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Syria threatens retaliation for Israeli airstrike

This graphic shows the location of a Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013 Israeli airstrike on a military target in Jamraya, Syria, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the border with Lebanon. (AP Graphic)

This graphic shows the location of a Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013 Israeli airstrike on a military target in Jamraya, Syria, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the border with Lebanon. (AP Graphic)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria threatened Thursday to retaliate for an Israeli airstrike and its ally Iran said there will be repercussions for the Jewish state over the attack.

Syria sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General stressing the country's "right to defend itself, its territory and sovereignty" and holding Israel and its supporters accountable.

"Israel and those who protect it at the Security Council are fully responsible for the repercussions of this aggression," the letter from Syria's Foreign Ministry said.

U.S. officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria on Wednesday. The target was a convoy believed to be carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.

In Israel, a lawmaker close to hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short of confirming involvement in the strike. But he hinted that Israel could carry out similar missions in the future.

The attack has inflamed regional tensions already running high over Syria's 22-month-old civil war.

Israeli leaders in the days leading up to the airstrike had been publicly expressing concern that Syrian President Bashar Assad may be losing his grip on the country and its arsenal of conventional and nonconventional weapons.

Regional security officials said Wednesday that the targeted shipment included sophisticated Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which if acquired by Hezbollah would enhance its military capabilities by enabling the militants to shoot down Israeli jets, helicopters and surveillance drones.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The Syrian military denied there was any weapons convoy and said low-flying Israeli jets had crossed into their country over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to bomb a scientific research center near Damascus.

It said the target was in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus and about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Lebanese border.

Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, who in December became one of the most senior Syrian army officers to defect, told The Associated Press by telephone from Turkey that the site they said was targeted is a "major and well-known" center to develop weapons known as the Scientific Research Center.

Al-Shallal, who until his defection was commander of the military police, said no chemical or nonconventional weapons are at the site. He added that foreign experts, including Russians and Iranians, are usually present at such centers.

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali threatened retribution for the Israeli airstrike, saying Damascus "has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation."

He told Hezbollah's al-Ahd news website that it was up to the relevant authorities to prepare the retaliation and choose the time and place.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry summoned Major-General Iqbal Singh Singha, the head of mission and force commander for United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights, to complain about the Israeli violation.

The force was established in 1974 following the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the area and has remained there since to maintain the cease-fire. Israel captured the Golan, a strategic plateau, from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, deputy U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey said: "UNDOF did not observe any planes flying over the area of separation, and therefore was not able to confirm the incident." UNDOF also reported bad weather conditions, he said.

Hezbollah condemned the attack as "barbaric aggression" and said it "expresses full solidarity with Syria's command, army and people."

The group did not mention any weapons convoy in the statement but said the strike aimed to prevent Arab and Muslim forces from developing their military capabilities.

In Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying the raid will have significant implications for Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi condemned the airstrike on state television, calling it a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty. Iran is Syria's strongest ally in the Middle East, and has provided Assad's government with military and political backing for years.

Russia, Syria's most important international ally, said this appeared to be an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation. Moscow said it was taking urgent measures to clarify the situation in all its details.

"If this information is confirmed, we have a case of unprovoked attacks on targets in the territory of a sovereign state, which grossly violates the U.N. Charter and is unacceptable," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Whatever the motives, this is not justified."

Israeli lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, who is close to Prime Minister Netanyahu, said pinpoint strikes are not enough to counter the threat of Hezbollah obtaining sophisticated weaponry from Syria.

"Israel's preference would be if a Western entity would control these weapons systems," Hanegbi said. "But because it appears the world is not prepared to do what was done in Libya or other places, then Israel finds itself like it has many times in the past facing a dilemma that only it knows how to respond to," he added.

He was referring to NATO's 2011 military intervention in Libya that helped oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

"Even if there are reports about pinpoint operations, these are not significant solutions to the threat itself because we are talking about very substantial capabilities that could reach Hezbollah," he said.

Syria's civil war has sapped Assad's power and threatens to deprive Hezbollah of a key supporter, in addition to its land corridor to Iran. The two countries provide Hezbollah with the bulk of its funding and arms.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu warned of the dangers of Syria's "deadly weapons," saying the country is "increasingly coming apart."

The same day, Israel moved a battery of its new "Iron Dome" rocket defense system to the northern city of Haifa, which was battered by Hezbollah rocket fire in the 2006 war. The Israeli army called that move "routine."

The Israeli army won't say whether Iron Dome was sent north in connection to this operation. It does note that it has deployed the system in the north before.

A U.N. diplomat confirmed that the organization received a letter from the Syrian ambassador but said it did not contain a request for a Security Council meeting.

A U.N. statement said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed grave concern over reports of Israeli airstrikes on Syria but said the U.N. does not have details of the reported incident and cannot independently verify what happened.

"The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to prevent tensions or their escalation in the region, and to strictly abide by international law, in particular in respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries in the region," the statement said.

____

Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Peter James Spielmann at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-31-ML-Syria-Israel/id-17405659a9b944bf8a945608f73e50eb

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US military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,045

As of Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, at least 2,045 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

The AP count is two less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EST.

At least 1,706 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

Outside of Afghanistan, the department reports at least 118 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, 11 were the result of hostile action.

The AP count of total OEF casualties outside of Afghanistan is five more than the department's tally.

The Defense Department also counts three military civilian deaths.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, 18,215 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department.

