How 3-D Imaging Helped Halt Germany's War Machine in World War II [Video]

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Historians, pilots and interpreters recall the early days of surveillance and aerial photography, which helped the British curb Nazi Germany's military advance. A video from NOVA


Before satellite images and drones could pinpoint the exact location of enemy targets, warfare was often more like a game of Battleship: a complex series of guesses based on spotty information.

During World War II the British began to change that. They sent their fastest planes not to drop bombs, but to take pictures. By flying over German territory in planes outfitted with several cameras, pilots built a set of images that overlapped one another and could be viewed stereoscopically?that is, in 3-D. These three-dimensional images enabled the British to see for instance, camouflaged ships that would have not been easily spotted in 2-D images.

In this clip from "3D Spies of WWII" by PBS's NOVA, historians and pilots relive the early days of surveillance imaging to explain how those stereoscopic images worked and how they were used. The entire program, airing on PBS Wednesday, January 18 at 9 P.M. Eastern time, reveals more examples of how these images bolstered British war efforts.

Watch Sneak Peak: 3D Spies of WWII on PBS. See more from NOVA.

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Obamas mark King's birthday with volunteer outing (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama evoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s own words about public service Monday as Obama and his family celebrated the life of the late civil rights leader with a volunteer project.

The president, along with wife Michelle Obama and daughter Malia, joined other volunteers at Browne Education Center in Washington.

During brief remarks, the president said there was no better way to honor King than to do something on behalf of others. He also acknowledged the controversy surrounding a quote on the new MLK memorial in Washington, which is being changed amid criticism that it did not accurately reflect King's words.

"What he really said was all of us can be a drum major for service, all of us can be a drum major for justice," Obama said. "There is nobody who can't serve, nobody who can't help somebody else."

The inscription on the King memorial, located on the National Mall, currently reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." The phrase is modified from a sermon known as the "Drum Major Instinct", which King delivered just two months before he was assassinated in 1968.

In the speech, King's words seem more modest than the paraphrased inscription: "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

After meeting with volunteers, the Obamas headed to the school library to help build bookshelves and a reading corner for students. The president and first lady were then put to work painting two King quotes on the library walls.

The president stood on a chair and carefully used blue paint to write the phrase "The time is always right to do what is right." Mrs. Obama painted the words "I have a dream."

In the evening, Obama and his wife attended a "Let Freedom Ring" tribute to King's legacy held by Georgetown University and the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center program included selections from musician Bobby McFerrin and the Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir comprising Georgetown University students and local area church members.

The university presented an award in honor of King to Clarence B. Jones, a former speech writer for the civil rights leader.

Music Director Rev. Nolan Williams Jr. told the story of the Freedom Riders who were often injured and jailed as they worked to integrate public buses in the South. He said their message was still true today, which he jokingly offered to Obama as a new campaign slogan: "You can lock us up, you can shut down government, but buses are still coming."

___

Associated Press writer Stacy A. Anderson contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_mlk

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Global shares, euro steady after S&P but outlook weak (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? European shares and the euro recovered from early losses on Monday in the wake of a mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings, but trading was choppy with U.S. markets closed and the outlook for Greek debt talks uncertain.

Standard & Poor's stripped France and Austria of their triple-A ratings and cut Italy to the same level as Ireland on Friday, shortly after news emerged that Athens' talks on a bond swap with private creditors, seen as vital to avoid a default in March, had broken down.

Ratings agency Moody's also weighed in on Monday saying its Aaa rating for France might come under pressure if the public debt keeps rising or if Europe's debt crisis worsens.

All of that piles pressure on the euro zone's leaders to shore up defenses, with some glimmers of optimism in the crisis now firmly doused. Investors dumped riskier assets in response, especially bank shares, and sought defensive plays such as UK government bonds, leaving the euro down but not sharply.

"The path of least resistance is a safe haven/risk-off trade," said Jeremy Stretch, currency strategist at CIBC.

The euro fell 0.2 percent against the dollar at $1.2651 and still looked vulnerable to a test of Friday's 17-month low of $1.2624.

The FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index of top European shares was barely changed from Friday's closing level but the main euro zone bank stock index (.SX7E) fell around 1.1 percent on fears the sector could be the next target for rating cuts.

World shares overall (.MIWD00000PUS) recovered from losses seen in Asian trade to be just 0.2 percent lower. U.S. markets are closed for a holiday on Monday.

Standard & Poor's downgraded nine of the 17 countries that use the euro on Friday and also said it would decide soon whether to cut the euro zone's bailout fund, the EFSF, from triple-A.

"A one-notch downgrade for France was completely priced in, so no negative surprise here, and quite logical after the United States got downgraded," said David Thebault, head of quantitative sales trading at Global Equities.

