Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181334094?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Listen to Taylor Swift's 'Hunger Games' song
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Taylor Swift sings the lead song from "The Hunger Games" soundtrack.
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Country superstar Taylor Swift and long-anticipated movie "The Hunger Games" seem like an ideal combination. Both have zillions of young fans who can't wait for the latest news about them.
Just before Christmas, Swift teased on her Twitter account that "something I've been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon" and then tweeted a link to?her new?song, "Safe & Sound," the lead song from the upcoming "Hunger Games" film.
Grammy-winning duo The Civil Wars accompany Swift?on acoustic guitar and backup vocals. The song will be included on the film's soundtrack album, which also includes songs by Arcade Fire and The Decemberists. "Safe & Sound" quickly moved to the top of the iTunes Songs chart, boosted no doubt by aid from Swift's 10 million Twitter followers.
The lyrics relate to the "Hunger Games" plot, in which Katniss Everdeen must fight other young people for her life in a cruel tournament put on by their fictional country of Panem. "Everything's on fire," Swift sings. "The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone."
Not all the musical news about the movie is as well-received. According to The Wrap.com, the president of the American Federation of Musicians union has criticized the film for recording its score in London, and not using?musicians from his union. He complains that the film receives tax subsidies to film in North Carolina, and as such should be utilizing American workers.
"The Hunger Games," starring Jennifer Lawrence, opens March 23.
Listen to?the song?below, and tell us what you think of it?in the comments.
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Pakistani president warns top court in scandal
Pakistani president warns top court in scandal
Associated Press
 |
| A Pakistan Air Force cadet is silhouetted while he stands guard during a change of guard ceremony to mark the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, at the Jinnah mausoleum in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) |
ISLAMABAD ? Pakistan's president on Tuesday warned the Supreme Court not to take action in violation of the constitution, referring to a judicial hearing into a secret memo seeking to rein in the powerful military, a scandal that threatens the Pakistani leader.
The political crisis revolves around a memo that was allegedly sent to Washington with President Asif Ali Zardari's support in May asking for help in stopping a supposed army coup following the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Zardari has denied any connection to the memo.
Also Tuesday, gunmen killed a senior official from the government's Intelligence Bureau in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said police officer Imtiaz Khan.
No group has claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban have killed many government officials and security personnel in the last few years.
There is long-standing tension between Pakistan's civilian government and the army because the military has staged a series of coups and ruled the country for much of its 64-year history.
The government has opposed the Supreme Court's decision to open a hearing into the scandal about a week ago, saying a judicial investigation was unnecessary because parliament was already looking into the matter. The powerful army, which has denied it intended to carry out a coup and was enraged by the memo, supports the investigation.
The Supreme Court opened its hearing after receiving a petition to do so from a handful of opposition politicians ? a common practice in Pakistan.
Zardari warned Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to respect the constitution, an indication he may be worried the judge will team up with the president's opponents to topple the government. Zardari has clashed with both Chaudhry and the army since he was elected in 2008.
"Anyone casting a bad eye intending to break up my federation, I will not let it break," Zardari told thousands of flag-waving supporters in southern Pakistan in a speech marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Zardari did not say exactly what he meant by the Supreme Court respecting the constitution, or what he fears might be the result of the inquiry. Many analysts agree the president enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office
Zardari said earlier in the day that Pakistanis should pay tribute to his slain wife by guarding against anti-democratic conspiracies, an apparent reference to tensions over the memo scandal. He said his wife's death was also a conspiracy against Pakistani democracy.
"I therefore urge all the democratic forces and the patriotic Pakistanis to foil all conspiracies against democracy and democratic institutions," said Zardari in a statement sent to reporters.
The army-backed Supreme Court hearing sparked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to say last week that a conspiracy was under way to topple the government. He did not specifically point to the military, but said the army must be answerable to the parliament and could not act as a "state within a state."
Gilani eventually backed away from his comments after army chief Gen. Pervez Ashfaq Kayani denied any intention to stage a coup and promised to support democracy. The prime minister on Monday denied reports he would replace Kayani or the army's intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha, to neutralize the threat to his government.
Former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, allegedly crafted the memo sent to Washington, which promised to replace Pakistan's national security hierarchy with people favorable to the U.S. in exchange for help in reining in the military. Haqqani has denied any connection to the memo but resigned in the wake of the scandal.
The bin Laden operation angered Pakistani officials because they weren't told about it beforehand and humiliated the army because it was not able to stop the nighttime raid near Pakistan's equivalent of West Point.
The political crisis comes at a time when Pakistan is struggling with a violent Taliban insurgency, a stuttering economy and troubled relations with its most important ally, the United States.
????
Associated Press writers Sebastian Abbot in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
?Source: http://ap.brainerddispatch.com/pstories/world/20111227/933785553.shtml
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
'We're being slaughtered': Syrians tell observers
Syria's army suspended days of punishing attacks on the restive city of Homs and began withdrawing its tanks Tuesday just as Arab League monitors visited the area, activists and officials said.
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Activists posted video clips on YouTube which appeared to show crowds numbering in the tens of thousands pouring into the streets shortly after the pullback, shouting defiantly that they will not be cowed by the crackdown.
"There are at least 70,000 protesters," Rami Abdelrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters. "They are marching towards the city center and the security forces are trying to stop them. They are firing teargas."
In another amateur video posted online, Syrians shouted "We want international protection" as the team of observers passed through bloodied and rubble-strewn streets.
'We are unarmed people'
Other footage appeared to show residents of Homs' tense Baba Amr district speaking to the Arab monitors.
"We are unarmed people who are dying," one resident shouts. Seconds later, shooting is heard from a distance as someone else screams: "We are being slaughtered here."
Syria has banned foreign journalists, making it impossible to independently verify the source or date of these video clips.