___

The latest identifications reported by the military:

?Sgt. Mark H. Schoonhoven, 38, of Plainwell, Mich., died Jan. 20 at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device on Dec. 15, 2012 in Kabul, Afghanistan; assigned to the 32nd Transportation Company, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

___

Online:

http://www.defense.gov/news/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-29-Afghan-US%20Deaths/id-8421aa487d364909b77710b0b1cc3ac3

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Nissan drops Leaf price by 2,500 pounds in the UK

Just a few weeks after Nissan dropped the price of the Leaf in the US, eco-minded car buyers across the pond will be able to snag theirs for a little less as well. Indeed, the popular Japanese EV is now £23,490 ($37,115), which is £2,500 less than the initial sticker price. As with the stateside version, some of the cost reduction stems from local manufacturing -- Nissan hopes to start churning out the latest Leafs from its Sunderland UK factory in a few months. The company has also introduced a 6.9 percent financing rate, plus a lease option of around £239 ($375) a month to sweeten the pot. If that sounds like an enticing proposition, then check out the press release below for more details.

Show full PR text

LEAF FOR LESS - NISSAN'S PIONEERING EV BECOMES MORE AFFORDABLE

Price reduction of £2,500 makes it easier to join the electric vehicle revolution
Drive a LEAF for just £239 per month
Offer available at all 180 Nissan LEAF dealers in UK

Nissan is making zero-emission mobility more affordable by reducing the price of the all-electric Nissan LEAF by £2,500.

The change comes as part of a global effort to make the LEAF more affordable in the pioneering electric vehicle's three main markets of Japan, Europe and the United States.

In addition to the reduction in the retail price, UK customers can also benefit from offers including low rate finance*. The new price is effective immediately, ahead of the arrival of an updated version of the LEAF.

This is on top of the incentive offered by the government and means a customer can drive away in a brand new LEAF for £23,490, or just £239 per month.

In addition to the new price LEAF buyers will also benefit from extremely low running costs, with a battery recharge costing a fraction of the cost of a tank of fuel. Being fully electric, the LEAF also benefits from zero road tax and is currently exempt for company car 'benefit-in-kind' tax.

An ever-growing number of public charging points also offer quick and convenient opportunities to top up the battery, including a network of rapid chargers. These allow LEAF drivers to charge from zero to 80% capacity in less than 30 minutes.

Winner of the World, European and Japan Car of the Year Awards when it was launched in 2011, about 50,000 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles have been sold world-wide. The LEAF demonstrates that battery-powered cars are ready to make a significant contribution to a world-wide reduction in vehicle emissions.

The Nissan LEAF comes with very high levels of standard equipment. Its standard satellite navigation system incorporates Carwings, Nissan's unique telematics system which allows an owner to control the heating and air conditioning settings and to monitor the charging process remotely via a smart phone.

Other standard equipment includes a rear-view parking camera, rapid charge capability, Intelligent Key, LED headlamps and Bluetooth connectivity. Nissan LEAF has been granted a top 5 star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.

"There is no doubt that Nissan LEAF is a revolution and existing customers are passionate in their belief that zero-emission mobility is not the future, but is here now," said Paul Willcox, senior vice president, Nissan Europe.

"Nissan's objective for LEAF has always been to bring zero-emission mobility within reach of the mass-market. Our price reduction underlines that commitment and with no price premium even more motorists will become believers."

Production of the updated model is due to start at Nissan European plant in Sunderland, UK, in Spring 2013.

* Low rate (6.9%) finance available for PCP and HP purchases

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: Green Autoblog

Source: Nissan UK

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/nissan-leaf-uk-price/

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Is there anything that prevents us from reducing our employees ...

Q. Can we change employees? work hours on short notice by altering their schedules? Also, we have a part-time employee who?s been employed for a few months working 32 hours a week. She?s preparing to return to work after recovering from a car accident. Can we reduce her work hours?

A. You can change employees? work hours prospectively, assuming you do so in a nondiscriminatory manner.

With regard to the part-time employee, does your desire to reduce her hours have anything to do with her car accident? Beware assuming that, because of her accident, she will not be able to work the same schedule that she worked before the accident (unless she has asked to reduce her hours).

If you have other reasons to reduce her hours, you can do so as long as you are not singling her out. Make sure that you have strong business reasons for the decision.

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We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33968/is-there-anything-that-prevents-us-from-reducing-our-employees-hours

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Money fears vs. real benefits in Medicaid choice

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama thinks his health care law makes states an offer they can't refuse.

Whether to expand Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor and disabled, could be the most important decision facing governors and legislatures this year. The repercussions go beyond their budgets, directly affecting the well-being of residents and the finances of critical hospitals.

Here's the offer:

If states expand their Medicaid programs to cover millions of low-income people now left out, the federal government will pick up the full cost for the first three years and 90 percent over the long haul.

About 21 million uninsured people, most of them adults, eventually would gain health coverage if all the states agree.

Adding up the Medicaid costs under the law, less than $100 billion in state spending could trigger nearly $1 trillion in federal dollars over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Urban Institute.

"It's the biggest expansion of Medicaid in a long time, and the biggest ever in terms of adults covered," said Mark McClellan, who ran Medicare and Medicaid when George W. Bush was president.

"Although the federal government is on the hook for most of the cost, Medicaid on the whole is one of the biggest items in state budgets and the fastest growing. So there are some understandable concerns about the financial implications and how implementation would work," McClellan said.

A major worry for states is that deficit-burdened Washington sooner or later will renege on the 90-percent deal. The regular Medicaid match rate averages closer to 50 percent. That would represent a significant cost shift to the states.

Many Republicans also are unwilling to keep expanding government programs, particularly one as complicated as Medicaid, which has a reputation for being inefficient and unwieldy.

Awaiting decisions are people such as Debra Walker of Houston, a part-time home health care provider. She had a good job with health insurance until she got laid off in 2007.

Walker was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and she's trying to manage by getting discounted medications through a county program for low-income uninsured people.

Walker estimates she earned about $10,000 last year, which means she would qualify under the income cutoff for the Medicaid expansion. But that could happen only if Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, reconsiders his opposition.

"I think that would be awesome if the governor would allow that program to come into the state," Walker said. "That would be a help for me, robbing Paul to pay Peter for my medicines."

She seems determined to deal with her diabetes problem. "I don't want to lose a limb later on in life," said Walker, 58. "I want to beat this. I don't want to carry this around forever."