The growing nervousness saw Europe's commercial banks park almost half a trillion euros at the European Central Bank, the highest on record, as the mix of debt crisis worries and a recent giant injection of ECB cash left banks awash with money but too scared to lend it.

BOND MARKET ADJUSTS

The cost of insuring Italian, Spanish and other euro zone government debt against default rose on the S&P ratings cuts, while shorter-dated UK government bond yields fell. Safe-haven German government bonds retraced gains seen on Friday after reports first emerged of the S&P action.

The ECB was also reported by traders to be active in buying Italian and Spanish government bonds with up to five-year maturities to keep a lid on rising yields.

Italian five-year bond yields, which had been around 6 percent in early trade, dropped to around 5.85 percent on the reports of ECB buying.

The cost of insuring five-year Italian bonds rose to around 518 basis points from under 500 basis points on Friday, meaning it costs 518,000 euros to protect 10 million euros of exposure to Italian debt.

German Bund futures were slightly lower at 139.92, having hit a record high of 140.23 on Friday. Ten-year cash yields were little changed at 1.772 percent.

Italy takes a break from debt sales this week, but France plans to sell up to 8 billion euros of debt on Thursday and Spain comes to the market with sales of 2016, 2019 and 2022 bonds..

Concerns that European financial troubles will drag down global growth and sap appetite for commodities weighed on industrial metals such as copper, while spot gold held steady at around $1,645.25 an ounce.

Brent crude rose above $111 on worries over supply disruptions after Iran warned its Gulf Arab neighbors of consequences if they raised oil output to replace Iranian barrels facing international sanctions.

The latest threat comes as leaders of top Asian buyers of Iranian oil - China, Japan and South Korea - tour alternative Middle East suppliers while the United States pressures nations to stop importing oil from the Islamic Republic.

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Euro-zone sovereign ratings: http://r.reuters.com/maf75s

Regional equity risk premium:http://link.reuters.com/mum95s

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(Additional reporting by Jessica Mortimer and Blaise Robinson; Editing by Catherine Evans/Patrick Graham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/bs_nm/us_markets_global

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Zoom in on the black hole next door

T. Lauer / NOAO / NASA / ESA

A new Hubble Space Telescope image centers on the 100-million-solar-mass black hole at the hub of the neighboring spiral galaxy M31, or the Andromeda Galaxy, one of the few galaxies outside the Milky Way visible to the naked eye and the only other giant galaxy in the Local Group. This is the sharpest visible-light image ever made of the nucleus of an external galaxy.

By Alan Boyle

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best view yet of the Andromeda Galaxy's nucleus ? which is actually a double nucleus, thanks to the galaxy's supermassive black hole.

Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way, and the only galaxy outside our own that's visible to the naked eye. But it's not easy to see what's going on at the bright center of the spiral. Astronomer Tod Lauer of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory put together several exposures in blue and ultraviolet wavelengths from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys to produce this ultra-sharp view.


The inset photograph tells the story: The black hole itself can't be seen, but it's near the center of a compact cluster of blue stars at the center of the inset. That cluster is surrounded by the double nucleus, an elliptical ring of older reddish stars in orbit around the black hole.

"When the stars are at the farthest point in their orbit they move slower, like cars on a crowded freeway," NASA says in its image advisory. "This gives the illusion of a second nucleus."

NASA notes that the blue stars in the cluster are no more than 200 million years old, and had to have formed close to where they are now. Such stars wouldn't last long enough to form somewhere else and move inward.

So how can stars form so deep within the black hole's gravitational field? That's what Lauer and other astronomers are trying to figure out.

Lauer presented the Hubble observations this week in Austin, Texas, at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

This zoom dives deep into the nucleus of the Andromeda galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

More from the astronomy meeting:


Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10142779-zoom-in-on-the-black-hole-next-door

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Why do you chant "Cena Sucks"? (Part 2 of 2)

<< PART 1: WHY YOU CHANT #LET'SGOCENA

And now, finally, we hear their voices. Individual voices, mind you, not just a collective mish-mosh of animosity spewed in the brightly-colored direction of John Cena. Yesterday we featured love from the Cenation itself, but we also polled those members of the WWE Universe who boo the Cenation leader, cheer for his doom at the hands of Kane or The Rock, and scrounge up every one of those ?Cena Sucks? shirts they can get their hands on. These are the fans who jeer Cena at every turn, who scream bile from the stands?and whose brains defensively zoom to?a?"happy place" whenever Justin Roberts yells that??JOOOOOHHHHHNNNN CEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNAAAA!!!? is in the building.

So yeah, what we?re basically trying to say is they do not like the guy, and we at WWE.com sorted painstakingly through this intricate tapestry of ?Haterade? to pick some of the most telling, passionate and common gripes against Cena. Here?s what they had to say.

