israel is significantly higher than Democratic support, a reversal from 10 or 15 years ago.

In interviews on American television this week, the Israeli leader vociferously denied he is meddling in Obama's reelection campaign and said he appreciated the importance of American support.

"God, I'm not going to be drawn into the American election," Netanyahu told NBC television. "What's guiding my statements is not the American political calendar, but the Iranian nuclear calendar."

Ari Shavit, a columnist for Israel's liberal Haaretz daily, accused Netanyahu of misreading the American political climate.

"Netanyahu not only argued with Obama, but turned himself into the declared enemy of many of Israel's friends in the United States. He pushed himself into America's extremist right corner - he pushed all of us into it," he wrote.

Obama aides have sought to portray relations with Netanyahu as unshaken. But privately, American officials have grumbled about a perception that Netanyahu is telling Obama what to do.

When Netanyahu travels to New York this week, he likely won't even see Obama. The U.S. president turned down a request for a meeting, citing scheduling issues. A subsequent phone conversation appears to have done little to ease tensions.

Differences between the men run deep.

Soon after Obama and Netanyahu both took office in early 2009, they clashed over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Under American pressure, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to slow down settlement construction for nine months in order to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. When the moratorium expired, Netanyahu refused Obama's appeals to extend it, and a fresh round of peace talks quickly collapsed.

In one tense encounter, Netanyahu appeared to lecture Obama on the pitfalls of peacemaking as they sat in front of reporters in the Oval Office. During that same trip to Washington, Netanyahu was warmly welcomed in a speech to a joint session of Congress, sending a message that the Israeli leader maintained strong support on Capitol Hill.

The U.S.-educated Netanyahu thinks like a Republican on many key issues, whether it be his support for free-market capitalism and disdain for big government, or his security-first approach to foreign policy. Obama's first major foreign policy act, reaching out to the Muslim world in a landmark speech in Cairo while failing to visit neighboring Israel, is still seen as an insult by many Israelis.

Netanyahu's inner circle includes Ron Dermer, a former Republican activist in the U.S., and Sheldon Adelson, the American casino billionaire who has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Republicans.

Netanyahu's friendship with Romney goes back to the 1970s, when they worked together at a Boston investment firm. During the campaign, Romney has accused Obama of throwing Israel "under the bus." And in comments to a closed fundraiser that were captured on videotape, Romney sounded as if he had received many of his talking points directly from Netanyahu as he listed reasons why peace between Israel and the Palestinians isn't possible.

Few believe any damage in relations is irreversible, and?officials in both countries say defense ties remain close. Pinkas, the former Israeli diplomat, said the Iranian nuclear program is so critical that the countries will find a way to work together. He suggested that Netanyahu move quickly in the coming months to repair his relationship with Obama, either through a face-to-face meeting or quiet "back channel" discussions.

Netanyahu is required to call new elections in the next year or so. Many analysts believe he will do so much sooner, perhaps by the end of the year. Standing strong in the face of American pressure would play well to his hardline Likud Party.

"Bibi is doing what he should be doing," said Jerusalem bike shop owner Yitzchak Weiss, 66, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. "I don't think (Obama) will throw us into the sea. America is our strongest ally. He can never erase that."

The radio in Weiss' bike shop was tuned to a local Jerusalem station. As he spoke, a broadcaster announced: "Mitt Romney ? let's hope he wins."

___

Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Matthew Daly on board Air Force One contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israelis-fear-pm-meddling-us-politics-161611300.html

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Saturday, 22 September 2012

5: Micro HDMI (Type D) to HDMI (Type A) - New Electronic ...

Micro HDMI (Type D) to HDMI (Type A) Cable For Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7.0 Tablet - 6 Feet (Package include a HandHelditems Sketch Stylus Pen) by Handhelditems Date first available at Amazon.com: September 13, 2012 Buy new: $29.99 $6.99 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Accessories list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)

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Giants' magic number for clinching West down to 2

By JOSH DUBOW

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:22 a.m. ET Sept. 22, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - It was only fitting that Buster Posey delivered another big hit on a night he was honored again.