As Obama's law was originally written, low-income people such as Walker would not have had to worry or wait. Roughly half the uninsured people gaining coverage under the law were expected to go into Medicaid. The middle-class uninsured would get taxpayer-subsidized private coverage in new insurance markets called exchanges.

But last year the Supreme Court gave states the right to opt out of the Medicaid expansion. The court upheld the rest of the law, including insurance exchanges and a mandate that virtually everyone in the United States have health coverage, or face a fine.

The health care law will go into full effect next Jan. 1, and states are scrambling to crunch the numbers and understand the Medicaid trade-offs.

States can refuse the expansion outright or indefinitely postpone a decision. But if states think they'll ultimately end up taking the deal, there's a big incentive to act now: The three years of full federal funding for newly eligible enrollees are only available from 2014 through 2016.

So far, 17 states and the District of Columbia have said they'll take it. That group includes three Republican-led states, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was prominent among GOP leaders who had tried get the law overturned.

An additional 11 states, all led by Republicans, say they want no part of it. Perry says it tramples states' rights.

The remaining states are considering options.

In some cases, GOP governors are trying to persuade balky legislatures led by Republicans. Hospitals treating the uninsured are pressing for the expansion, as are advocates for the poor and some chambers of commerce, which see an economic multiplier from the infusion of federal dollars. Conservative foes of "Obamacare," defeated at the national level, want to hold the line.

The entire debate is overshadowed by some big misconceptions, including that the poor already have Medicaid.

Many of them do, but not all. Medicaid generally covers low-income disabled people, children, pregnant women and some parents. Childless adults are left out in most states.

The other misconception is that Medicaid is so skimpy that people are better off being uninsured.

Two recent studies debunked that.

One found a 6 percent drop in the adult death rate in states that already have expanded Medicaid along the lines of the federal health care law. A second looked at Oregonians who won a lottery for Medicaid and compared them with ones who weren't picked and remained uninsured. The Medicaid group had greater access to health care, less likelihood of being saddled with medical bills, and felt better about their overall health.

Skeptics remain unconvinced.

Louisiana's health secretary, Bruce D. Greenstein, is concerned that the Medicaid expansion could replace private insurance for many low-wage workers in his state, dragging down quality throughout the health care system because the program pays doctors and hospitals far less than private insurance. He says the Obama administration and Congress missed a chance to overhaul Medicaid and give states a bigger say in running the program.

"Decisions are made by fiat," he said. "There is not any sense of a federal-state partnership, what this program was founded on. I don't feel in any way that I am a partner." The Obama administration says it is doing its best to meet state demands for flexibility.

But one thing the administration has been unwilling to do is allow states to partly expand their Medicaid programs and still get the generous matching funds provided by the health care law.

That could have huge political implications for states refusing the expansion, and for people such as Walker, the diabetes patient from Houston.

These numbers explain why:

Under the new law people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, about $15,400 for an individual, are eligible to be covered by Medicaid.

But for most people below the poverty line, about $11,200 for an individual, Medicaid would be the only option. They cannot get subsidized private coverage through the new health insurance exchanges.

So if a state turns down the Medicaid expansion, some of its low-income people still can qualify for government-subsidized health insurance through the exchanges. But the poorest cannot.

In Texas, somebody making a couple of thousand dollars more than Debra Walker still could get coverage. But Walker would be left depending on pay-as-you-go charity care.

"It's completely illogical that this has happened," said Edwin Park, a health policy expert with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which advocates for low-income people.

Federal officials say their hands are tied, that Congress intended the generous federal matching rate solely for states undertaking the full expansion. States doing a partial expansion would have to shell out more of their own money.

"Some people are going to be between a rock and a hard spot," said Walker.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/money-fears-vs-real-benefits-medicaid-choice-153041942.html

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The Light That Shines: Showing Cancer Patients They're Beautiful ...

<embed src="//vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=57648966" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300"></embed>

Jill Conley was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31. Only six months into her marriage, she and her husband had to go through the horrors of chemo, radiation, a double mastectomy and a problematic reconstruction before she finally entered remission. Now 35, she has been diagnosed with incurable stage 4 bone cancer.

Photographer Sue Bryce was moved after hearing of Conley?s story, and offered Jill and her friends a trip to Paris. Bryce?s idea was to use her photographic talents to uplift Conley and cancer patients around the world. The documentary above, titled ?The Light That Shines,? shows the beautiful work that resulted from that trip and the time the two women spent together (Warning: the video contains some strong images).

The documentary is heart wrenching, and will be particularly moving to those of you who have been affected by cancer in one way or another. At the same time, it?s incredibly uplifting to see a photographer use her art to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

As Conley?s friend Nikki puts it, Bryce?s dream was ?to inspire other women to feel ok with their body whether they have any form of cancer or anything that has caused their body to look different from how society says [their] body should look.? In that she?s succeeded in spades.

The title of the project (?The Light That Shines?) is a further manifestation of that goal. To Bryce, beauty is ?the light that shines out from inside you. When you hold someone?s gaze, you see it. Everybody has it, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.? Clearly, she was able to capture that light in Conley?s eyes, and hopefully they together will inspire others to see it in their own.

---

Thanks for sending in the tip, Jon!

Source: http://www.petapixel.com/2013/01/28/heart-wrenching-breast-cancer-documentary/

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Survival of the prettiest: Sexual selection can be inferred from the fossil record

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Glenn Harris
G.Harris@soton.ac.uk
44-023-805-93212
University of Southampton

Detecting sexual selection in the fossil record is not impossible, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution this month, co-authored by Dr Darren Naish of the University of Southampton.

The term "sexual selection" refers to the evolutionary pressures that relate to a species' ability to repel rivals, meet mates and pass on genes. We can observe these processes happening in living animals but how do palaeontologists know that sexual selection operated in fossil ones?

