The Fed and China churn already choppy waters

By Alan Wheatley, Global Economics Correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - Data this week will add spice to speculation as to when the U.S. Federal Reserve will start scaling back its stimulus while reinforcing the realization that China is serious about shifting to a less frantic growth rate.

Fed policy makers have sent mixed messages since Chairman Ben Bernanke's June 19 announcement that the central bank was on course to end its bond buying, now running at $85 billion a month, by mid-2014.

Several officials reassured markets last week that the phase-out of the central bank's asset purchases would depend on the economic data, not the date.

But Fed Governor Jeremy Stein on Friday explicitly mentioned September as perhaps the time to decide whether to start heading for the exit. He also stressed the need to take a long view of the improvement in the economy.

That being the case, a projected increase of 166,000 U.S. non-farm payroll jobs in June and a dip in the jobless rate to 7.5 percent could be enough to cement the case for an early tapering of the Fed's ?quantitative easing' (QE) program

But Brian Levitt, senior economist with OppenheimerFunds in New York, said the fact remained that U.S. growth was modest; given the pace of job creation, it could take a couple of years before unemployment approaches the 6.5 percent rate the Fed has tentatively set as the threshold for raising interest rates.

"It would be nice to see a few months in a row of over 200,000 jobs created before we start thinking about what an exit strategy for the Federal Reserve is going to look like, especially when you think that inflation by any measure is contained here in the United States," Levitt said.

CHINA SWITCHES GEARS

Like the jobs report, the U.S. Institute of Supply Management's June manufacturing survey will not be signaling a boom either: economists expect the index based on the survey to rise modestly to 50.5 from 49.0 in May.

At least the survey should point in a positive direction. By contrast, the index derived from China's official poll of purchasing managers is likely to have fallen to the neutral level of 50 demarcating expansion from contraction.

A slower, more sustainable rate of growth in China would be good news for the world in the long run, but it makes life harder in the interim for central banks trying to steer a course through strong cross-currents.

Poland and Romania are forecast to cut interest rates this week, but Australia, Sweden, Britain and the European Central Bank are likely to keep policy on hold.

With interest rates near zero, communicating expectations is an increasingly important policy tool for central banks. Mark Carney, the ex-Bank of Canada chief who takes over at the Bank of England on Monday, is a firm proponent of forward guidance.

In the same vein, ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to repeat his soothing message from last week that the bank is a long way from abandoning its ultra-loose stance because economic recovery will be gradual and fragile.

While some economists still expect the ECB to cut rates again later in the year, attention is turning to how the bank can halt a decline in bank lending so companies can benefit more from very low interest rates and pick up the pace of hiring.

Figures for May are likely to show euro zone unemployment at a record high of 12.3 percent.

"If he could do anything that would revive investment in the euro area, that would definitely help us internally and we would not need to depend so much on whether the Fed is going to end QE and what's happening to Chinese economic growth," said Bert Colijn, an economist in Brussels with the Conference Board, a business research group.

STRUCTURAL SHORTCOMINGS

Colijn is worried that a sustained rise in bond yields, touched off by anticipation of Fed ?tapering', could halt the improvement in euro zone confidence, which has recovered to a 12-month high.

Seen in another light, though, the recent rise in euro zone periphery yields is a timely reminder to the likes of Spain and Italy that the ECB's monetary generosity is merely buying time for them to make tough policy changes needed to revive growth.

"From the ECB's perspective, a bit of pressure on southern Europe's bond markets may be no bad thing if it acts as an incentive for governments to step up the pace of reform," said Nicholas Spiro with Spiro Sovereign Strategy, a London consultancy.

The trick of striking a balance between short-term stimulus and long-term reform is why the efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to reverse two decades of stagnation and deflation in Japan - through the ?three arrows' of easy money, fiscal stimulus and structural reform - is attracting a lot of attention in Europe.

Andrew Milligan and Jeremy Lawson, economists at Standard Life in Edinburgh, say parts of the euro zone increasingly resemble Japan because of ageing populations and a lack of supply-side reforms. They worry in particular about Italy.

"While overall the West does not suffer from the scale of the difficulties that have plagued Japan, certain European countries, such as Italy, are much more vulnerable to going down the Japanese path than others," they wrote in a report.

Like Italy, Japan will return to sustainable growth only if the government rams through structural reforms. In the meantime, though, the sugar rush from a more-aggressive monetary policy is bolstering business confidence, as Monday's Bank of Japan ?tankan' survey is expected to show.

"With a weak currency providing continued tailwinds, the slowdown in the rest of Asia and uncertainties about Western growth have yet to dampen Japanese manufacturing optimism," said Izumi Devalier, an economist with HSBC in Hong Kong.

(Editing by David Cowell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-china-churn-already-choppy-waters-181134542.html

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Obama to meet with Mandela family

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) ? President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will meet privately Saturday with members of ailing Nelson Mandela's family.

The White House says the Obamas will not see the former South African president in the hospital.

The 94-year-old Mandela had been hospitalized for three weeks with a recurring lung infection. Obama is in South Africa as part of his weeklong trip.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-mandela-family-075010890.html

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Hospitals seek high-tech help for hand hygiene

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) ? Hospitals have fretted for years over how to make sure doctors, nurses and staff keep their hands clean, but with only limited success. Now, some are turning to technology ? beepers, buzzers, lights and tracking systems that remind workers to sanitize, and chart those who don't.