Posey hit a tiebreaking RBI single after receiving a prestigious award before the game and the San Francisco Giants reduced their magic number for clinching the NL West to two with a 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday.

Posey was recognized in a pregame ceremony with the "Willie Mac" award as the most inspirational player on the team. The 2010 NL Rookie of the Year then delivered another big hit when he drove in Marco Scutaro with a single off Casey Kelly (2-2) that gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning.

"He's done that a few times this year," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Tremendous player. He was honored to receive that award. What a great player he is on both sides. He's done such a great job for us. He's done all the little things."

Posey helped Ryan Vogelsong (13-9) match his career high in wins and put the Giants in position to clinch a division title as early as Saturday. San Francisco would win the West on Saturday night with a win if the Los Angeles Dodgers lose earlier in the day to Cincinnati.

"It's in our hands," Bochy said. "When you're in this situation you want to go out there and take care of business. You want to get in through the front door not the back door."

Pablo Sandoval belted his fourth home run in three days, and Brandon Crawford and Scutaro had RBI singles as San Francisco matched a season high with its fifth straight win.

Chase Headley hit a solo shot for his 29th homer for the Padres. But he was thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on Yasmani Grandal's two-out double in the sixth. The Giants cut him down with a well-executed relay from left fielder Gregor Blanco to Crawford to Posey, who fielded the throw on a short hop and tagged Headley to preserve a 2-1 lead.

"We really didn't swing the bats very good tonight against Vogelsong," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Other than Chase, we really didn't threaten them. Vogelsong did a nice job. His curveball was working tonight as was his changeup. We couldn't mount any pressure."

Vogelsong, who had a 10.31 ERA over his past seven starts, reversed his recent slide by allowing just one run and five hits in six innings.

"I'm going to sleep for the first time in about a month tonight. I can tell you that," Vogelsong said. "I'd been trying to tweak some stuff here for a while. I finally found something that felt comfortable and easy to repeat. Somehow I got twisted around there along the way. It took me a while to get back into something that felt right."

The Giants broke it open with three runs in the sixth, capped by Sandoval's homer. After going 161 at-bats without a long ball, Sandoval has regained his power stroke this week and now has 12 homers this season.

It was a big day all around for Posey, who won the award named after Hall of Famer Willie McCovey that is voted upon annually by Giants players, coaches, training staff and the fans.

Posey also got a boost in his bid to win the batting title when teammate Melky Cabrera requested to be disqualified from the NL honor. Major League Baseball and the players' association agreed to a one-season-only change in the rule governing the individual batting, slugging and on-base percentage champions.

Serving a 50-game suspension after testing positive for testosterone, Cabrera leads the league with a .346 average. Cabrera had 501 plate appearances, one short of the required minimum if the Giants play 162 games, but would have won the title under section 10.22(a) of the Official Baseball Rules if an extra hitless at-bat were added to his average and he still finished ahead. With Friday's agreement, that provision won't apply this year to a player who "served a drug suspension for violating the Joint Drug Program."

Posey, who is hitting .335, trails Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen by three points for the NL lead with less than two weeks left in the regular season.

"Personal achievements and accomplishments are always nice," Posey said. "Being fortunate enough to win a World Series in 2010 and knowing how much fun that was and this year with the guys on the team and the whole city. Ultimately that's where I get the most satisfaction."

NOTES: Kelly allowed two runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. ... Headley's 21 HRs since the All-Star break are the second-most in San Diego history, trailing the 28 by Ken Caminiti in 1996. ... The Padres reinstated closer Huston Street from the DL before the game. He had been out since Aug. 11 with a strained left calf. ... Grandal left the game in the seventh inning after taking a foul ball off his mask. ... The Giants autographed a hat for 49ers QB Alex Smith, who had been fined $15,000 last season by the NFL for sporting a Giants hat after games - though the fine was later dropped. INF Ryan Theriot also bought 49ers hats for his teammates. ... Madison Bumgarner (15-10) starts the middle game of the series on Saturday against San Diego's Andrew Werner (2-1).

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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??SportsTalk: Eric Kuselias and Craig Calcaterra of HardballTalk discuss Melky Cabrera's decision to declare himself ineligible for the NL batting title.