Historically, palaeontologists have thought it challenging, even impossible, to recognise sexual selection in extinct animals. Many fossil animals have elaborate crests, horns, frills and other structures that look like they were used in sexual display but it can be difficult to distinguish these structures from those that might play a role in feeding behaviour, escaping predators, controlling body temperature and so on.

However in their review, the scientists argue that clues in the fossil record can indeed be used to infer sexual selection.

"We see much evidence from the fossil record suggesting that sexual selection played a major role in the evolution of many extinct groups," says Dr Naish, of the University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Group.

"Using observations of modern animal behaviour we can draw analogies with extinct animals and infer how certain features improve success during courtship and breeding."

Modern examples of sexual selection, where species have evolved certain behaviours or ornamentation that repel rivals and attract members of the opposite sex, include the male peacock's display of feathers, and the male moose's antlers for use in clashes during mating season.

Dr Naish and co-authors state that the fossil record holds many clues that point to the existence of sexual selection in extinct species, for example weaponry for fighting, bone fractures from duels, and ornamentation for display, such as fan-shaped crests on dinosaurs. Distinct differences between males and females of a species, called 'sexual dimorphism', can also suggest the presence of sexual selection, and features observed in sexually mature adults, where absent from the young, indicate that their purpose might be linked to reproduction.

We can also make inferences from features that are 'costly' in terms of how much energy they take to maintain, if we assume that the reproductive advantages outweighed the costs.

Whilst these features might have had multiple uses, the authors conclude that sexual selection should not be ruled out.

"Some scientists argue that many of the elaborate features on dinosaurs were not sexually selected at all," adds Dr Naish, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

"But as observations show that sexual selection is the most common process shaping evolutionary traits in modern animals, there is every reason to assume that things were exactly the same in the distant geological past."

###

---

[ | 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: 29-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Glenn Harris
G.Harris@soton.ac.uk
44-023-805-93212
University of Southampton

Detecting sexual selection in the fossil record is not impossible, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution this month, co-authored by Dr Darren Naish of the University of Southampton.

The term "sexual selection" refers to the evolutionary pressures that relate to a species' ability to repel rivals, meet mates and pass on genes. We can observe these processes happening in living animals but how do palaeontologists know that sexual selection operated in fossil ones?

Historically, palaeontologists have thought it challenging, even impossible, to recognise sexual selection in extinct animals. Many fossil animals have elaborate crests, horns, frills and other structures that look like they were used in sexual display but it can be difficult to distinguish these structures from those that might play a role in feeding behaviour, escaping predators, controlling body temperature and so on.

However in their review, the scientists argue that clues in the fossil record can indeed be used to infer sexual selection.

"We see much evidence from the fossil record suggesting that sexual selection played a major role in the evolution of many extinct groups," says Dr Naish, of the University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Group.

"Using observations of modern animal behaviour we can draw analogies with extinct animals and infer how certain features improve success during courtship and breeding."

Modern examples of sexual selection, where species have evolved certain behaviours or ornamentation that repel rivals and attract members of the opposite sex, include the male peacock's display of feathers, and the male moose's antlers for use in clashes during mating season.

Dr Naish and co-authors state that the fossil record holds many clues that point to the existence of sexual selection in extinct species, for example weaponry for fighting, bone fractures from duels, and ornamentation for display, such as fan-shaped crests on dinosaurs. Distinct differences between males and females of a species, called 'sexual dimorphism', can also suggest the presence of sexual selection, and features observed in sexually mature adults, where absent from the young, indicate that their purpose might be linked to reproduction.

We can also make inferences from features that are 'costly' in terms of how much energy they take to maintain, if we assume that the reproductive advantages outweighed the costs.

Whilst these features might have had multiple uses, the authors conclude that sexual selection should not be ruled out.

"Some scientists argue that many of the elaborate features on dinosaurs were not sexually selected at all," adds Dr Naish, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

"But as observations show that sexual selection is the most common process shaping evolutionary traits in modern animals, there is every reason to assume that things were exactly the same in the distant geological past."

###

---

[ | 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/2013-01/uos-sot012913.php

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Detentions made in Brazil fire, funerals begin

A police officer places flowers outside the Kiss nightclub that were brought by mourners in memory of those who died due to a fire at the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. A fast-moving fire roared through the crowded, windowless Kiss nightclub in this southern Brazilian city early Sunday, killing more than 230 people. Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors. (AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

A police officer places flowers outside the Kiss nightclub that were brought by mourners in memory of those who died due to a fire at the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. A fast-moving fire roared through the crowded, windowless Kiss nightclub in this southern Brazilian city early Sunday, killing more than 230 people. Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors. (AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

Gladimir Callegaro, second from right, father of fire victim Marina Callegaro and other relatives mourn during her funeral at a cemetery in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. A fast-moving fire roared through the crowded, windowless Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, within seconds filling the space with flames and a thick, toxic smoke that killed more than 230 panicked partygoers who gasped for breath and fought in a stampede to escape. An early investigation into the tragedy revealed that security guards briefly prevented partygoers from leaving through the sole exit and the bodies later heaped inside that doorway slowed firefighters trying to get in.(AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

Relatives and friends carry the coffins of two brothers, Pedro and Marcelo Salla, who died in a nightclub fire, as they prepare to bury them at a cemetery in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Brazilian police officials said Monday they?ve made three detentions and are seeking a fourth person in connection with blaze that ripped through a nightclub in southern Brazil over the weekend, killing more than 230 people. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A girl cries during the burial of her brother, soldier Leonardo Machado, at a cemetery in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. A fast-moving fire roared through the crowded, windowless Kiss nightclub in this southern Brazilian city early Sunday, killing more than 230 people. Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Relatives and friends dance and mourn next to the coffin during the burial of fire victim Tanise Cielo, at a cemetery in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. The city in southern Brazil started burying the 233 people killed in Sunday's fire at the Kiss nightclub after the conflagration caused by a band's pyrotechnic display. An early investigation into the tragedy revealed that security guards briefly prevented partygoers from leaving through the sole exit. And the bodies later heaped inside that doorway slowed firefighters trying to get in.(AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (AP) ? Brazilian police officials said Monday they've made three detentions and are seeking a fourth person in connection with a blaze that ripped through a nightclub in southern Brazil over the weekend, killing more than 230 people.

Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said at a news conference that the detentions are for investigative purposes and those detained can be held up to five days. He declined to identify those detained or the fourth person sought, but the Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora quotes lawyer Jader Marques saying his client Elissandro Spohr, a co-owner of the club, had been held.

The paper also says police detained two band members who were on stage when the blaze broke out and were thought to have used pyrotechnics in their act.

A military brigade official said Monday the death toll now stands at 231 people in the early Sunday blaze in the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, a university town of about 260,000 people in southern Brazil. Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors. Most victims died from smoke inhalation rather than burns.

Police have said they think the pyrotechnics ignited sound insulation on the ceiling, while witnesses have reported a fire extinguisher didn't work and that there was only one working exit. Many of the dead were also found in the club's two bathrooms, where they fled apparently because the blinding smoke caused them to believe the doors were exits.

"It was terrible inside ? it was like one of those films of the Holocaust, bodies piled atop one another," said police inspector Sandro Meinerz. "We had to use trucks to remove them. It took about six hours to take the bodies away."

Survivors and another police inspector, Marcelo Arigony, said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club. Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they are allowed to leave.

"It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," Arigony told The Associated Press.

Firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the Kiss nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance," Guido Pedroso Melo, commander of the city's fire department, told the O Globo newspaper.

Authorities said band members who were on the stage when the fire broke out later talked with police and confirmed they used pyrotechnics during their show.

Guitarist Rodrigo Martins told Radio Gaucha that the band, Gurizada Fandangueira, started playing at 2:15 a.m. "and we had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning."

"It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. It's harmless, we never had any trouble with it," he said. "When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working."

He confirmed that accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.

Survivor Michele Pereira told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage when members of the band lit some sort of flare that started the conflagration.

"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward," she said. "At that point, the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak, but in a matter of seconds it spread."

Police inspector Meinerz, who coordinated the investigation at the nightclub, said one band member died after escaping because he returned inside the burning building to save his accordion. The other band members escaped alive because they were the first to notice the fire.

Television images from Santa Maria showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who attended the university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at the hot-pink exterior walls, trying to reach those trapped inside.

Teenagers sprinted from the scene after the fire began, desperately seeking help. Others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms. About half of those killed were men, about half women.

Bodies of the dead and injured were strewn in the street and panicked screams filled the air as medics tried to help. There was little to be done; officials said most of those who died suffocated within minutes.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

The fire spread so fast inside the packed club that firefighters and ambulances could do little to stop it, Silva said.

A community gym soon became a horror scene, with body after body lined up on the floor, partially covered with black plastic as family members identified kin.

Outside the gym, police held up personal objects ? a black purse, a blue high-heeled shoe ? as people seeking information on loved ones crowded around hoping not to recognize anything being shown them.

The party was organized by students from several academic departments at the Federal University of Santa Maria. Such organized university parties are common throughout Brazil.

Police Maj. Cleberson Braida Bastianello said by telephone that the toll had risen to 233 with the death of a hospitalized victim.

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff arrived Sunday to visit the injured after cutting short her trip to a Latin American-European summit in Chile.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," said Rousseff, who began her political career in the state where the tragedy took place.

Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, a professor at the medical school of the Federal University of Santa Maria. said he was told the club had been filled far beyond its capacity. He had gone to the city's Caridade Hospital to help victims.

"Large amounts of toxic smoke quickly filled the room, and I would say that at least 90 percent of the victims died of asphyxiation," Beltrame told the AP.

"The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom."

In the hospital, the doctor "saw desperate friends and relatives walking and running down the corridors looking for information," he said, calling it "one of the saddest scenes I have ever witnessed."

Rodrigo Moura, identified by the newspaper Diario de Santa Maria as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000 people, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309 people.

In 2004, at least 194 people died in a fire at an overcrowded nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seven members of the band playing at the club were sentenced to prison for starting the flames.

A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, killed 152 people in December 2009 after an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches.

Similar circumstances led to a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people in the United States. Pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling of a Rhode Island music venue.

The band performing in Santa Maria, Gurizada Fandangueira, plays a driving mixture of local Brazilian country music styles. Guitarist Martin told Radio Gaucha the musicians are already seeing hostile messages.

"People on the social networks are saying we have to pay for what happened," he said. "I'm afraid there could be retaliation".

___

Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja contributed to this report from Brasilia, Brazil, and Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed from Sao Paulo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-28-LT-Brazil-Nightclub-Fire/id-baa25f03a0b7408aab484aa52e02853a

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$32 To Add Internet To Your Dumb TV Is Your Deal of the Day

You've probably got a TV languishing unused somewhere in your home. Or you've got a beautiful modern dumb TV and no easy way to stream Netflix on it. Either way, it's hard to find a less expensive way to add internet to your TV than this D-Link MovieNite Plus streaming box. Sure, it doesn't have a plethora of streaming options like the Roku 2 XS or the simplicity of the Apple TV, but at $50 less than the heavy hitters, it doesn't have to. It will serve Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube in 1080p with aplomb. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HRvVMAVqq6w/32-to-add-internet-to-your-dumb-tv-is-your-deal-of-the-day

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Cities affect temperatures for thousands of miles

Monday, January 28, 2013

Even if you live more than 1,000 miles from the nearest large city, it could be affecting your weather.

In a new study that shows the extent to which human activities are influencing the atmosphere, scientists have concluded that the heat generated by everyday activities in metropolitan areas alters the character of the jet stream and other major atmospheric systems. This affects temperatures across thousands of miles, significantly warming some areas and cooling others, according to the study in Nature Climate Change.