About 60 Arab League monitors ? the first Syria's regime has allowed in during its nine-month crackdown on an anti-government uprising ? began work Tuesday. They are there to ensure compliance with the League's plan to halt violence against mostly unarmed, peaceful protesters and the pullback in Homs was the first tangible sign President Bashar Assad was implementing any of the terms.
Video: 20 reportedly killed in another vicious Syrian crackdown (on this page)The head of mission said the first visit was "very good."
"I am returning to Damascus for meetings and I will return tomorrow to Homs," Sudanese General Mustafa Dabi said. "The team is staying in Homs. Today was very good and all sides were responsive."
Activist reports just before the monitors arrived said up to a dozen tanks were seen leaving Baba Amr but others were being hidden to fashion a false impression of relative normality in the city while observers were around.
"My house is on the eastern entrance of Baba Amr. I saw at least six tanks leave the neighborhood at around 8 in the morning (0600 GMT)," Mohamed Saleh told Reuters by telephone. "I do not know if more remain in the area."
Al Jazeera television showed an estimated 20,000 Syrians in a square in Khalidiya, one of four districts where there has been bloodshed as rebels fight security forces using tanks.
They were whistling and shouting and waving flags, playing music over loudspeakers and clapping. Women were advised to leave because of the risk of bloodshed. But a speaker urged the men to "come down, brothers."
The protesters shouted "We have no one but God" and "Down with the regime." An activist named Tamir told Reuters they planned to hold a sit-in in the square.
"We tried to start a march down to the main market but the organizers told us to stop, it's too dangerous. No one dares go down to the main streets. So we will stay in Khalidiya and we will stay here in the square and we will not leave from here."
After signing on to the plan early last week, Assad's regime had only intensified the violence, rather than easing up, and it was condemned internationally for flouting the agreement. Government troops killed hundreds in just the past week. On Monday, security forces killed at least 42 people, most of them in Homs.
Opposition activist Mohammed Saleh said the heavy bombardment of Homs stopped Tuesday morning and tanks were seen pulling out of the streets. Another Homs-based activist said he saw armored vehicles leaving early Tuesday on a highway leading to the city of Palmyra to the east. He asked that his name not be made public for fear of retribution.
Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has a population of 800,000 and is at the epicenter of the revolt against Assad, located about 100 miles north of the capital, Damascus. Many Syrians refer to Homs as the "capital of the revolution."
Elsewhere, several men from an "armed terrorist group" trying to cross from the Turkish border into Syria were shot dead, the state news agency said.
Video: Thousands reported dead in Syria crackdown (on this page)"Special forces were able to kill and wound several gunmen and seized some weapons, ammunitions, army uniforms, communication tools and fake identity cards," SANA said, but it did not give a specific casualty count.
SANA also reported that a "terrorist group" had attacked a gas pipeline near Homs but there were no further details immediately available.
Syria's top opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun called Sunday for the League to bring the U.N. Security Council into the effort . The U.N. says more than 5,000 people have been killed since March in the political violence.
In Cairo, an official at the Arab League's operations room said the Sudanese head of the mission to Syria, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, was leading the team of at least 12 observers in Homs Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, gave no further details.
Video: Bloody crackdown continues in Syria (on this page)Parts of Homs are defended by the Free Syrian Army, made up of defectors from the regular armed forces, who say they have tried to protect civilians.
The Arab League plan agreed to by Assad last week requires the government to remove its security forces and heavy weapons from city streets, start talks with opposition leaders and allow human rights workers and journalists into the country. Before Tuesday's redeployment of at least some tanks, there had been no sign that Assad was implementing any of the terms, much less letting up on his brutal crackdown.
Assad's opponents fear that the monitors ? who arrived in the country on Monday after weeks of negotiations with Arab states ? will be used as a cloak of respectability for a government that will hide the extent of violence.
The Associated Press, Reuters and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45794794/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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'Gay Coffee' Debuts In Massachusetts
boston.com:
WILLIAMSBURG, Mass.--The coffee might not be gay, and the consumers are likely coffee lovers of every persuasion, but the message of this campy new brand is clear: Gay culture and gay history are splashing onto the coffee scene.
Read the whole story: boston.com
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
iPad 3 set to release on Jobs? birthday?
Rumour has it that Apple Inc. is planning to release the already famous iPad 3 on February 23, to commemorate its deceased founder Steve Jobs on his birthday.
Chinese dailies are buzzing with news that Apple is rushing production of its iPad 3 in the hopes of releasing it on February 23, just in time for Steve Jobs? birthday. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that alleged iPad 3 home buttons have begun floating around in China town, which means that the final product is being slapped together as you read this.
Citing multiple inside sources, China?s Economic Daily News speculates that the big date has been set and the first shipment amount of the tablet will be 4 million units.
Local assemblers including Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co, Genius Electronic Optical Co and several others will have shorter Spring Festival holidays, estimated at five days, in order to rush the work, the newspaper says.
Just to remind our readers, Apple unveiled the iPad on January 27, 2010 and the iPad2 on March 3, 2011. So perhaps early 2012 seems about the right time to launch the third version of the legendary iPad. Add a dead founder and his birthday, and the date should be correct. Or maybe not. Watch this space.
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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5666574537
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Our Strange Universe: Q&A With Nobel Prize Winner Brian Schmidt (SPACE.com)
This year, three astronomers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering a bizarre aspect of our universe that gave rise to the concept of dark energy.
In 1998, two teams independently discovered that the expansion of the universe was not slowing down or holding steady, as expected, but speeding up. One team was led by Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia and Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., and the other was led by Saul Perlmutter of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.
To explain this perplexing finding, astronomers conceived an entity called dark energy that's essentially counteracting the force of gravity to pull the universe apart.
SPACE.com spoke to Schmidt after his Nobel win to find out more about the weirdness of our universe, and what it feels like to win the world's most famous science award.
How did you find out you'd won the Nobel Prize?