The WWE Universe Thinks #CenaSucks Because ?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because they're tired of his routine.They?re Tired of His Shtick: Perhaps the most common complaint among the boobirds was that the Cenation leader has become predictable on the mic and in the ring, and would be better off if he returned to his edgier ways of the early ?00s. Joseph Fadoir wrote on Facebook, ?He's lost his edge. He was better in 2004 when he was hungry for success. Ever since he won his first WWE title it seems he just goes through the motions and certain opponents have to bring the fight out of him ? He doesn't have to change his values. Just a few tweaks here and there. He's missing the intensity he once had.? Fadoir finished his well-thought post with a simple ?Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because he reminds them too much of '80s-era Hulk Hogan.He?s Hulk Hogan All Over Again: In some circles this might not be a bad thing, but it seems the current crop of fans doesn?t take kindly to Cena imitating the Hulkster?s superhuman tendencies from back in the '80s, likening Cena's "Five Moves of Doom" to the Hulk Up-Atomic Leg Drop that would inevitably come at the end of Hogan's matches. To wit, Mike Stewart on Facebook wrote he boos Cena, ?Because one Hulk Hogan was enough!?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because they believe he hogs the spotlight too much.He Hogs the Spotlight: Alternately, Kanisha QueenBee Powell wrote on Facebook that she DOESN?T hate Cena; she just wishes he?d let other guys take the spotlight. ?I understand he was the money maker for WWE and he still is because hate him or love him, you come out to see him. I just say let someone else shine because [there] are better and brighter stars.?

On Twitter, @DominicanGlory posted that Cena was ?bland? and had been ?shoved down [his] throat for almost a decade.? He said some other stuff too, but we can?t really print it here.

And finally, @dcblakglasses tweeted ?I don?t hate you, John. I don't even dislike you. I hate this idea that you're the best." Which we?re pretty sure he stole from somebody, though for the life of us we can?t figure out who ?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because they believe he can't wrestleThey Think He Can?t Wrestle: ?he can?t even take a bump and he runs like a penguin,? @guidaoust tweeted. For the record, the average foot speed of a penguin is 2.4 mph, so there?s probably a second, hidden insult in there as well.

?

?

?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because they're torn 50/50 and decided to lean towards the negative.It?s a Matter of Math: ?I?m 50/50 so he sucks,? Mikey Mastuzik wrote on Facebook. Um, how are you with logarithms, Mikey?

?

?

?

?

The WWE Universe thinks "Cena Sucks" because ... well, they just do.Because They Just Do: In the same way that some people just don?t like ice cream, John Cena is just not appealing to a certain sect of the WWE Universe and that?s all there is to it. @Borrachach simply tweeted ?#CenaSucks? until he filled up the 140 character limit, pausing only for space breaks.

@MIZfitKrista was much more succinct, tweeting, ?@WWEUniverse #CenaSucks and i say that because well....Im a hater.?

And @NutsythaBroski summed it up: ?Simple...... cause we've Cenanuff #CenaSucks.?

In all honesty, we?re pretty sure Cena would appreciate the pun.

Continue the debate on Facebook and Twitter, and CLICK HERE for Part One of our social experiment, where WWE.com Rises Above Hate to pick the definitive explanations for why fans chant #Let'sGoCena.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/why-do-you-chant-cena-sucks-part-2

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UK spies won't face criminal charges for torture (AP)

LONDON ? Agents working for Britain's spy agencies won't face criminal charges over their alleged complicity in the mistreatment of former Guantanamo detainees, the country's top prosecutor said Thursday.

They may, however, still face civil action from victims who say the British government passed on information about them to their foreign captors accused in their mistreatment. None of the British agents were accused of directly torturing or mistreating detainees.

Prosecutors have been investigating allegations of ill treatment of detainees who eventually were sent to the U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. Most of the torture allegations come from terror suspects who were either initially held in Pakistan and Afghanistan, or sent to other countries such as Morocco for interrogation.

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service said if more evidence came to light, criminal investigations could be reopened.

A separate inquiry into British complicity in torture, intelligence sharing and the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects is set to begin now that the police and prosecutors have said there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.

Britain has already made payouts to 16 former detainees at Guantanamo. Among those alleged to have been part of the settlements were Binyam Mohamed, Bishar Al Rawi, Jamil El Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Moazzam Begg and Martin Mubanga.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_torture_charges

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Gene Hackman injured while riding bicycle, OK (AP)

MIAMI ? Gene Hackman's publicist says the veteran Oscar-winning actor was briefly hospitalized after a truck bumped him from behind while he was riding a bicycle in the Florida Keys.

Susan Madore says the 81-year-old Hackman was airlifted to a Miami hospital Friday afternoon.