The extra "waste heat" generated from buildings, cars, and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere urban areas causes winter warming across large areas of northern North American and northern Asia. Temperatures in some remote areas increase by as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the research by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Florida State University; and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

At the same time, the changes to atmospheric circulation caused by the waste heat cool areas of Europe by as much as 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F), with much of the temperature decrease occurring in the fall.

The net effect on global mean temperatures is nearly negligible?an average increase worldwide of just 0.01 degrees C (about 0.02 degrees F). This is because the total human-produced waste heat is only about 0.3 percent of the heat transported across higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations.

However, the noticeable impact on regional temperatures may explain why some regions are experiencing more winter warming than projected by climate computer models, the researchers conclude. They suggest that models be adjusted to take the influence of waste heat into account.

"The burning of fossil fuel not only emits greenhouse gases but also directly affects temperatures because of heat that escapes from sources like buildings and cars," says NCAR scientist Aixue Hu, a co-author of the study. "Although much of this waste heat is concentrated in large cities, it can change atmospheric patterns in a way that raises or lowers temperatures across considerable distances."

The researchers stressed that the effect of waste heat is distinct from the so-called urban heat island effect. Such islands are mainly a function of the heat collected and re-radiated by pavement, buildings, and other urban features, whereas the new study examines the heat produced directly through transportation, heating and cooling units, and other activities.

The study, "Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America" appears this Sunday. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor, as well as the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Hu, along with lead author Guang Zhang of Scripps and Ming Cai of Florida State University, analyzed the energy consumption ? from heating buildings to powering vehicles ? that generates waste heat release. The world's total energy consumption in 2006 was equivalent to a constant-use rate of 16 terawatts (one terawatt, or TW, equals 1 trillion watts). Of that, an average rate of 6.7 TW was consumed in 86 metropolitan areas in the Northern Hemisphere.

Using a computer model of the atmosphere, the authors found that the influence of this waste heat can widen the jet stream.

"What we found is that energy use from multiple urban areas collectively can warm the atmosphere remotely, thousands of miles away from the energy consumption regions," Zhang says. "This is accomplished through atmospheric circulation change."

The release of waste heat is different from energy that is naturally distributed in the atmosphere, the researchers noted. The largest source of heat, solar energy, warms Earth's surface and atmospheric circulations redistribute that energy from one region to another. Human energy consumption distributes energy that had lain dormant and sequestered for millions of years, mostly in the form of oil or coal.

Though the amount of human-generated energy is a small portion of that transported by nature, it is highly concentrated in urban areas. In the Northern Hemisphere, many of those urban areas lie directly under major atmospheric troughs and jet streams.

"The world's most populated and energy-intensive metropolitan areas are along the east and west coasts of the North American and Eurasian continents, underneath the most prominent atmospheric circulation troughs and ridges," Cai says. "The release of this concentrated waste energy causes the noticeable interruption to the normal atmospheric circulation systems above, leading to remote surface temperature changes far away from the regions where waste heat is generated."

###

Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America

Authors: Ghang J. Zhang, Ming Cai, and Aixue Hu

Publication: Nature Climate Change, Jan. 27, 2013

National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research: http://www.ucar.edu/news

Thanks to National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126484/Cities_affect_temperatures_for_thousands_of_miles

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Villanova upsets No. 3 Syracuse 75-71 in overtime

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Ryan Arcidiacono hit the tying 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, and James Bell hit consecutive 3s in overtime to send Villanova to its second win over a Top 5 team this week, 75-71 over No. 3 Syracuse on Saturday.

The Wildcats defeated No. 5 Louisville 73-64 on Tuesday and became the first unranked team to beat two Top 5 teams in the same season since Florida State in 2011-12, according to STATS LLC.

Arcidiacono's 3-point attempt to tie with about 25 seconds left in regulation was off the mark. Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and JayVaughn Pinkston of the Wildcats grabbed the rebound.

Bell missed a 3 and Mouphtaou Yarou grabbed the offensive rebound. Syracuse decided not to foul, giving Yarou time to kick it out to Arcidiacono. He let go a leaner from just beyond the 3-point line to tie the game at 61, force overtime and send the crowd into a frenzy.

With the Orange (18-2, 6-1 Big East) down two points in overtime, Brandon Triche made one free throw with 46.5 seconds left.

Bell followed with a layup to for a 71-68 lead and the Wildcats (13-7, 4-3) held on from the free throw line.

Philly's college fans came down with a case of court-storming fever this week after Villanova's win over Louisville and La Salle's 54-53 win the next night over No. 9 Butler. At the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NHL's Flyers, the fans made it a Philly hoops hat trick, rushing the court in celebration of one of the biggest regular-season weeks in Villanova history.

Florida State beat No.3 North Carolina and No. 4 Duke in its big week.

Darrun Hilliard scored 25 points and Yarou had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Wildcats while Bell scored 13 points.

Triche led the Orange with 23 points and Carter-Williams scored 17 points. The Orange had an eight-game winning streak and both of their losses came to Philadelphia teams. They lost to Temple on Dec. 22.

The Orange clearly could have use James Southerland in the tight game. Southerland, second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points and the team leader with 33 3-pointers, was declared out indefinitely because of an eligibility matter involving academics that has yet to be resolved.

Jerami Grant, who played well in Southerland's absence, fouled out with 5:22 left and the Orange up one. His fifth foul was against Hilliard. Hilliard missed both from the line, the Orange stormed down in transition off the defensive board, and Triche hit a 3 for a 57-53 lead.

The Orange just could never put them away. They missed six of eight shots in overtime and were only 5 of 14 overall from 3-point range.

Grant's 3-pointer early in the second half gave the Orange their first lead of the game, 33-32.

The Wildcats gave all the students standing behind each basket and dressed in white an early reason to think they would be rushing again. They opened the game on a 10-0 run and stretched the lead to 25-13. But the fun didn't last long.

Triche, a 50 percent shooter on the season, hit Syracuse's first 3-pointer of the half to slice the lead to four. He tipped in a basket at the buzzer to cut the lead to 32-26.