Well you get a call, in my case, 15 minutes before the announcement. So at 8:30 on Tuesday night here in Australia, I received a call from a woman with an impeccable Swedish accent.
I have graduate students who like to play jokes on me, so I was thinking, wow, they did a pretty good job on this one. But they told me it was a very important phone call and they wanted to make sure it really was Brian Schmidt they were talking to, and then members of the committee come on and read their announcement, and congratulate you.
In my case, I'm a wine-maker, and they asked me about my 2011 vintage of wine, and then they asked me whether or not I'd be willing to go live at their announcement in seven or eight minutes to tell the world what I'd done.
How did you feel?
Well, I kind of went weak in the knees. And I got a little queasy, 'cause it's just so intense, it's so amazing. You're excited, but you're kind of scared at the same time.
How do you think the Nobel Prize will change your work? Will it bring more opportunities?
It certainly does that.
From my perspective, if you're in a country like Australia or the United States, it brings a huge responsibility to ensure that people understand why science is important to society. And Nobel Prizes are just such an amazing opportunity to highlight everything that science brings to our civilization, and how it's taken us to a level of prosperity that I think we all take for granted.
When you began this project back in 90s, did you ever think it might lead to a Nobel prize?
No. We wanted to do a big project, we wanted to measure the ultimate fate of the universe. [Images: Peering Back to the Big Bang]
Although that as a big project, it wasn't one that was going to win a Nobel Prize, no matter what we measured. But it was an important thing to measure, at least from an astronomy point of view, the future of the universe. Was it going to expand forever, or was it going to eventually halt in its expansion?
So, a fundamental question about the universe, but I have to admit the idea of winning a Nobel Prize about it just wasn't on the radar.
When you saw the first indications that the expansion of the universe was accelerating, how long did it take for you to believe your results?
Adam Riess sent me a preliminary preview at the end of 1997, and when I saw it I just assumed we made a mistake and it would go away.
So you know, after six weeks of plotting around, it was pretty clear that the result was not going to go away, and it just sort of slowly sunk in over a period of a couple of months. At some point it kind of sinks in and you're like, 'Oh, geeze. What are we going to do now? No one's going to believe this!' [Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Blowing Findings]
Was it gratifying that the other team led by Saul Perlmutter found the same thing?
I was surprised because one of the reasons I was so worried back in the end of 1997 was because preliminary results from the Supernova Cosmology Project were saying not that the universe was speeding up, but rather that the universe was slowing down and slowing down quickly.
And so it's one thing to have a crazy result, and it's another thing to completely disagree with the other team doing a very similar experiment. So yeah, it was a little reassuring to see that we were getting the same thing once we found out about each other's results.
Do you think dark energy is the explanation behind this acceleration?
It's definitely hard. We are guessing that the universe is filled with energy, that's our best guess.
We're getting the Nobel Prize, not for dark energy ? we're getting it for seeing the accelerated expansion of the universe. And so while I don?t think we're absolutely sure it's dark energy, I think that's the best explanation. But it could well be something even more exotic.
How do you think the universe will end?
The fate of the universe looks pretty bleak.
The universe is going to expand faster and faster over time and the reality that we see now will eventually fade away from view. It will be so far away that we won't be able to see its light anymore.
And so, while our own galaxy and a couple of other nearby galaxies will sort of merge together to form some super-galaxy, all the stars will eventually die because they run out of nuclear fuel, so we'll have a bunch of burned out embers surrounded by a sea of nothingness.
Do you find that depressing?
It's certainly sobering. It's certainly not the way I would have chosen for the universe to end. But, you know, the universe does what it wants, and I'm just here to figure out what it's doing. I can't judge it.
What inspired you to become an astronomer?
My father was a biologist. My parents had me when they were very young, so I remember my dad starting a PhD., and I remember my dad finishing a PhD. I remember having science around me from a very young age. I always wanted to be a scientist.
I became interested in astronomy when Comet West came by in 1975. That comet made me realize that the sky was interesting to look at. My dad bought me a very inexpensive telescope that I could look through.
You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.?Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom?and on Facebook.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Likely 2012 UGA Football Schedule, If Alabama And South Carolina Moves Happen
It's been murmured for some time now that the Georgia Bulldogs will both duck the Alabama Crimson Tide for the Missouri Tigers and get the South Carolina Gamecocks game budged to October, all of which should delight any Dawgs fan, trouble South Carolina fans and annoy just about everybody else. After winning the SEC East with one of the easiest schedules any SEC Championship Game participant has ever put together, UGA could have an even easier slate in 2012.
Nothing's official yet, as conference schedules may be delayed yet another day, but Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph puts it all together, and comes up with a very plausible 2012 schedule:
- Sept. 1: Buffalo
- Sept. 8: at Missouri
- Sept. 15: Florida Atlantic
- Sept. 22: Vanderbilt
- Sept. 29: Tennessee
- Oct. 6: at South Carolina
- Oct. 13: at Kentucky
- Oct. 20: Open
- Oct. 27: vs. Florida in Jacksonville
- Nov. 3: Ole Miss
- Nov. 10: at Auburn
- Nov. 17: Georgia Southern
- Nov. 24: Georgia Tech
Considering the Auburn Tigers' losses, count as Georgia's toughest opponents Mizzou, Vandy, South Carolina likely minus Alshon Jeffery, the Florida Gators with who-knows-who at offensive coordinator, and a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team that will be preceded by a nearly identical warmup team. Masterful.
For more on the Georgia Bulldogs be sure to check out Dawg Sports. For more on Alabama and Missouri, check out Roll Bama Roll and Rock M Nation.
Source: http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/12/27/2664092/2012-georgia-football-schedule
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More bodies found far away from Philippine floods
MANILA, Philippines?? Fishermen joined Philippine navy sailors, police and firefighters in an ever wider search for bodies from entire villages swept away in one of the country's worst flash floods. More bodies have washed ashore, pushing the death toll to more than 1,200, an official said Monday.