Health experts say poor hand cleanliness is a factor in hospital-borne infections that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that one of every 20 patients in U.S. hospitals gets a hospital-acquired infection each year.

"We've known for over 150 years that good hand hygiene prevents patients from getting infections," said Dr. John Jernigan, an epidemiologist for the CDC. "However, it's been a very chronic and difficult problem to get adherence levels up as high as we'd like them to be."

Hospitals have tried varying ways to promote better hygiene. Signs are posted in restrooms. Some even employ monitors who keep tabs and single out offenders.

Still, experts believe hospital workers wash up, at best, about 50 percent of the time. One St. Louis-area hospital believes it can approach 100 percent adherence.

Since last year, SSM St. Mary's Health Center in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights, Mo., has been the test site for a system developed by Biovigil Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich. A flashing light on a badge turns green when hands are clean, red if they're not. It also tracks each hand-cleaning opportunity ? the successes and the failures.

The failures have been few at the two units of St. Mary's where the system is being tested, the hospital said. One unit had 97 percent hand hygiene success, said Dr. Morey Gardner, the hospital's director of infection disease and prevention. The other had 99 percent success.

"The holy grail of infection prevention is in our grasp," Gardner said.

The Biovigil system is among many being tried at hospitals. A method developed by Arrowsight, based in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., uses video monitoring. It is being used in intensive care units at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

Akron, Ohio-based GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, has developed an electronic compliance monitoring system using wireless technology to track when soap and hand sanitizer dispensers are used. The SmartLink system gives the hospital data on high- and low-compliance areas. The company said it has installed the system at several hospitals around the country, but didn't say how many.

HyGreen Inc.'s Hand Hygiene Reminder System was developed by two University of Florida doctors. The Gainesville, Fla., company now features two systems used in seven hospitals, including Veterans Administration hospitals in Chicago, Wilmington, Del., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

One is similar to Biovigil's green badge method. In HyGreen's, a wall-mounted hand wash sensor detects alcohol on the hands. The badge includes an active reminding system. Unclean hands create a warning buzz. If the buzz sounds three times, the worker is noted for noncompliance.

HyGreen spokeswoman Elena Fraser said that because some hospitals are moving away from alcohol-based sanitizers, HyGreen offers a second system. A touch of the sanitizer dispenser clears the worker to interact with a patient. If the worker shows up at the patient bed without hand-cleaning, the series of warning buzzes begins.

Fraser said hospital infections have dropped 66 percent at units of Miami Children's Hospital where the badge system has been implemented.

Nurses using the Biovigil system at St. Mary's near St. Louis wear a badge with changeable colored lights. A doorway sensor identifies when the nurse enters a patient's room, and the badge color changes to yellow.

The nurse washes his or her hands and places them close to the badge. A sensor in the badge detects chemical vapors from the alcohol-based solution. If hands are clean, the badge illuminates a bright green hand symbol.

If the nurse fails to sanitize, the badge stays yellow and chirps every 10 seconds for 40 seconds, then flashes red. Once the flashing red starts, the nurse has another 30 seconds to wash up, otherwise the badge turns solid red, denoting non-compliance. Either way, each instance is tracked by a computer. The hospital can track each individual's compliance.

Registered Nurse Theresa Gratton has helped lead the effort toward hand cleanliness at St. Mary's. She heard about the Biovigil system in early 2012 and convinced the hospital to give it a try.

Gratton said patients are aware of the risk of infection and frequently inquire about whether caregivers have washed their hands. She said the badge relieves their anxiety.

Bill Rogers, a 65-year-old retiree recuperating at St. Mary's from back surgery and a heart scare, agreed.

"The first thing I noticed up here was the badges," Rogers said. "It is comforting for me to know their hands are clean as soon as the badge beeps and it goes from yellow to green."

St. Mary's is expanding the Biovigil system later this year to other units of the hospital and to employees other than nurses, though details are still being worked out, Gardner said. Eventually, the system may be expanded to SSM's seven other St. Louis-area hospitals, he said.

Biovigil's chief client officer, Brent Nibarger, said customers won't buy the system but will pay a subscription fee of about $12 a month per badge.

The CDC's Jernigan said the high-tech systems can only help.

"For a health care worker, keeping their hands clean is the single most important thing they can do to protect their patients," Jernigan said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospitals-seek-high-tech-help-hand-hygiene-071012525.html

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Egypt protest blast was explosive device: sources

ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - A fatal blast during a protest against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in the Suez Canal city of Port Said was caused by a home-made hand grenade, security sources said Saturday.

After the blast late on Friday, which killed one man, traces of an explosive substance were found on the bodies of some of the 15 wounded. Ballistics tests were still under way.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters had gathered in a central square in the city, at the Mediterranean end of the canal, one of several small demonstrations around the country ahead of mass rallies on Sunday aimed at unseating Mursi.

The chairman of the Suez Canal Authority said on Saturday that canal authorities were coordinating with the armed forces and security and intelligence agencies to secure the key global waterway.

Traffic of ships and cargo through the canal remained normal, he said.

Cities around Suez have already been flashpoints for violence this year, causing minor stoppages through the canal.