Syracuse missed 10 of its first 14 shots and finished at 29 percent for the half.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/villanova-upsets-no-3-syracuse-75-71-overtime-183853971--spt.html

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Today only: Big discounts on hobbies, crafts, & home design ...

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Absent Fathers: 'I Promised Never To Tell My Siblings The Real Reason My Father Left'

This is a teen-written article from our friends at Youth Communication, a nonprofit organization that helps marginalized youth develop their full potential through reading and writing.

By Juana Campos

When I was seven, my father taught me how to ride a horse. It was the most beautiful experience of my entire life.

My family still lived in the Dominican Republic then, and one day my father took a day off from work to go with me to my uncle?s farm. The horse he chose for me to ride was dark brown and her name was Susanne, but I couldn?t pronounce that, so I called her chucale, which later became my nickname.

It was a beautiful sunny, breezy day, and the green field was full of flowers. The wind was moving my curly hair and all I could hear were the birds singing. I rode Susanne while my father guided me.

?Gather the rope around her neck,? he said.

?OK, Daddy.?

I accidentally grabbed Susanne?s mane instead of the rope and she reared up. I was going to scream for help but then I realized I was pulling her hair so I let it go and she stopped. I was worried that I might fall, but I had fun, too, as though I was going up and down on a roller coaster.

?Are you having fun with Susanne?? my father asked me. He was really excited that I didn?t fall off the horse and he seemed happy.

?Her name is Chucale,? I yelled at him, rolling my eyes.

?Fine, however you want to call her. Just don?t hit her so she won?t get angry.?

I kept going in circles with Susanne until it started raining. We got wet and then my father took me inside so I wouldn?t catch a cold. My dad had taken a picture of me riding Susanne, and he wanted to give it to me but I refused to accept it.

?It?s OK, Daddy, you keep it. After all, I had a great time with Chucale and I don?t need a photo to remember this moment.?

Two years later, my father left our home and I haven?t seen him since. But I?m pretty sure he remembers that day as much as I do.

A Desert Inside

The day I went from living with both of my parents to live with only my mother, I felt like a desert, empty and like everyone had abandoned me. I was 9, and I?d arrived home early from school. The front door was open so I entered the house unnoticed. I heard my mom and dad talking in their bedroom. I couldn?t hear what they were saying, but my mother sounded as if she was about to cry so I got closer and listened.

?Why did you do this to me?? my mother asked.

?I don?t know. It was an impulse,? my father replied.

?What impulse? What are you talking about? How many times have you cheated on me?? she yelled at my father.

?Is this how much you ?love? me?? she asked. Mom started crying.

?Don?t cry,? Dad said.

?How am I supposed to tell the kids about this?? she said with a sad voice.

They stopped talking for a second but then my father said that they should divorce because he wanted to marry the other woman. He told her he was sorry for her and the kids, and that he was sorry for not telling her before.

?I?ll leave next week and when the kids ask you where am I, just tell them that Daddy found a new job and had to move to the city for a few months.?

I felt a lump rising in my throat, but if I cried, my parents would notice I was listening.

The next few days were agony. When mom told me and my siblings that our dad was leaving for a few months because he found a new ?job? in the city, my siblings believed what my mother was saying. But I knew the truth, and later I told my mom that I?d overheard their conversation.

He Never Came Back

She hugged me. She tried to deny it, but then she realized she had to be honest with me. ?Oh honey, I wish you hadn?t heard that, but things aren?t going well between Mommy and Daddy so we have to divorce,? she said in a quiet, comforting voice. She gave me a kiss on my forehead.

I felt angry but tears flooded my eyes. I rolled my eyes and they disappeared. I didn?t want to look weak in front of Mom. I wanted her to see I was a brave girl. I promised never to tell my siblings the real reason my father left.

After that, I saw my father twice and then he never came back. The last time I saw him, he took me to a park in the city of Santiago and bought me ice cream. I understood that I wasn?t going to see him frequently after that, but I never thought that was going to be the last time.

At first, my brother and sister believed what Mom said about him and his new ?job,? but soon they noticed that he didn?t keep in touch with us. They were sad but they weren?t so close to my father, so I don?t think it affected them as much as it affected me.

My sister and I talked a lot about how we felt. My sister said that she was sad that our dad had left but she said she understood that he?d found someone else and maybe that person made him happier than my mom had. She was 14, so maybe it was easier for her to take that in.

Click here to read the rest of the story on YCTeenmag.org.

Reprinted with permission from Youth Communication.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/26/absent-fathers-i-promised_n_2553210.html

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I Viaggi dei Rospi: The traditional coffee at Silvana&#39;s place

Silvana Vukadin-Hoitt,?amazing woman met on line. Grown up as a Third Culture Kid, by the time she was 14 she had been enrolled in 8 different schools and lived on three different continents. She's the author of? the superb blog?SilvanaMondo - Traveling with Anima.
I was very struck by her creativity, the spirit of adaptation and great love for her daughter, Anima Chiara, third generation expat to whom she dedicated a secton of her blog.

A 3 nations coffee ... Bosnia, Italy and USA.

Why do you choose this type of coffee, among all the coffee?s in the world? What does this place inspire in you and what stayed in your heart about this country?Oh, for me that is an easy question! I love Bosnian Coffee and would be drinking it in the Bascarcija, in Sarajevo, right now if I could. So much about that city is fascinating on every level, especially its multi-cultural history, though much of that feeling is gone today. For one thing, drinking coffee is so ingrained in the culture of Bosnia, that there are even names for the appropriate times to drink coffee during the day. Obviously you can drink coffee anytime but mostly it is when meeting others. As a greeting, as a getting to know someone, as a confirmation that you appreciate the relationship you have with the person you are drinking with. It is a ritual and this ritual insists on leisure, respect, peace - at least for the time you are drinking coffee together. It is what I call ?Slow Coffee?. Long before I visited Bosnia for the first time I learned about this culture from my family since I lived with my grandparents as a little girl. They came from Bosnia to Germany. Friends and family would come to visit on weekends and the first thing they are served is coffee with sweets and some pleasant conversation. Always. This phase would be the prelude to the rest of the visit. Out of the kitchen would come many other dishes: meats, cheeses, small shots of Slivovitz (Plum Brandy) and of course even more coffee! Often my grandfather or one of the uncles would strum a guitar, sing a few folk songs. If it was a real party, the women would sing too and dance the circle dance of Bosnia.