While more than 60,000 homeless from hundreds of flood-ravaged villages spent a miserable Christmas in jam-packed schools and gymnasiums, search teams retrieved an additional 150 bodies from the sea as far as 60 miles (100 kilometers) from worst-hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities, said Benito Ramos, head of the Office of Civil Defense.
He said it would take three to six months to restore some normalcy and construct temporary housing to free up schools that are now serving as refugee camps.
The death toll as of Monday stood at 1,236, with about two-thirds of the bodies unidentified. With more bodies found floating farther away, Ramos said authorities sought the help of fishermen to scour the sea.
"We've stopped counting the missing. There are no accurate figures," Ramos said. "Those recovered, we don't know who they are. We have a system in place so that families can claim them later, based on fingerprints and dental records."
The United Nations last week launched an urgent appeal for $28 million to help an estimated 600,000 affected people, more than half the population of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the southern Mindanao region.
Despite warnings from forecasters, most were asleep Dec. 16 when a tropical storm made a landfall in a region rarely visited by typhoons. It unleashed more than a month's worth of rainfall in 12 hours, sending walls of water gushing into homes.
Many of the dead were women and children who drowned in their beds. Others scrambled to climb roofs to escape the overflowing rivers and muddy waters that carried dangerous debris and logs from nearby mountains. The logs were still floating off the coast.
President Benigno Aquino III, who banned logging in February following previous flooding deaths that experts say were caused partly by deforestation and soil erosion, has ordered an investigation.
Communist guerrillas in the south canceled Monday's celebration of their movement's 43rd founding anniversary and instead promised to donate money to flood victims and punish multinational companies they accuse of environmental destruction.
Rebel spokesman Jorge Madlos told The Associated Press by telephone that they sought funds for victims from huge pineapple and banana plantations and other companies.
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"Some were lukewarm to our call," Madlos said. "That'll be a factor when we decide which ones to punish first for this destruction."
Another factor in the staggering death toll was illegal settlements along Cagayan rivers. Thousands of people lived in shanties on the banks and islands directly along the water's path.
In the evacuation centers, where about a third of the displaced are children, aid workers were providing food, clothes, blankets, bottled water and hygiene kits.
A lack of running water was still a major concern. Many shelters had poor sanitation with open drainage and defecation sites, said Ariel Balofinos, Mindanao manager for Save the Children aid agency.
"Children in particular are susceptible to health threats because immune systems are weak," he said, adding that many youngsters were also traumatized.
"Many children have witnessed friends and family dying. We've come across children who have been orphaned, but the good thing is they have relatives, which is part of the Filipino coping mechanism," he said.
___
Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45788662/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/
Monday, December 26, 2011
Migrate Thunderbird to Windows Live Mail 4.0
Data erasing tool removes visible, non visible files from logical hard drive
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Marcos Clayton is thinking about Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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Source: http://getglue.com/conversation/marcosclaytonp/2011-12-25T05%3A21%3A48Z
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Give thy thoughts no tongue...
Hey there, TiredWombat! Nice username.
So! I'm Sato, and I'm a long-time member here at Gateway. I hope you get settled in nice and quick. Things can be a bit confusing when you're right out of the gate, so if you have any questions about anything, just post them here and I'll try to help you out! The same goes for you, sapphire1626.
If you're new to roleplaying, don't be afraid to head out to the Role Play Academy, a second of the website roped off for essays on theory, articles, and helpful guides on the art of roleplaying. It's more than just where you can pick up the basics, the most experienced of role-players can pick up some tips and tricks there, as well.
Like I said, any questions? Just ask.
Have fun, check out the rules, and Welcome to RolePlayGateway!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/lSnEHs0g248/viewtopic.php
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Energy saves multi-band concert at Sherman Theater, and that's a shame
December 24, 2011
Posted by John J. Moser at 11:31:53 AM on December 24, 2011
Energy usually is a very important element to a rock show: Without it, a great-sounding show can be bogged down.
Or a mediocre concert can be elevated, as was the case of Patent Pending headlining an eight-band show Friday at Stroudsburg?s Sherman Theater.
??????????????????????????????????????????? Patent Pending
But in the case of the Sherman, that?s a shame, because the show had all the ingredients for a great concert ? not one that needed to be defined by a high energy level.
Whether it was the impending holidays or the waiting ? and sometimes wading ? through what turned out to be a 5 1/2-hour show, many of the bands, including Patent Pending were decidedly off their games. With one exception; we?ll get to that later.
The Long Island, N.Y.-based Patent Pending was all about the energy, putting on a 20-song, 90-minute show that had singer/front man Joe Ragosta frequently crowd-surfing and bounding all over stage. He also incited the crowd not only to jump and form circle pits, but even to do reverse circle pits and a ?crawl of death? in which they split and, rather than ramming into each other in a wall of death, crawled. They also had bubble ?snowstorms? on the Christmas-themed stage and shot confetti streamers into the crowd.
They opened with ?Walk-in Closet? and stormed through ?I Already Know (She Don?t Give a S--- About Me),? which two weeks ago was used on MTV?s ?The Real World.? During ?Shake Weights and Moving Crates,? Ragosta actually brought out a Shake Weight and wiggled it suggestively.
They played ?The June Spirit,? a song they said they hadn?t done in two years, and on which Ragosta inserted lines from Vanilla Ice?s ?Ice Ice Baby? and DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince?s ?Parents Just Don?t Understand.?
They even played ?Decemberween,? which they said was the first song they ever played at The Sherman six or seven years ago. And they covered Smash Mouth?s ?Hey Now, You?re a Rock Star,? from what Ragosta said was an upcoming album of cover songs.
It was all great fun, but the band?s songs were decidedly ragged. Ragosta sang off key on virtually every song, even when he wasn?t running around stage, and the band?s music was far tighter at Allentown?s Crocodile Rock Caf? in July.