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Mauled NY man: I wanted to be one with the tiger

This Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 image from video provided by WABC shows authorities investigating the scene where a man was mauled by a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Saturday that 25-year-old David Villalobos told investigators that he deliberately leaped into a zoo exhibit because he wanted to "be one with the tiger." Police say they plan to arrest Villalobos, who remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after the 400-pound cat bit him in the back. He also suffered broken bones in the jump Friday from an elevated train that circles the exhibit. (AP Photo/WABC-TV)

This Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 image from video provided by WABC shows authorities investigating the scene where a man was mauled by a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Saturday that 25-year-old David Villalobos told investigators that he deliberately leaped into a zoo exhibit because he wanted to "be one with the tiger." Police say they plan to arrest Villalobos, who remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after the 400-pound cat bit him in the back. He also suffered broken bones in the jump Friday from an elevated train that circles the exhibit. (AP Photo/WABC-TV)

This Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 image from video provided by WABC shows authorities investigating the scene where a man was mauled by a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Saturday that 25-year-old David Villalobos told investigators that he deliberately leaped into a zoo exhibit because he wanted to "be one with the tiger." Police say they plan to arrest Villalobos, who remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after the 400-pound cat bit him in the back. He also suffered broken bones in the jump Friday from an elevated train that circles the exhibit. (AP Photo/WABC-TV)

Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny speaks to the media during a news conference, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, in New York. A visitor to the zoo was mauled by a tiger after he leaped from an elevated monorail train and plummeted over a fence into an exhibit, police and zoo officials said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The ticket booths are empty and the gates are chained shut at an entrance to the Bronx Zoo in New York, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Zoo officials say a visitor who leaped into an exhibit and was mauled by a tiger was alone with the 400-pound beast for about 10 minutes before being rescued. (AP Photo/Jim Fitzgerlad)

FILE- In this Sept. 20, 2010 photo provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, three Amur tiger cubs rest by a fallen tree limb at the Tiger Mountain exhibit at the Bronx Zoo in New York. New York police say a man on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, climbed into an exhibit at the Bronx Zoo and has been mauled by a tiger and lost a leg. (AP Photo/WCS, Julie Larsen Maher, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Before his now-infamous tangle with a Bronx Zoo tiger, David Villalobos adorned his Facebook page with New Age odes to Mother Earth and affirmations like, "Be love and fearless."

Police said Saturday that Villalobos had told detectives that it was without fear that he leaped from an elevated train into the animal's den. His reason, they said, was that "he wanted to be one with the tiger."

Villalobos also recounted how, after he landed on all fours, the 400-pound beast attacked him and dragged around by his foot, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne. Despite serious injuries, he claimed he was able to get his wish and pet the tiger ? a male Siberian named Bashuta ? before his rescue, the spokesman added.

Based on those admissions and a complaint from the zoo, police were planning to arrest the hospitalized Villalobos on trespassing charges, Browne said. It was unclear when that would happen or if the 25-year-old real estate agent had an attorney; attempts to reach relatives on Saturday were unsuccessful.

Villalobos' big-cat exploits Friday afternoon were an instant tabloid sensation: A front page New York Post story on Saturday was headlined "MAULED!" The Daily News countered with "ZOO-ICIDE," speculating a death wish.

Police had said earlier that Villalobos admitted to a police officer at the scene that he made a conscious decision to jump ? "Everyone has a reason for what they do in life," he was quoted as saying ? but that his motives were murky and an arrest uncertain.

That changed when, during a follow-up interview Saturday, Villalobos told detectives that "his leap was definitely not a suicide attempt, but a desire to be one with the tiger," Browne said.

Villalobos remained hospitalized with bites and punctures on his arms, legs, shoulders and back, and a broken arm and a leg caused by the jump.

The Wild Asia exhibit that's home to the tiger was operating as usual on Saturday, zoo officials said, declining to comment further.

Villalobos' Facebook page makes clear his infatuation with wildlife. One of several postings from Thursday was a photo of a tiger licking a cub, and the comment, "Nice." Another was of a black jaguar.

An earlier post displayed a promo for a movie called "Facing Animals," a Dutch documentary about "the complex and often bizarre relationship between man and animal."