(Reporting By Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-protest-blast-explosive-device-sources-112236037.html

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Wedding banquet turns to funeral in Ras Al Khaimah

Submit Your Photo Of Dubai

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Source: http://dubaiinformer.com/113258/wedding-banquet-turns-to-funeral-in-ras-al-khaimah/

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Marriage ruling renews GOP centrists-vs.-base feud (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/315673045?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Exploding Bullets Frozen In Plexiglass Are Terrifyingly Beautiful

Just because a piece of glass might claim to be "bulletproof" doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually, well, bulletproof. But if your bullet-resistant glass is sturdy enough, that speeding bullet will usually just end up lodged in layers of polycarbonate. That's what intrigues photographer Deborah Bay.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2L9mRM950kw/exploding-bullets-frozen-in-plexiglass-are-terrifyingly-610736872

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No more leakage of explosive electrolytes in batteries

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eunhee Song
ehsong@unist.ac.kr
82-522-171-224
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)

Konnyaku-like electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and cationic transference number

Ulsan, South Korea-- A research team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), S. Korea, found a new physical organogel electrolyte with two unique characteristics: an irreversible thermal gelation and a high value of the Li+ transference number.

A Recent fire on a Boeing 787 on the ground in Boston, US, was caused by a battery failure, it resulted in the release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage and smoke. If they had used a safer electrolyte, the risk would have been reduced.

Electrolytes are essential components of supercapacitors, batteries and fuel cells. The Most widely used electrolyte is a liquid type since its overall ionic conductivity and value of transference numbers are better than solid-type electrolytes. However, safety concerns caused by its leakage and explosive nature, caused an extensive call for the research on the development of solid-type electrolyte.

The development of solid-type electrolytes, safe from explosion caused by high temperature and overcharge, is urgently needed to replace the liquid electrolytes. The solid electrolyte enables batteries to be safer as well as the use of higher energy electrode materials.

The most important parameter of electrolytes used in electrochemical cells is ionic conductivity. The use of solid-state electrolytes has been limited due to low ionic conductivity caused by their immobile matrix regardless of their own merits such as no leak, non-volatility, mechanical strength and processing flexibility.

Another parameter we should consider is transference of the number of ions. Electrolytes are characterized by their ionic conductivity, It is desirable that overall ionic results from the dominant contribution of the ions of interest. However high values of the cationic transference number achieved by solid or gel electrolytes have resulted in low ionic conductivity leading to inferior cell performances.

The research team of Profs. Hyun-Kon Song and Noejung Park of UNIST, presented an organogel polymer electrolyte characterized by a high liquid-electrolyte-level ionic conductivity with high a cationic transference number for Lithium ion batteries (LIB).

The research team acquired the two required properties simultaneously in polymer gel electrolytes: a liquid-electrolyte-level conductivity with a high transference number. Cyanoethly polyvinyle alchohol (PVA-CN) played a key role in the highly conductive gel electrolyte while another cyano resin, Cyanoethlyle pullulan (Pullulan-CN), was used as a control representing a liquid electrolyte containing cyano chains. The PVA-CN-containing liquid electrolyte was thermally gelated even without any chemical crosslinkers or polymerizations initiators.

Hyun-Kon Song and Noejung Park, both, professors of the Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, UNIST, South Korea, led the effort. Fellow authors include: Young-Soo Kim, Yoon-Gyo Cho, and Dori Odkhuu from UNIST.

"We believe that this new type of electrolyte gel provides us with design flexibility in devices as well as enhanced safety and stability to electro-chemical devices," said Prof. Song.

###

*Konnnyaku: a thermo-irreversible gelatin which is used in Japanese food, maintains its gelatin physical statue at high temperatures.

This research was funded by the World Class University (WCU) programs through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and published on May 29, 2013 in the (Nature Publishing Group) Scientific Reports. (Title: A Physical organogel electrolyte: characterized by in situ thermo-irreversible gelation and single-ion-predominent conduction, DOI: 10.1038/srep01917)

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) http://www.unist.ac.kr

Homepage of Prof. Hyun-Kon Song http://echem.kr

Homepage of Prof. Noejung Park http://dkphysics.cafe24.com/sub_kor/index.php

The original research article can be found at http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130529/srep01917/full/srep01917.html

---

[ | 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: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eunhee Song
ehsong@unist.ac.kr
82-522-171-224
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)

Konnyaku-like electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and cationic transference number

Ulsan, South Korea-- A research team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), S. Korea, found a new physical organogel electrolyte with two unique characteristics: an irreversible thermal gelation and a high value of the Li+ transference number.

A Recent fire on a Boeing 787 on the ground in Boston, US, was caused by a battery failure, it resulted in the release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage and smoke. If they had used a safer electrolyte, the risk would have been reduced.

Electrolytes are essential components of supercapacitors, batteries and fuel cells. The Most widely used electrolyte is a liquid type since its overall ionic conductivity and value of transference numbers are better than solid-type electrolytes. However, safety concerns caused by its leakage and explosive nature, caused an extensive call for the research on the development of solid-type electrolyte.

The development of solid-type electrolytes, safe from explosion caused by high temperature and overcharge, is urgently needed to replace the liquid electrolytes. The solid electrolyte enables batteries to be safer as well as the use of higher energy electrode materials.