She characterized his injuries as minor bumps and bruises. She says he was released from the hospital several hours later after routine tests.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Hackman was riding on an Islamorada street around 3 p.m. when the pickup hit the back of his bicycle, throwing him onto the grassy shoulder. No charges were immediately reported.

Hackman won an Academy Award for "The French Connection" in 1971 and another for "Unforgiven" in 1992. He received Oscar nominations for three other films.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_en_ot/us_gene_hackman_injured

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Acer Iconia Tab A510 hands-on (video)

The follow-up to last year's Acer Iconia Tab A500 -- aptly named the A510 -- is hanging out in the NVIDIA booth at CES. The 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 display (the same one on the A500) comes with Android 4.0 on board, alongside a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing cam. The tablet feels lighter than its predecessor (as it should, since it loses the USB 2.0 port), and we prefer the soft-touch plastic backing to aluminum finish on the last-gen model.

What's most interesting about the A510, though, is not the fact that it has Ice Cream Sandwich pre-loaded, but that it has a custom UI, similar to what you'll find on the Honeycomb-packing A200. Thankfully, Acer's choice of skinning is low-key, and makes for an enjoyable, unobtrusive experience. First off, the UI is very ring-centric: tapping a virtual button in the middle of the task bar launches a ring with four customizable shortcuts, as well as a carousel on the right. Additionally, the lock screen offers a similar circular batch of four direct-access points, rather than the stock two. We appreciate that Acer isn't looking to add a full fifteen pieces of flare to its proprietary user interface. To see some more of the Tab, we've got a gallery of photos below, along with a short walk-through video after the break.

Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A510 hands-on (video)

Acer Iconia Tab A510 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio reveals an image of its new 10-inch tablet... and not much else (update: there's more)

Vizio's already made headlines at this year's CES with its new line of laptop and desktop computers, but the company isn't done surprising us. From the looks of things, Vizio has decided to give its 8-inch tablet a big brother. Dubbed the VTAB 3010 according to the company's website, all we know is that it's sporting a 10-inch screen and that it's "coming soon" -- we've a sneaking suspicion that means by the end of the week.

Update: Well, it looks like Vizio's got even bigger plans for CES than we thought. Further digging on its website shows a new Blu-ray player with Google TV, a universal remote, soundbar and router will be debuting this week as well. Check the second source for more.

Vizio reveals an image of its new 10-inch tablet... and not much else (update: there's more) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oil rises to near $103 on Iran tensions, China

By PABLO GORONDI
Associated Press

Oil prices rose to nearly $103 a barrel Tuesday amid concerns about tensions between the West and Iran, a national strike which could affect oil production in Nigeria, and growing investor optimism that the U.S. economy is improving, which would boost crude demand.

By midday in Europe, benchmark crude for February delivery was up $1.54 to $102.85 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 25 cents to $101.31 in New York on Monday.

In London, Brent crude was up 97 cents at $113.42 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Oil prices have hovered above $100 this month as signs of a strengthening U.S. economy bolster investor confidence.

Traders will be closely watching fourth-quarter corporate earnings reports, which began Monday, along with the latest data on retail sales, jobless claims and consumer sentiment later this week. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.3 percent Monday.

"Oil feels like a market that wants to head lower but is being precluded by a steady tone to equities, particularly within the U.S.," where good economic news continues, energy analyst Ritterbusch and Associates said in a report.

Tension between Iran and Western powers over Iran's nuclear program also has helped keep crude above $100. The U.S. has recently enacted new sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad, and Europe is planning to restrict oil imports from Iran.

Iran has threatened to close the key Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf if the country's oil exports are undermined by U.S. or European sanctions.

Protests and a national strike in Nigeria over soaring fuel prices and government corruption also contributed to higher crude prices. Nigeria produces about 2.4 million barrels of oil a day and remains a top crude supplier to the U.S.

While Nigeria's oil production appeared to be continuing, unions representing oil workers also have pledged to strike.

A 6 percent annual rise in oil imports by China was another bullish factor for crude.

"Because China has recently much reduced its imports from Iran due to disputes over payment, the country will need to source its demand elsewhere, which could drive prices further upward," said a report from Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

Investors will also be monitoring fresh information on U.S. stockpiles of crude and refined products.

Data for the week ending Jan. 6 are expected to show a draw of 1 million barrels in crude oil stocks and an increase of 1.75 million barrels in gasoline stocks, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

The American Petroleum Institute will release its report on oil stocks later Tuesday, while the report from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration - the market benchmark - will be out on Wednesday.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil gained 2.42 cents to $3.0972 a gallon, and gasoline futures added 2.42 cent at $2.7832 per gallon. Natural gas futures were down 2.7 cents to $2.984 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this story.

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

Source: http://www.wistv.com/story/16477168/oil-prices-fall-as-concerns-about-iran-retreat

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