His comment: "This looks fascinating."

Villalobos' own bizarre encounter began with a ride on the elevated train that takes unrestrained visitors over the Bronx River and through a forest, where they glide along the top edge of a fence past elephants, deer and a tiger enclosure. He and a date had taken in the same sights from the monorail during a visit to the zoo about two weeks ago, police said Saturday.

This time without warning, Villalobos apparently jumped out of his train car and cleared the 16-foot-high perimeter fence. He was alone with Bashuta for about 10 minutes before he was rescued by zoo officials, who used a fire extinguisher to chase the animal away.

The zookeepers instructed him to roll under an electrified wire to get to safety, zoo director Jim Breheny said. They then called the tiger into a holding area.

The Bronx Zoo, one of the nation's largest zoos, sprawls over 265 acres and contains hundreds of animals, many in habitats meant to resemble natural settings. Its exhibits include Tiger Mountain, Congo Gorilla Forest and World of Reptiles.

There are 10 tigers at the Wild Asia exhibit, but the 11-year-old Bashuta was the only one on display at the time. Zoo officials said he would remain in the rotation.

"When someone is determined to do something harmful to themselves, it's very hard to stop that," said Breheny. "The tiger did nothing wrong."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-22-Bronx%20Zoo-Tiger%20Mauling/id-f95bdac302654960b5388fb1bf339932

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NASA's solar fleet peers into coronal cavities

ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2012) ? The sun's atmosphere dances. Giant columns of solar material -- made of gas so hot that many of the electrons have been scorched off the atoms, turning it into a form of magnetized matter we call plasma -- leap off the sun's surface, jumping and twisting. Sometimes these prominences of solar material shoot off, escaping completely into space; other times they fall back down under their own weight.

The prominences are sometimes also the inner structure of a larger formation, appearing from the side almost as the filament inside a large light bulb. The bright structure around and above that light bulb is called a streamer, and the inside "empty" area is called a coronal prominence cavity.

Such structures are but one of many that the roiling magnetic fields and million-degree plasma create in the sun's atmosphere, the corona, but they are an important one as they can be the starting point of what's called a coronal mass ejection, or CME. CMEs are billion-ton clouds of material from the sun's atmosphere that erupt out into the solar system and can interfere with satellites and radio communications near Earth when they head our way.

"We don't really know what gets these CMEs going," says Terry Kucera, a solar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "So we want to understand their structure before they even erupt, because then we might have a better clue about why it's erupting and perhaps even get some advance warning on when they will erupt."

Kucera and her colleagues have published a paper in the Sept. 20, 2012, issue of The Astrophysical Journal on the temperatures of the coronal cavities. This is the third in a series of papers -- the first discussed cavity geometry and the second its density -- collating and analyzing as much data as possible from a cavity that appeared over the upper left horizon of the sun on Aug. 9, 2007. By understanding these three aspects of the cavities, that is the shape, density and temperature, scientists can better understand the space weather that can disrupt technologies near Earth.

The Aug. 9 cavity lay at a fortuitous angle that maximized observations of the cavity itself, as opposed to the prominence at its base or the surrounding plasma. Together the papers describe a cavity in the shape of a croissant, with a giant inner tube of looping magnetic fields -- think something like a slinky -- helping to define its shape. The cavity appears to be 30% less dense than the streamer surrounding it, and the temperatures vary greatly throughout the cavity, but on average range from 1.4 million to 1.7 million Celsius (2.5 to 3 million Fahrenheit), increasing with height.

Trying to describe a cavity, a space that appears empty from our viewpoint, from 93 million miles away is naturally a tricky business. "Our first objective was to completely pin down the morphology," says Sarah Gibson, a solar scientist at the High Altitude Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. who was an author on all three cavity papers. "When you see such a crisp clean shape like this, it's not an accident. That shape is telling you something about the physics of the magnetic fields creating it, and understanding those magnetic fields can also help us understand what's at the heart of CMEs."

To do this, the team collected as much data from as many instruments from as many perspectives as they could, including observations from NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), ESA and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the JAXA/NASA mission Hinode, and NCAR's Mauna Loa Solar Observatory.