The most important parameter of electrolytes used in electrochemical cells is ionic conductivity. The use of solid-state electrolytes has been limited due to low ionic conductivity caused by their immobile matrix regardless of their own merits such as no leak, non-volatility, mechanical strength and processing flexibility.

Another parameter we should consider is transference of the number of ions. Electrolytes are characterized by their ionic conductivity, It is desirable that overall ionic results from the dominant contribution of the ions of interest. However high values of the cationic transference number achieved by solid or gel electrolytes have resulted in low ionic conductivity leading to inferior cell performances.

The research team of Profs. Hyun-Kon Song and Noejung Park of UNIST, presented an organogel polymer electrolyte characterized by a high liquid-electrolyte-level ionic conductivity with high a cationic transference number for Lithium ion batteries (LIB).

The research team acquired the two required properties simultaneously in polymer gel electrolytes: a liquid-electrolyte-level conductivity with a high transference number. Cyanoethly polyvinyle alchohol (PVA-CN) played a key role in the highly conductive gel electrolyte while another cyano resin, Cyanoethlyle pullulan (Pullulan-CN), was used as a control representing a liquid electrolyte containing cyano chains. The PVA-CN-containing liquid electrolyte was thermally gelated even without any chemical crosslinkers or polymerizations initiators.

Hyun-Kon Song and Noejung Park, both, professors of the Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, UNIST, South Korea, led the effort. Fellow authors include: Young-Soo Kim, Yoon-Gyo Cho, and Dori Odkhuu from UNIST.

"We believe that this new type of electrolyte gel provides us with design flexibility in devices as well as enhanced safety and stability to electro-chemical devices," said Prof. Song.

###

*Konnnyaku: a thermo-irreversible gelatin which is used in Japanese food, maintains its gelatin physical statue at high temperatures.

This research was funded by the World Class University (WCU) programs through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and published on May 29, 2013 in the (Nature Publishing Group) Scientific Reports. (Title: A Physical organogel electrolyte: characterized by in situ thermo-irreversible gelation and single-ion-predominent conduction, DOI: 10.1038/srep01917)

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) http://www.unist.ac.kr

Homepage of Prof. Hyun-Kon Song http://echem.kr

Homepage of Prof. Noejung Park http://dkphysics.cafe24.com/sub_kor/index.php

The original research article can be found at http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130529/srep01917/full/srep01917.html

---

[ | 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/2013-06/unio-nml062713.php

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Pa. transplant recipient still on breathing tube

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? The mother of a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl recovering after a double lung transplant says doctors tried to remove her breathing tube but were forced to reinsert it.

Janet Murnaghan (MUR'-nuh-han) says in a statement provided by a spokeswoman that her daughter, Sarah, "could not handle the reduced support" after the tube was removed Wednesday. She called the day "excruciating" and said it was "impossibly painful" watching her daughter struggle to breathe, so the girl was ultimately sedated and re-intubated.

Janet Murnaghan says doctors have assured the family that the day's events don't change Sarah's long-term prospects but just mean "she needs more time to regain her strength."

Sarah, who lives in Newtown Square, a Philadelphia suburb, suffers from severe cystic fibrosis. She underwent the transplant after a national debate over the organ allocation process.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pa-transplant-recipient-still-breathing-tube-121312706.html

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Biochemists identify protease substrates important for bacterial growth and development

June 27, 2013 ? Reporting this month in Molecular Microbiology, Peter Chien and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst describe using a combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry to "trap" scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development. The new understanding could lead to identifying new antibiotic targets.

As Chien (pronounced Chen) explains, to carry out fundamental life processes such as growing and dividing, cells must orchestrate, in time and location, the production and degradation of hundreds of protein substrates. Even in simple bacteria, protein degradation is critical for making sure these organisms can grow and respond to their environment properly.

Scientists have known that a group of protein machines called energy-dependent proteases are responsible for the majority of this degradation, but what targets these machines recognize and how they do it has been unknown in many cases.

With the new series of experiments in the model bacteria Caulobacter crescentus in the Chien biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory, much more is now understood, he says. "We first generated a protease mutant that could recognize but not destroy its targets, acting as a 'trap' for protease substrates. After purifying this trap from living cells, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were caught, finding over a hundred new candidate substrates. These targets covered all aspects of bacterial growth, including DNA replication, transcription and cytoskeletal changes."

Next, they focused on one of these new targets in detail, a protein called TacA. Caulobacter grow by making two different cell types every time they divide. TacA is responsible for making sure that one of these cell types forms properly.

"We used biochemistry and highly purified proteins to identify what parts of TacA were important for degradation by the ClpXP protease," Chien says. "We then made mutants of TacA that could not be degraded and found that when we expressed them in bacteria, these cells failed to properly develop into the correct cell types. Because developmental changes are essential for pathogenic bacteria to invade their host, these insights could potentially identify new antibiotic targets."