They did better on ?Spin Me Around,? which Ragosta dedicated to his fianc?e and played alone on acoustic guitar, and the slower ?One Less Heart to Break? before closing the main set with their new single, ?Douchebag,? which is a great song, but also was ragged.
A three-song encore that started with ?Second Family? and included an appropriate ?She?s a Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas? was more of the same. But at least encores are expected to be ragged, and the band closed, again, with a lot of energy.
Of the supporting acts, Blairstown, N.J.?s Survay Says, which won two Sherman?s Clash for Cash battles of the bands that I judged, was disappointingly ragged on its eight-song, 30-minute set.
They also showed a lot of energy, but were startlingly loose for a band whose ska sound depends on being tight. The band?s three-man horn section was better accompanying Patent Pending on ?Set the Sun on Fire? than on any of their own songs.
Also disappointing was Refuse the Conformity, a young punk outfit from Nazareth and Easton that was so impressive at the Clash for Cash in July and again opening for Patent Pending at Croc Rock in July.?
They muddled through original songs, but seemed far more confident and proficient on a cover of Green Day?s ?American Idiot? (Patent Pending?s Ragosta joined them to sing) and saved their set with a loopy cover of ?All I Want for Christmas Is You,? with some nice lead guitar.
Goodbye Friday of Lopatcong, N.J., played a nice, chirpy pop-punk set with a good, tight sound. They?ve certainly got the teen-pop attraction part down, and were fun on a cover of Jay Sean?s ?Down.?
But the surprise of the night was Kim?s Comeback of Bethlehem, which showed stunning growth since also opening for Patent Pending at that Croc Rock show in July.
They were tighter, punkier and far more confident on a six-song, 22-minute set, playing originals and covers, including a speedy, fun cover of Taylor Swift?s ?Love Story? (Taking a page from The Summer ?Set) and blink 182?s ?I Won?t Be Home for Christmas.?
They closed with Lit?s ?My Own Worst Enemy,? which also had Patent Pending?s Ragosta on guitar. It had the crowd singing along and moshing. That was a good use of energy.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Washington Monument has extensive cracking, chips
WASHINGTON?? A new report on the earthquake-damaged Washington Monument details extensive cracking and chipped stones on the top portion of the 127-year-old structure that make it vulnerable to rain.
The report released Thursday suggests that standing water could collect on the upper floors during storms.
The report was prepared by the engineering firm whose employees rappelled down the sides of the monument in September to inspect the damage. The monument has been closed to visitors since a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook the nation's capital on Aug. 23.
The report does not estimate how long repairs would take or how much they would cost. The recently approved federal spending bill allocates $7.5 million to fix the monument and directs the National Park Service to raise an equal amount through private donations.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45769610/ns/travel-news/
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Reports: Yahoo exploring sale of Asian holdings (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO ? Published reports say Yahoo is exploring selling most of its holdings in Asia in an attempt to raise money and boost its sagging stock price.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal say Yahoo is mulling a complex proposal from China's Alibaba Group and Softbank, controlling owner of Yahoo Japan. The online reports published Wednesday cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.
The Times says the deal would be valued at about $17 billion, or nearly $14 per share.
If Yahoo accepts the offer, its 42 percent stake in Alibaba would be trimmed to 15 percent. Yahoo would sell its entire 35 percent stake in Yahoo Japan.
Yahoo Inc. declined to comment.
The company has been exploring various options since firing Carol Bartz as CEO in September.
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Australia test squad for India series, Dec 2011 and Jan 2012.
You know a test team is doing well when selectors get paid for free, naming same core of players series after series. There were very few changes in Windies of seventies, Aussies of nineties and now Indians in recent times (in batting department specifically). Even England in last few years have persisted with same set of players and stretched themselves to numero uno in ICC rankings..Same can't be said about Australia who introduced 3 debutants during Ashes 2011, 3 more on Sri Lankan tour, Pat Cummins in South Africa and then 3 more in just two tests at home against New Zealand. Now, for Border Gavaskar trophy, two more rookies are ready and numbers may increase as four test series unfolds.
In short, in so called rebuilding phase, can Aussies retain their proud record of never losing a test series to Indians at home? that's a million dollar question but here is the squad selected for the field :-
Michael Clarke passed a stern test as captain in South Africa, equalling series coming from behind but defeat at Hobart againt Kiwis, after 26 years, raised question on his leadership. Against India lead by MS Dhoni who's renouned as one of the best captain in world currently, Clarke will have tough task inspiring his team as well as scoring runs.
Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey are two experienced batsmen who've come under scrutiny almost for no reason. Aussie cricket needs them to groom youngs run scorers around and they'll play crucial part in this series in middle order.
Aussie top order has gone through several renovations in recent times. Shane Watson and Philip Hughes with Shaun Marsh at no.3 seemed settled on Sri Lankan tour but Watson got injured and Hughes' runs dried up. Marsh continues to battle back problems. Thankfully, David Warner has evolved, is in-form, and will contribute in field immensly.
Ed Cowan is a left handed opening batsman who's earned his place with plenty of runs this domestic season and a century in practice game against visitors. Can this tasmanian solve the top order puzzle?
Dan Christian is a T20 specialist who's got his test chance through consistant performances. In hunt of a allrounder who can work as 5th bowler and make some runs down the order, Christian will have his opportunities in this series.
Brad Haddin has sword hanging over his head but a good innings each against Proteas and Kiwis now has suddently earned gloveman the vice-captainship!
James Pattinson impressed with his pace and accuracy against New Zealand, sharing new ball with trier Peter Siddle. Ben Hilfenhaus has been brought back to put some experience in department with Mitchell Starc providing left arm angle. Nathan Lyon has bowled with flight and gile so far in 3 series he's been part of so far but against Indians he'll be targetted.