They collected this information for the cavity's entire trip across the face of the sun along with the sun's rotation. Figuring out, for example, why the cavity was visible on the left side of the sun but couldn't be seen as well on the right held important clues about the structure's orientation, suggesting a tunnel shape that could be viewed head on from one perspective, but was misaligned for proper viewing from the other. The cavity itself looked like a tunnel in a crescent shape, not unlike a hollow croissant. Magnetic fields loop through the croissant in giant circles to support the shape, the way a slinky might look if it were narrower on the ends and tall in the middle -- the entire thing draped in a sheath of thick plasma. The paper describing this three-dimensional morphology appeared in The Astrophysical Journal on Dec. 1, 2010.

Next up, for the second paper, was the cavity's density. Figuring out density and temperature was a trickier prospect since one's point of view of the sun is inherently limited. Because the sun's corona is partially transparent, it is difficult to tease out differences of density and temperature along one's line of sight; all the radiation from a given line hits an instrument at the same time in a jumble, information from one area superimposed upon every other.

Using a variety of techniques to tease density out from temperature, the team was able to determine that the cavity was 30% less than that of the surrounding streamer. This means that there is, in fact, quite a bit of material in the cavity. It simply appears dim to our eyes when compared with the denser, brighter areas nearby. The paper on the cavity's density appeared in The Astrophysical Journal on May 20, 2011.

"With the morphology and the density determined, we had found two of the main characteristics of the cavity, so next we focused on temperature," says Kucera. "And it turned out to be a much more complicated problem. We wanted to know if it was hotter or cooler than the surrounding material -- the answer is that it is both."

Ultimately, what Kucera and her colleagues found was that the temperature of the cavity was not -- on average -- hotter or cooler than the surrounding plasma.

However, it was much more varied, with hotter and cooler areas that Kucera thinks link the much colder 10,000 degrees Celsius (17,000 F) prominence at the bottom to the million to two million degrees Celsius (1.8 million to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit) corona at the top. Other observations of cavities show that cavity features are constantly in motion creating a complicated flow pattern that the team would like to study further.

While these three science papers focused on just the one cavity from 2007, the scientists have already begun comparing this test case to other cavities and find that the characteristics are fairly consistent. More recent cavities can also be studied using the high-resolution images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which launched in 2010.

"Our point with all of these research projects into what might seem like side streets, is ultimately to figure out the physics of magnetic fields in the corona," says Gibson. "Sometimes these cavities can be stable for days and weeks, but then suddenly erupt into a CME. We want to understand how that happens. We're accessing so much data, so it's an exciting time -- with all these observations, our understanding is coming together to form a consistent story."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. T. A. Kucera, S. E. Gibson, D. J. Schmit, E. Landi, D. Tripathi. Temperature and Extreme-Ultraviolet Intensity in a Coronal Prominence Cavity and Streamer. The Astrophysical Journal, 2012; 757 (1): 73 DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/757/1/73

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/top_news/top_technology/~3/zDRAWxZDkdc/120920164652.htm

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The Death of the Grown-Up | Diana West > Home - A Nation Betrayed

SSG Matthew Sitton (1986-2012)

---

Below is an extraordinary, heart-stopping and historic letter. It is a letter SSG Matthew Sitton sent to U.S. Rep. C.W. "Bill"?Young after his commanders in Afghanistan told him to "quit whining" about orders to lead patrols without objective "through,? for lack of a better term, basically a mine field on a daily basis," as Sitton wrote. Twice daily basis, in fact. On August 2, 2012, Sitton and another US soldier were killed in one the IED-riddled field he spoke of. Eighty-one-year-old Rep. Young, who attends the same church in Florida as the Sitton family, this week announced he no longer supports the presence of US troops in Afghanistan and called for their withdrawal in advance of 2014. Young also held a hearing yesterday to ask the agency in charge of protecting troops against IEDs to explain why so many are still dying and suffering horrific injuries despite an annual budget of nearly $3 billion.