The work was funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health and by UMass Amherst.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/Gyh3TNAT-yo/130627142551.htm

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Firefox 22 Launches With Built-In Asm.js And WebRTC Support

Mozilla today launched Firefox 22, the first stable version of the popular browser that supports the WebRTC protocol and includes support for the organization's asm.js JavaScript subset that offers near-native performance for web apps.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EUmCfvyK-s8/

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Inside Under Armour's Bra Shoe

Under Armour's Speedform is a new type of shoe that's not only not constructed in a shoe factory but is also inspired by women's brassieres. It doesn't have an insole and sort of feels like you're wearing a pair of socks. Except that those socks don't have any seams to irritate your feet and the heel cup is seamless. It's strange to think about, so here's a short video that shows what the hell is going on with the Speedforms from the inside out. [Under Armour]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/inside-under-armours-bra-shoe-558603143

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NASA's sun satellite launch delayed until Thursday

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) ? NASA has delayed the launch of a sun-observing satellite by a day so that technicians can restore power to launch range equipment.

The Iris satellite was supposed to be carried aloft from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Wednesday. But the launch range recently lost electricity after an equipment failure at a utility substation darkened much of the central coast. The problem is expected to be fixed by Thursday evening.

Iris will ride into Earth orbit aboard a Pegasus rocket, which will be dropped from an airplane flying over the Pacific. Once in place, it will point its ultraviolet telescope at the sun.

It's the latest satellite designed to gaze at the sun in an effort to better predict space weather, which can affect communication systems on Earth.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-06-25-Solar%20Satellite/id-e7f3df67df3e41bf85d72a3a7b2398d9

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Huawei unveils mid-range MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet that can place calls

You can't toss a stone without hitting a 7-inch tablet nowadays, so Huawei's just announced the MediaPad 7 Vogue with a not-too-common feature: voice calling. If you don't mind a large object plastered to your head, the 3G version of the slate (there's also a WiFi-only model) will let you place network calls just like the ASUS FonePad or Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0. Otherwise, it's packing decidedly middling specs, like a 1,024 x 600 IPS screen, quad-core Huawei 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 3-megapixel rear camera and a microSD expansion slot. It'll launch in China this month, though there's no word yet on pricing or whether fans will be able to score it elsewhere. Check after the break for PR and another image of the tab.

Filed under: Tablets

Comments

Via: TNW

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/24/huawei-unveils-mediapad-7-vogue/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Mad Men, Season 6

Kiernan Shipka and Jon Hamm

AMC

Has the fever finally broken? Is Don ready to dismantle the elaborate marketing campaign he?s been substituting for a personality, and at last get in touch with the real Dick Whitman beneath the invented identities and the self-deception?

He?s fooled us before. There was that time a while back when he curtailed his drinking and started swimming laps at the gym. Didn?t take. Instead, he?s gone around and around again on the wheel of suffering. Every time he seemed to hit bedrock, it turned out to be a false bottom.

But something does feel a little different this time. First, he?s got the attention and support of his colleagues. That quasi-intervention staged by Roger, Jim, Bert, and Joan (who couldn?t even meet Don?s eyes) was a new twist. In the past, everyone around him assumed that Don would land on his feet, and he was left to sort his troubles for himself. Just having some external affirmation that he can?t continue like this might be enough to snap him out of his vicious cycle.

More than that, though, I sensed that Don himself is tired of the games. Recall that in the concluding episode of Season 1, Don drew on his own emotions to pitch the Kodak Carousel?arguing that the public can be engaged if they have a ?sentimental bond with the product.? Don clicked through slides of his own family and described the ?ache? he felt. Then he skipped out on spending Thanksgiving with them. The whole pitch was, at base, a lie.

This time, Don pitched Hershey with another lie?an invented Norman Rockwell tale about a childhood he never had. But then he realized he couldn?t tolerate the falsehood. Not with Hershey. Not with the only product that could make him feel ?like a normal kid,? the ?only sweet thing in my life,? the product he wishes ?would never advertise,? never attempt to be anything other than it already is. It?s no coincidence that a man who cannot reconcile his wounded inner child with the face he presents to the world would praise a Hershey bar by marveling that ?the wrapper looked like what was inside.?

And so Don begins the process of making himself into a product that doesn?t need to advertise or wrap itself in something deceptive. He fesses up to the Hershey folks, unable to maintain his lie when he might never see them again. And then that visit to his childhood home?the imperative to show his children, especially Sally, who he really is?felt like the beginning of a new, brighter chapter in Don?s life. And not a moment too soon. I?m not sure many viewers could put up with yet another season of a Don who never progresses, and is doomed by an inability to escape his past.

I?d much rather Season 7?Mad Men?s last, if Matthew Weiner is to be believed?let Don evolve and find some peace. Let?s watch Peggy fall apart in the throes of an emotional crisis. She?s so sick of being tempest-tossed by the sudden decisions of the men around her. I?d enjoy seeing Peggy hit a career peak (as you note, Hanna, she pulled on some fairly symbolic trousers, and sat in Don?s office chair?I half expected her to portentously slip her feet into his wingtips under the desk) as she also hits the bottle and breaks the hearts of every man in Midtown.

I?m not sure what to make of Pete?s Season 6 denouement. I will note that cruise ship chaos remains a bizarre feature of international waters. Legal recourse is sketchy when it comes to crime on the high seas. And a remarkable number of passengers mysteriously disappear overboard. (Twenty-three in 2012 alone. There are entire web sitesabout it!) I?ll be interested to see how Pete handles his new freedom from his family. It certainly didn?t take long to make peace with his mother?s absence: When considering whether to fund a search for his mother?s killer, he and his brother demand a ?ballpark? figure for expense, and then quickly decide, well, ?she loved the sea? and thus need not be avenged. But Pete?s ability to sever ties with Trudy and his child seems less clear. That tender bedroom scene as he parted suggested Pete possesses depths he doesn?t always reveal.