Australia test squad for India series 2011-2012
Michael Clarke (captain), Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Shaun Marsh, David Warner, Ed Cowan, Brad Haddin (wk, vc), Dan Christian, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.Source: http://itsonlycricket.com/entry/3008/
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Toyota set to shake off woes with record sales in 2012 (Reuters)
TOKYO (Reuters) ? Toyota Motor Corp forecast a 20 percent jump in global sales to a record 8.48 million vehicles next year as it claws back from this year's output losses caused by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand.
Toyota overtook General Motors Co as the world's top-selling automaker in 2008, but is set to lose that crown this year as supply-chain disruptions from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and deadly floods in Thailand cut production around the world.
With estimated sales in 2011 of 7.90 million vehicles for the group, which includes units Daihatsu Motor Co and Hino Motors Ltd, Toyota will likely rank third behind General Motors and Volkswagen AG.
The top spot could return to Toyota next year as it builds inventory to meet pent-up demand and adds output capacity in China and Brazil. GM and VW have not disclosed their sales plans for 2012 and Toyota did not provide forecasts for the group.
"The reason they lost sales this year was because they couldn't build the cars. Now that they can, it's possible they'll take back the top stop," said Satoru Takada, analyst at Tokyo-based T.I.W.
"But it depends on which markets the growth will come from," he said, noting that Toyota was dominant in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, but it faces tougher competition in markets like China and South America.
Toyota's parent-only plan for 2012 exceeds the peak of 8.43 million vehicles marked in 2007.
TURNING A CORNER
Toyota, once the envy of the auto industry, has had a tough two years, starting with a quality crisis that led to the recall of more than 10 million vehicles globally, a tarnished image and a subsequent slide in sales.
Just as it was starting to turn a corner from that crisis, the March 11 quake and tsunami that destroyed hundreds of kilometers of Japan's northeastern coastline forced it and other domestic automakers to suspend and reduce output for months.
In October, damage to suppliers from Thailand's floods did the same, hampering plans to make up for earlier output losses.
Production disrupted by the Thai floods has mostly returned to normal, leaving output at factories only in Japan and Thailand reduced.
But Toyota has also lagged because of a relatively slow push into emerging markets as it scrambled to meet runaway demand in mature markets such as North America in the years leading up to the global financial crisis.
Toyota has outlined a strategy under which it wants to sell half of its cars in emerging markets by 2015, compared with around 40 percent now.
"The numerical plans announced today reflect that strategy," Toyota spokeswoman Amiko Tomita said.
With growth in developing markets such as India and China slowing and Europe in the middle of a debt crisis, some said Toyota's plans may be optimistic.
"With these factors in mind, I think some investors are somewhat skeptical that they will reach these numbers," said Fujio Ando, a senior analyst at Chibagin Asset Management. "There might be a slight gap between the company's numbers and what investors expect," he said.
Toyota also announced plans to sell 8.95 million Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles worldwide in 2013 and build 8.98 million vehicles. It gave no regional breakdown for the forecasts outside Japan.
It plans to build 3.40 million vehicles and sell 1.53 million vehicles at home in 2012.
(Additional reporting by Mari Saito; Editing by Joseph Radford)
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Naughty by Nature down with Android app
Youtube link for mobile viewing
Naught by Nature has been around for 20 years. We'll let that sink in for a minute. But they're also cooler than you in that they've got their own Android app. Photos, music videos, behind-the-scenes videos and social networking -- the holy trinity of any app -- are all there. And photo captions are narrated by Vin Rock. (And dude's pretty excited about that.)
Check out the video review above, and we've got download links after the break.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/CKw3cCTS9lM/story01.htm
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Campaign finance experts may be allowed to back John Edwards ...
By Reuters
Saturday, December 17, 2011
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GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) ? A federal judge on Friday left the door open for former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards to call two campaign finance experts to testify at his trial next month on charges of using illegal campaign funds to hide an extramarital affair.
Prosecutors wanted to block two former Federal Election Commission members from testifying that they believe Edwards acted within federal campaign finance laws.
Edwards, 58, is accused of secretly accepting more than $900,000 from two wealthy supporters to help cover up an extramarital affair and a child conceived with his former campaign videographer, knowing that those revelations would doom his campaign.
The money was given to an Edwards aide to pay for former videographer Rielle Hunter?s medical visits, prenatal care, rent, car, air travel and other living expenses, according to the indictment.
Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina and John Kerry?s vice presidential running mate, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, taking illegal campaign contributions and making false statements. His trial is set for January in Greensboro, North Carolina.
If convicted, Edwards faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell argued the experts should be allowed to weigh in on whether Edwards? claim that he did not knowingly or willingly violate election laws was a reasonable mindset.
The defense contends the payments were intended to hide the affair from Edwards? wife, who died of breast cancer last year, and were not campaign contributions subject to campaign finance laws.
Prosecutors said the experts? opinions would usurp the roles of the judge and jury and should not be allowed. The government lawyers indicated they do not plan to call their own expert witnesses.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles withheld making a definitive ruling until the trial on whether the former FEC commissioners will be permitted to testify and to what extent, noting prosecutors had made some legitimate points.
?I see some real issues about putting everything in that the defense is proposing,? said Eagles, who in October denied Edwards? motions seeking to get the case dismissed.
The judge barred the defense team from referring to any of the experts? specific opinions in their opening statement at trial, but said ?the government should be prepared for the possibility that I will let some of this expert testimony in.?
(Editing by Greg McCune)
Mochila insert follows.
Reuters
Reuters.com brings you the latest news from around the world, covering breaking news in business, politics, technology, and more.
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
AP sources: Greek debt talks proving difficult (AP)
BRUSSELS ? European officials say talks with private creditors on how to reduce Greece's massive debts are proving difficult.
One official said Friday that representatives from big banks and investment funds who are currently negotiating with Greek and European officials the terms of the debt restructuring "are not making it easy."