I support immediate withdrawal ("Let it go") and commend the Congressman's resolve -- all but unique among his hundreds of peers in the House and Senate, which is in itself a national disgrace --? but he is asking the wrong people the wrong question. This is a question of strategy that goes to the heart of the whole multi-billion-dollar nation-building endeavor predicated on a Big Lie that Islam and the West are compatible. It is time for Sitton's commanders and their commanders and on up the chain of command to be questioned, to talk to We, the People about who devised and signed off on this morally and militarily bankrupt doctrine? -- counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy -- that patriots such as Matthew Sitton have paid for with their lives. It is time for Generals Petraeus, McChrystal, Allen, Dempsey, Admiral Mullen and many more to face us and explain. It is also time for former President Bush and his advisors and President Obama and his advisors to answer for the failure of their misbegotten and irresponsible policy of nation-building in the Islamc world, which COIN supports. This letter by Matthew Sitton, RIP, is the right place to start.

SIR,

Hello my name is SSG Matthew Sitton. I am in the 82{+n}{+d} Airborne Division stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC. I am currently deployed with the 4th Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. I am writing you because I am concerned for the safety of my soldiers. This is my 3{+r}{+d} combat tour to Afghanistan so I have seen the transition in Rules of Engagement and Overall Tactics over the past 6 years.

I am only writing this email because I feel myself and my soldiers are being put into unnecessary positions where harm and danger are imminent. I know the threat of casualties in war and am totally on board with sacrifice for my country, but what I don't agree with is the chain of command making us walk through, for lack of a better term, basically a mine field on a daily basis.

I am in a platoon of 25 soldiers. We are operating at a tempo that is set for a full 35-40 man infantry platoon. We have been mandated to patrol twice daily for 2-4 hours each patrol on top of guarding our FOB and conducting routine maintenance of our equipment. There is no endstate or purpose for the patrols given to us from our higher chain of command, only that we will be out for a certain time standard. I am all for getting on the ground and fighting for my country when I know there is a desired endstate and we have clear guidance of what needs to be done. But when we are told basically to just walk around for a certain amount of time is not sitting well with me.

As a Brigade, we are averaging at a minimum an amputee a day from our soldiers because we are walking around aimlessly through grape rows and compounds that are littered with explosives. Not to mention that the operation tempo that every solider is on leaves little to no time for rest and refit. The moral and alertness levels on our patrol are low and it is causing casualties left and right.

Here is an example of how bad things have gotten. Our small FOB was flooded accidentally by a local early one morning a few days ago. He was watering his fields and the damn he had broke and water came flooding into our Living Area. Since our FOB does not have any portable bathrooms, we had to dig a hole in the ground where soldiers could use the bathroom. That also got flooded and contaminated all the water that later soaked every soldier and his gear. Instead of returning to base and cleaning up, our chain of command was so set on us meeting the brigade commanders 2 patrols a day guidance that they made us move outside the flooded FOB and conduct our patrols soaked in urine.

That is just one single instance of the unsatisfactory situations that our chain of command has put us in. At least three of my soldiers have gotten sick since that incident and taken away from our combat power because of their illness caused by unhealthy conditions.

I understand that as a commander you are to follow the orders of those appointed over you however there needs to be a time where the wellness of your soldiers needs to take priority over walking around in fields for hours a day for no rhyme or reason, but only to meet the Brigade Commanders guidance of you will conduct so many patrols for such an allotted time.

I'm concerned about the well being of my soldiers and have tried to voice my opinion through the proper channels of my own chain of command only to be turned away and told that I need to stop complaining. It is my responsibility to take care of my soldiers and there is only so much I can do with that little bit of Rank I have. My guys would fight by my side and have my back in any condition and I owe it to them to have their best interest in mind. I know they would and I certainly would appreciate it if there was something that you could do to help us out. I just want to return my guys home to their families healthy. I apologize for taking your time like this Sir, and I do appreciate what you do for us. I was told to contact you by my Grand Mother (name blacked out) who said that you had helped her son (my uncle) (name blacked) out many years ago. He also was serving in the military at the time. Thank you again for allowing soldiers like me to voice their opinion. If anything Please Pray for us over hear. God Bless

Very respectfully,

SSG Matthew Sitton

Source: http://www.dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/2242/A-Nation-Betrayed.aspx

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