Sally?s foray into bad girl-dom last week was just the start, apparently. How telling that she approximated Betty?s name when she made a fake ID to buy beer! She?s a Betty in the making. Do we think Don?s attempt to finally level with her will be enough to calm her destructive impulses? That look between them as the episode closed was quite moving. Another hope for Season 7 is that, when we?re not watching Peggy spiral out of control, we get to see Don develop a real relationship with these kids he?s been ignoring.

Another thing I?m looking forward to in Season 7: a whole new aesthetic. The times they are a changin?, design-wise. Did you see Stan?s blue plaid blazer paired with brown shirt and paisley tie? Or the cheesy update of the SC&P logo? Get ready for more of that. Earlier seasons looked so sleekly retro in a way that shaped today?s popular culture, driving clothing brands like Banana Republic to develop Mad Men-branded looks. Will any clothing outlets?other than musty thrift stores?be offering Stan?s outfit as the hot new seasonal trend?

Paul, I gather you have some personal connection to the noble Milton Hershey. Please open your soul as we gather around the conference table. But don?t shit the bed.

Everyone in this room has their own story to tell,

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/tv_club/features/2013/mad_men_season_6/week_12/mad_men_in_care_of_review_in_season_6_finale_don_draper_hits_bottom.html

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What Are You Doing About Light Bulbs These Days?

There are the LED lightbulbs you know you should buy, and then there are the insane 10 for $10 sales that try to lure you back to the incandescent days. But between everlasting light bulbs, app-controlled light bulbs and light bulbs that do the dishes and see into the future, it's pretty clear that change is upon us. Bulb life, light quality and price all factor in. What do you buy and why? Illuminate us below.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/owDQ00XKTQU/what-are-you-doing-about-light-bulbs-these-days-549336480

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Boy Band Gangs? Aaron Carter Jumped By NKOTB Fans?

Boy Band Gangs? Aaron Carter Jumped By NKOTB Fans?

Singer Aaron Carter was reportedly involved in a skirmish by men that didn’t appreciate him being on NKOTB turf. WTF? The 25-year-old singer, who currently in the middle of his The After Party tour, uploaded pictures of his bruised face and knuckles following the altercation in Boston on Saturday night. Aaron Carter, the younger brother ...

Boy Band Gangs? Aaron Carter Jumped By NKOTB Fans? Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/06/boy-band-gangs-aaron-carter-jumped-by-nkotb-fans/

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Shopping For The Perfect Cycling Bicycle? - ArticleSnatch.com

There are several different reasons people choose to cycle as a mode of transportation. You may not even choose to ride a bicycle as a means of transportation at all. Lots of people go cycling as a form of exercise. Some people cycle as a competitive sport. Another group of individuals take pleasure in a simple, relaxed ride through their neighborhood. Whatever the reason you have for wanting a cycling bicycle, there are a lot of different things to consider when you are trying to decide which cycling bicycle is right for you. Try these tips out to see if they can be of help.
Cost is almost always a factor when trying to choose the right bike. This doesn't mean other things aren't important, like where you are going to ride or how often you will, but it does mean that the cost of the bicycle should be one of your main concerns.
Good bicycles can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. That doesn't mean all bicycles are going to cost that much, so don't worry; there is no reason why you can't find a great bicycle that is in your price range. You can go to auctions and find some of the best bikes available for a fraction of the price of new ones. Your bicycle seat should not be at the lowest setting, which is sitting atop the crossbar. You want to adjust it up a few inches and take those inches into account when you are choosing your bike. You will have a much more comfortable experience when riding if you are able to get some clearance between the crossbar of the bicycle and you. The goal here is to create a height with your seat so that when your pedal is at its lowest position your leg should be almost (but not quite) fully extended.
Where you set the angle of your seat is also something to consider. The seat is designed to be tilted any way you want it to. You might find that a perfectly flat seat is a little uncomfortable and that you prefer to lean forward a little bit. Find the position that will be most comfortable to you, and stick with it. You could leave it as it is, but the narrow part of the seat might not allow you to rest comfortably in a forward leaning position.
There are lots of things to think about when you are buying a cycling bicycle. You have innumerable decisions to make as you choose how safe a bike to buy, as well as one that is pleasing to the eye. Feeling a little defeated at the outset of choosing your new bike is normal. Do your research and then you'll feel better prepared to choose your new bike.
Try to understand your choices before you go shopping. The peace it will offer during shopping makes it very worthwhile.

About the Author:
I am 19 years old and my name is Damaris Lehmann.

I life in Gouda (Netherlands).

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Shopping-For-The-Perfect-Cycling-Bicycle-/5111135

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Abbas accepts Palestinian PM's resignation

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of his newly appointed prime minister on Sunday, a spokesman said, leaving his Palestinian Authority in disarray at a time when he is focusing on a U.S. push to restart peace negotiations with Israel.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah had served only two weeks when he abruptly resigned last week over a conflict of authority with his deputies. Abbas initially asked him to reconsider, but ultimately accepted the resignation and asked Hamdallah to stay on as head of a caretaker government until a replacement is found, Nabil Abu Rdeneh told The Associated Press.