"It will take time," the official warned. A second official confirmed that a final deal on the debt relief was still elusive. Both officials were speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Eurozone governments and bank representatives in October reached a deal to reduce Greece's debt load to 120 percent of economic output by 2020, but it will depend on the exact terms to convince enough financial institutions to participate voluntarily.
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Soyuz launches satellite sextet
16 December 2011
Last updated at 22:12 ET
A Russian Soyuz rocket has launched from French Guiana - only the second such vehicle to fly out of the territory's new Sinnamary spaceport.
The Soyuz put six satellites in orbit, including France's new Pleiades-1 high-resolution imaging spacecraft.
This satellite is designed to take pictures that resolve features on the ground as small as 50cm across.
The capability will put it on a par with the leading US commercial systems operated by GeoEye and DigitalGlobe.
Lift-off occurred on schedule at 23:03 local time, Friday (02:03 GMT, Saturday), with Pleiades-1 being dropped off in its 700km-high polar orbit some 55 minutes later.
The 970kg satellite is the result of a near-decade-long programme in the French space agency (Cnes) to develop one of the most powerful Earth observation systems in the world.
The spacecraft's sensor actually has a resolution of 70cm, but image processing will recover detail that is around the half-metre mark.
Pleiades carries gyroscopes that allow it to swivel its telescope in quick time, enabling it to acquire a strip, or mosaic, of images around its target in a single pass overhead.
The Pleiades spacecraft has been assembled by Astrium, Europe's largest space company, with its instrument supplied by Thales Alenia Space (France).
It will have both a civilian and military role, and a number of European countries (Austria, Belgium, Spain and Sweden) have part-funded the project to get access to its pictures.
Pleiades-1 will be followed by Pleiades-2 on a separate Soyuz launch in 2012.
"The fact that we will have two, twin satellites operating in a phased orbit separated by 180 degrees will give us something very powerful - a daily re-visit capacity. It means we will be able to gather information every day on any part of the globe," explained Charlotte Gabriel Robez, Pleiades project manager with Astrium Geo-information Services.
"This is key because it allows us to tackle applications such as rescue or crisis management, in the aftermath of an earthquake for example," she told BBC News.
The commercial market for very high resolution imagery has become dominated in recent years by the American companies GeoEye and DigitalGlobe, which benefit from multi-billion-dollar contracts with the US intelligence agencies.
Astrium Geo-information Services is hoping these agencies' voracious appetite for pictures will leave a productive hole in the market for Pleiades' products.
The Soyuz rocket flew its inaugural mission from Europe's Sinnamary spaceport in October. A dedicated new launch pad has been constructed in the Guianese jungle for the Russian vehicle.
By operating closer to the equator, the rocket receives a bigger boost from the Earth's rotation, meaning it can lift nearly double the mass of a comparable payload at its traditional home in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz' five other "passengers" included a high-resolution imaging satellite for the Chilean military called SSOT; and four radar eavesdropping spacecraft developed for the French military. All six satellites were manufactured by Astrium.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16223533
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Wall Street flat as Europe worries cut into gains (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks were little changed in volatile trading on Friday as a warning by Fitch it may cut ratings on some European nations offset gains in growth-related shares.
Major U.S. stock indexes, highly correlated to the performance of the euro, were well off their session highs as the euro fell after Fitch warned of the risk of recession in euro zone countries, including Germany.
The ratings agency also affirmed France's AAA rating but revised its outlook to negative, which usually means a downgrade is possible in 12-18 months.
"I think it is wrong, but there is a false sense of security about the U.S. economy and optimism that the recent spate of reasonably OK economic data will allow us to avoid a recession here," said James Dailey, portfolio manager of TEAM Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The Nasdaq composite index performed relatively better as stocks tied to growth, including technology, gained. Shares of Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE.O) jumped 6.2 percent to $28.11 after results from the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software beat Wall Street projections.
The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 18.69 points, or 0.16 percent, at 11,850.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 1.88 points, or 0.15 percent, at 1,217.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 12.86 points, or 0.51 percent, at 2,553.87.
U.S. financials (.GSPF), which have underperformed the S&P 500 this week, were the strongest of the 10 top sectors in the benchmark index, up 0.6 percent. Credit card company Discover Financial (DFS.N) added 3.9 percent to $23.98 a day after posting strong results and raising its dividend.
Blue chips underperformed compared with the overall market. The S&P 500's more defensive sectors also lagged.
Online game maker Zynga Inc (ZNGA.O) shares opened 10 percent above their initial public offering price of $10 per share but rolled back showing that investors were concerned about the Farmville maker's dependence on Facebook. Shares hit a session low of $9 and were last trading near $9.25.
U.S. consumer prices were flat in November as Americans paid less for cars and gasoline, while the 12-month inflation reading fell for the second straight month, which could give the Federal Reserve more room to help a still-weak economy.
Jim Paulsen, chief investment officer at Wells Capital Management in Minneapolis, said subdued inflation will be a long-term positive as consumers benefit from contained prices.
"That's one of the reasons you're seeing better consumer (confidence) of late," he said.
Research In Motion Ltd (RIM.TO)(RIMM.O) posted a sharp drop in profit on Thursday, offered a dismal outlook for BlackBerry shipments during the holidays and delayed an overhaul of its smartphones. The U.S.-traded stock dropped 11.8 percent to $13.34.
Data this week suggested a strengthening U.S. economic recovery, giving further support to equities.
Jobless claims fell to a 3-1/2-year low last week and factory activity in parts of the Northeast picked up in December, data showed Thursday.
(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
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NY students suspended for organizing 'Tebowing'
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) prays in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) prays in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) ? Two New York high school athletes have been flagged for organizing several "kneel-downs" in tribute to Tim Tebow.
The mother of 17-year-old twins Connor and Tyler Carroll says they are impressed with the Denver Broncos quarterback. Tebow has led Denver to a 7-1 record and is a devout Christian known for kneeling in prayer on the gridiron.