Bosnian coffee is like Turkish coffee of course. The Ottomans introduced coffee drinking to Bosnia and its other vassal countries in the 1600?s. It is an eccentricity of nationalism that today those countries never call it ?Turkish coffee? but instead ?Bosnian Coffee?, ?Serbian Coffee?, ?Bulgarian Coffee?. I assume it is a matter of national pride. Bosnia has its own particular coffee culture which I find fascinating.

You have lived in many places and you have roots in different countries. What nationality would you say represents you the best?I will answer this question through coffee representation. As you know I lived all over the world and was lucky enough to live in Italy most of my teen years and into my twenties. If I were asked what nationality I am, at any time I would probably say I feel closer to the idea of being an Italian more than any other nationality. I mean, these formative years were crucial for my education about life, certainly my ideas about love, without a doubt I learned the appreciation of art and beauty. The charms of Italy are delicious in every way and I feel like I was born to always return to its beauty. However, as much as I love the richness of Italian espresso, you will never find me without my Bosnian coffee. I treasure it because if Italy is my heart then Bosnia is like my soul. I have a deep connection to it because my mother?s family and lineage is rooted there. There is a melancholia and intense interest in Bosnia that I have had since youth regarding culture, weltanschauung, personal destiny. Most definitely America is big, free and in many respects comfortable. We pay a price for comfort here though, and it is everyone?s personal decision what that cost should be. My idea of who I am is not necessary hooked into being American, Italian or Bosnian. I am all of it. I produce my work and dream my dreams by culling from the cultural m?lange that is the sum of all places I have lived.

Your daughter Anima travels with you, how does she relate to traveling and what are her ideas about it?Anima is her mother?s daughter. When she was little she was always asking ?when will we go to New York City, to California, to Washington? She told me when she was 6 she intended to study University either in London or at the Sorbonne. This made me very happy, of course because I never shut up about traveling and wanting to travel. She probably assumed it was better to get with my program. When we took our long trip to Italy however, it was difficult for her to adjust. I think being in Florence or a larger city would have had different results but we were in a very tiny village and the chances for communicating with other children her age was rare. She withdrew for a while and was very homesick. Only the incredible Italian food saved her and made her happy. Her zio made special steaks and fabulous plates of prosciutto to keep her spirits up and that helped.

Since we are back in America she is very happy but she admitted that she misses Italy and she will eventually like to go back. I think as parents we have to be very sensitive to our children. Traveling for a few weeks is usually no problem. Actually moving to a different culture presents more difficulty in adjustment, especially in the teen ages it is not as easy as it seems. I wrote about this in my blog ?Traveling with Anima? while in Italy. Every culture and place can be fantastic for an adolescent but there are considerations that need to be respected and understood so that they have a good time too. They are not adults but still have a right to have a say how they live. Having said that, as soon as she is ready for a move, I am ready too.

In your opinion is there something that ties together the idea of coffee traditions in the world? A cup of coffee in Bosnia or in the United States?Of course, coffee culture is expressly different in every country. America has a very fast moving culture. We are the gods of the fast pace. Everything is to go: food, coffee, even church. It is extreme. People kill themselves working many hours, no vacation for a long time, they have to eat and drink on the run. Italian coffee is appreciated for a ?time out? even if it is a relatively quick one at the corner bar. Then there is Bosnian coffee, which is tailor made to sit in leisure. Talk, breathe, lounge.

Coffee traditions are deep rooted because it is a beautiful elixir with a long history and all manner of purported healing and life enhancement properties. For me the American way is the least attractive because it?s so fast. They drink it while jogging, while driving. I don?t understand this barbarism. Also, even if the coffee is good, they are so fanatic about the process it becomes an exaggeration, like a satire. I still love Italian espresso, so perfect and rich and the friendly culture that goes along with taking a cup of coffee together. The Bosnian kafa, like Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Bulgarian coffee that is really where you can still find antique culture shining through a small cup of thick, black, sweet brew. What coffee represents in every country is at least for a particular community of coffee lovers an enjoyment in gathering and slowing life down for a little bit each day whether at the caf? bar in Italy or kafana in Bosnia or Starbucks in America. I like that.

The Espresso represents Italy best. How do you think Italians traveling abroad relate to foreign coffee and food?Yes, Espresso is Italy at its best. And so Italian food and craftsmanship although I have to say there are many places that are unfortunately following the American model of ?fast food? even in Italy. I was surprised and shocked and very disappointed. Maybe a younger generation is not as inspired by purity and craft; I am not sure what it is. At any rate it is clear to me that Italians abroad are very disappointed when they realize that you cannot get a simple caf? espresso or a plate of good pasta everywhere. Italians take their food and drink seriously and will not eat just anything that comes before them. Especially in America, unless you only travel to the bigger cities on the East or West Coast and then Denver, Dallas, Las Vegas, they will just not find the excellence that they have in Italy. So, I think that they relate to food abroad out of curiosity but since they are so spoiled they are very happy to be back at home.

The next cup of coffee you drink in the ...?

Well, I sincerely hope that Ani and I will travel across the Ocean again soon, even this year. The plan is to bring a group from Denver to Italy and then go on to Sarajevo, Malta and finally to Istanbul. I have friends and family in all those places and so much to show and also to learn. I will have coffee in all those places and of course write about it. I can?t wait!

Source: http://www.iviaggideirospi.com/2013/01/the-traditional-coffee-at-silvanas-place.html

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