Abbas appointed Hamdallah, a university dean and political novice, earlier this month in an apparent move to consolidate power. Hamdallah replaced internationally known economist Salam Fayyad, who had clashed with Abbas.

The prime minister heads the Palestinian Authority, the self-rule government in parts of the West Bank that handles day-to-day affairs of Palestinians.

While he is not involved in diplomacy, the timing of the change comes as a tricky time for Abbas. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is about to return to the region as part of his push to renew the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Abbas has refused to resume negotiations so long as Israeli settlement construction continues in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. To get talks underway, it appears he will have to compromise on this key demand or face blame for failure of the U.S effort.

Hamdallah took office June 6 after unexpectedly being plucked by Abbas from a career in academia to replace Fayyad, a political independent who served for six years and was respected by the West as a pragmatist. Leading figures of Abbas' Fatah movement clamored for Fayyad to be replaced, arguing that the prime minister should be close to Fatah. Hamdallah's appointment was seen as a bid by Abbas to consolidate power.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/abbas-accepts-palestinian-pms-resignation-085901744.html

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Fire threatens Colorado mountain town of 400

In this Thursday, June 20, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, wildfires fires approach the town of South Fork, Colo. The town of about 400 people was evacuated Friday morning, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service, Penny Bertram)

In this Thursday, June 20, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, wildfires fires approach the town of South Fork, Colo. The town of about 400 people was evacuated Friday morning, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service, Penny Bertram)

In this Thursday, June 20, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, wildfires fires approach the town of South Fork, Colo. The town of about 400 people was evacuated Friday morning, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service, Penny Bertram)

Map locates South Fork, Colorado; 1c x 3 inches; 46.5 mm x 76 mm;

SOUTH FORK, Colo. (AP) ? A massive wildfire threatened a tourist town in Colorado's southwestern mountains on Friday, forcing its roughly 400 residents to flee ahead of the fast-burning blaze fueled by hot, windy weather.

Wildland firefighters teamed up with local firefighters to try to protect South Fork, which is surrounded by the Rio Grande National Forest. State authorities said the 47-square-mile fire is about seven miles southwest of town and has been advancing at a rate of about a mile an hour. Thick smoke was limiting visibility.

Fire spokeswoman Penny Bertram wouldn't speculate on the likelihood of the town burning. There's a high probability of the fire reaching the town if the fire continues to behave as it has, though crews were staging resources to protect its buildings, she said.

"They're hedging their bets," Bertram said.

Over 30 fire engines have been stationed near the town to protect it. An air tanker was also able to drop slurry ahead of the fire to try to slow its growth and giving firefighters a chance to dig a fire break, Bertram said.

Bertram and state authorities said the fire was several miles away from town by mid-afternoon but headed in its direction.

The town is a popular spot for hiking and camping. The fictional Griswold family camped in South Fork in 1983's "National Lampoon's Vacation." The famous scene where a dog urinates on a picnic basket was filmed at South Fork's Riverbend Resort, called "Kamp Komfort" in the movie.

Residents were being sent to a high school in a neighboring town.

South Fork's mayor, Kenneth Brooke, sent his children and grandchildren to a safe location and stayed behind, helping several dozen area fire responders prepare for hosing down structures.

Brooke said authorities are allowing him to stay in South Fork until the blaze crests a nearby mountain, expected Friday afternoon. Until then, the mayor was taking phone calls from nervous neighbors and telling them the town's grim forecast.

"I just tell them it doesn't look good," Brooke told The Associated Press by phone Friday. "I tell them the truth, that the fire is coming. I just tell them to keep themselves safe, evacuate as need be and don't come back.

"We're just watching the fire and doing what we can for people's properties, but mostly it's just waiting. Right now I'm saying, 'Stay out.'"

Bertram said the hot, dry and windy weather along with large stands of beetle-killed trees are causing extreme fire behavior. While most fires actively burn four hours a day, this one is burning for 12 hours a day, helping it to mushroom in recent days.

Firefighters have largely let the lightning-sparked fire burn because it's too hot and erratic to fight on the ground. Water and slurry drops from air tankers also haven't been effective, with pilots reporting that their drops largely evaporated before hitting the ground.

"There's no stopping it," Bertram said.

The town was incorporated in 1992, making it Colorado's youngest municipality. The town lost 11 structures in the 2002 Million Fire, which charred more than 14 square miles.

South Fork residents are used to damaging wildfires, but this year's is shaping up to be the worst, Brooke said.

"Our tourists are what support the town. The fires are going to run everybody away. So that's going to hurt," he said.

It was among several fires burning in Colorado.

In south-central Colorado, nine homes and four outbuildings have been lost in a wildfire in Huerfano County that has evacuated about two dozen residents and more than 170 Boy Scouts since it started Wednesday, fire officials said.

On Thursday, firefighters fully contained what is now the state's most destructive wildfire. The Black Forest Fire destroyed more than 500 homes and killed two people near Colorado Springs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-21-Colorado%20Wildfires/id-3489e8f39f0b4f7ea6394ca04a8e0ac8

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Rivalries pose problem in arming Syrian rebels

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Syrian opposition's record so far in handling tens of millions of dollars in U.S. humanitarian and other nonlethal assistance paints a bewildering picture of logistical challenges ahead of any delivery of American weapons and ammunition.