The twins play football and baseball for Riverhead High School on Long Island. Mom Sherry Carroll says they had no religious intentions when they organized the kneel-downs this week.
About 40 students participated in the largest act of "Tebowing" on Wednesday.
District Superintendent Nancy Carney says the tribute posed a safety hazard by blocking others from getting to class.
Sherry Carroll says Connor served an in-school suspension Friday. Tyler serves his punishment Monday.
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Improving security in the cloud
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Yivsam Azgad
news@weizmann.ac.il
972-893-43856
Weizmann Institute of Science
Less and less of today's computing is done on desktop computers; cloud computing, in which operations are carried out on a network of shared, remote servers, is expected to rise as the demand for computing power increases. This raises some crucial questions about security: Can we, for instance, perform computations on data stored in 'the cloud' without letting anyone else see our information? Research carried out at the Weizmann Institute and MIT is moving us closer to the ability to work on data while it is still encrypted, giving an encrypted result that can later be securely deciphered.
Attempting computation on sensitive data stored on shared servers leaves that data exposed in ways that traditional encryption techniques can't protect against. The main problem is that to manipulate the data, it has to be first decoded. 'Until a few years ago, no one knew if the encryption needed for this sort of online security was even possible,' says Dr. Zvika Brakerski, who recently completed his Ph.D. in the group of Prof. Shafi Goldwasser of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department. In 2009, however, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University named Craig Gentry provided the first demonstration of so-called fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). But the original method was extraordinarily time consuming and unwieldy, making it highly impractical. Gentry constructed his FHE system by using fairly sophisticated math, based on so-called ideal lattices, and this required him to make new and unfamiliar complexity assumptions to prove security. Gentry's use of ideal lattices seemed inherent to fully homomorphic encryption; researchers assumed that they were necessary for the server to perform such basic operations as addition and multiplication on encrypted data.
Brakerski, together with Dr. Vinod Vaikuntanathan (who was a student of Goldwasser's at MIT), surprised the computer security world earlier this year with two recent papers in which they described several new ways of making fully homomorphic encryption more efficient. For one thing, they managed to make FHE work with much simpler arithmetic, which speeds up processing time. And a surprise discovery showed that a mathematical construct used to generate the encryption keys could be simplified without compromising security. Gentry's original ideal lattices are theoretical collections of points that can be added together as in an ordinary lattice structure but also multiplied. But the new research shows that the lattice does not have to be ideal, which simplifies the construction immensely. 'The fact that it worked was something like magic, and it has challenged our assumptions about the function of the ideal lattices in homomorphic encryption,' says Brakerski.
Their result promises to pave a path to applying FHE in practice. Optimized versions of the new system could be hundreds or even thousands of times faster than Gentry's original construction. Indeed, Brakerski and Vaikuntanathan have managed to advance the theory behind fully homomorphic encryption to the point that computer engineers can begin to work on applications. These might include, for instance, securing medical information for research: A third party could perform large medical studies on encrypted medical records without having access to the individuals' information.
###
Prof. Shafrira Goldwasser's research is supported by Walmart.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,700 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.
Weizmann Institute news releases are posted on the World Wide Web at http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il, and are also available at http://www.eurekalert.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 15-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Yivsam Azgad
news@weizmann.ac.il
972-893-43856
Weizmann Institute of Science
Less and less of today's computing is done on desktop computers; cloud computing, in which operations are carried out on a network of shared, remote servers, is expected to rise as the demand for computing power increases. This raises some crucial questions about security: Can we, for instance, perform computations on data stored in 'the cloud' without letting anyone else see our information? Research carried out at the Weizmann Institute and MIT is moving us closer to the ability to work on data while it is still encrypted, giving an encrypted result that can later be securely deciphered.
Attempting computation on sensitive data stored on shared servers leaves that data exposed in ways that traditional encryption techniques can't protect against. The main problem is that to manipulate the data, it has to be first decoded. 'Until a few years ago, no one knew if the encryption needed for this sort of online security was even possible,' says Dr. Zvika Brakerski, who recently completed his Ph.D. in the group of Prof. Shafi Goldwasser of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department. In 2009, however, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University named Craig Gentry provided the first demonstration of so-called fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). But the original method was extraordinarily time consuming and unwieldy, making it highly impractical. Gentry constructed his FHE system by using fairly sophisticated math, based on so-called ideal lattices, and this required him to make new and unfamiliar complexity assumptions to prove security. Gentry's use of ideal lattices seemed inherent to fully homomorphic encryption; researchers assumed that they were necessary for the server to perform such basic operations as addition and multiplication on encrypted data.
Brakerski, together with Dr. Vinod Vaikuntanathan (who was a student of Goldwasser's at MIT), surprised the computer security world earlier this year with two recent papers in which they described several new ways of making fully homomorphic encryption more efficient. For one thing, they managed to make FHE work with much simpler arithmetic, which speeds up processing time. And a surprise discovery showed that a mathematical construct used to generate the encryption keys could be simplified without compromising security. Gentry's original ideal lattices are theoretical collections of points that can be added together as in an ordinary lattice structure but also multiplied. But the new research shows that the lattice does not have to be ideal, which simplifies the construction immensely. 'The fact that it worked was something like magic, and it has challenged our assumptions about the function of the ideal lattices in homomorphic encryption,' says Brakerski.
Their result promises to pave a path to applying FHE in practice. Optimized versions of the new system could be hundreds or even thousands of times faster than Gentry's original construction. Indeed, Brakerski and Vaikuntanathan have managed to advance the theory behind fully homomorphic encryption to the point that computer engineers can begin to work on applications. These might include, for instance, securing medical information for research: A third party could perform large medical studies on encrypted medical records without having access to the individuals' information.
###
Prof. Shafrira Goldwasser's research is supported by Walmart.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,700 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.
Weizmann Institute news releases are posted on the World Wide Web at http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il, and are also available at http://www.eurekalert.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/wios-isi121511.php
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