No aid shipments appear to be heading to terrorists or corrupt hoarders, according to U.S. officials, but packages of food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies regularly face long delays because of political rivalries among various rebel factions.

Anecdotes abound.

An American shipment of humanitarian goods was held up for two weeks amid a dispute between opposition groups over whose label should be attached to the boxes, a senior administration official recounted this week. Aid-filled planes have landed in neighboring countries with no trucks at the landing sites for transporting the items into Syria. In Cairo, funds the U.S. was prepared to provide an opposition political office were flat-out rejected, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Although the Syrian opposition's described dysfunction is nothing new, its problems are getting increased scrutiny since the Obama administration's decision last week to authorize for the first time lethal military support to units fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime.

Secretary of State John Kerry plans to use a meeting Saturday in Doha, Qatar, of officials from countries allying themselves with the rebels to underscore the need for coordinating and funneling aid through the Supreme Military Council, senior State Department officials said Friday. The U.S.-favored group is overseen by Gen. Salim Idris, a defector from Assad's military.

The aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about Kerry's trip, said Kerry also hopes the meeting will re-energize a newly expanded group of Syrian opposition leaders that is scheduled to elect new leadership in coming days.

Beyond that, the Obama administration's plans are unclear. Kerry held two classified briefings with members of Congress on Thursday. No details emerged about what types of weapons could be sent, where and when they'd be delivered or who exactly would be the recipients. The lack of clarity rankles both lawmakers who want more forceful U.S. action as well as those who say the U.S. should stay as far away as possible from Syria's brutal two-year civil war.

"All I know is what I've read in the media and that is light weapons," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a leading proponent of taking a bigger military role in Syria. "That's clearly not only insufficient, it's insulting. We've got to take out their air assets."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another supporter of arming the rebels and other steps such as establishing a no-fly zone over Syria, said he also had no understanding from the Obama administration about what form future lethal aid might take and possible delivery dates.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., was even more critical. "''We have the ability right now to fully understand who is the type of individual or group that meet our standards, and I think we've had that information and ability for probably nine months," he said. "Will there be mistakes made? Of course, but I do think it helps to put our thumb on the scale."

Meanwhile, Senate opponents of arming the rebels moved Thursday to block Obama from providing any military support at all. The bipartisan group including Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a measure to prohibit the president from using any money to increase U.S. involvement in the conflict. Specifically, it would ban the Pentagon, CIA and other intelligence agencies from funding military, paramilitary or covert operations in Syria.

"We need to place a check on the president's unilateral decision to arm the rebels, while still preserving humanitarian aid and assistance to the Syrian people," Udall said.

Paul said the president's decision was "incredibly disturbing, considering what little we know about whom we are arming. Engaging in yet another conflict in the Middle East with no vote or congressional oversight compounds the severity of this situation."

Neither Obama nor any other member of his administration has publicly confirmed that the U.S. has authorized lethal aid for the rebels, though since last week several officials have acknowledged as much on condition of anonymity. The closest anyone came was Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. He said last week that U.S. confirmation of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime has prompted American support to the Syrian rebels of increased "scope and scale."

Obama himself refused to provide any specifics when asked at a news conference this week in Germany.

The U.S. is most likely to provide rebel fighters with small arms, ammunition, assault rifles and a variety of anti-tank weaponry such as shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and other missiles, according to officials. They haven't disclosed which specific weapons have been approved or when and how they might be delivered. The officials, who've demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said any weapons and ammunitions are unlikely to make it to vetted Syrian rebel units before August.

The opposition's track record in handling aid has been discouraging.

U.S. officials said almost all of a $127 million package of ready-to-eat meals, medical kits and other nonlethal assistance announced earlier this year has been delivered to Syria. U.S.-provided food has made it from Turkey to as far south as Hama and Homs, and to the southeast border with Iraq. Humanitarian assistance reaching the besieged city of Qusair, which Assad's forces conquered from the rebels earlier this month, was limited pretty much to medical supplies.

The senior administration official said the U.S. is monitoring for aid being diverted, but so far hasn't found any instances of it. That could provide Obama with some confidence in the Syrian opposition's ability to ensure that U.S.-supplied weapons and ammunition don't fall into the hands of al-Qaida-linked extremists. The fear that it might has long been one of the administration's primary explanations for why the U.S. wouldn't arm the anti-Assad rebellion.

Syria's opposition, however, remains problematical. Because of constant bickering among its various branches in Turkey, Egypt and inside Syria, U.S. officials say they have often been forced to act as go-betweens, if only to get the opposition to sign off on some of the aid it originally requested.

Some $5 million in U.S. aid has gone to helping the opposition establish an office in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep and expand its staff from a handful of employees to a staff now of about 100, including many in liberated parts of Syria. In Aleppo, American-trained search and rescue personnel have helped dig survivors out of buildings struck by Scud missiles. The U.S. is also training policemen and providing them uniforms in an effort to build the opposition's credibility with the Syrian population.

Those are the successes.

On the other hand, disputes between local authorities and the opposition leaders outside the country has held up elections in parts of Syria wrested from Assad's control. The two sides have been unwilling at times to even talk to one another, the senior administration official said. When the U.S. offered to provide hospitals with emergency generators, a fight erupted over which cities and which politician's preferred recipients should get priority. The result was shipping none of them until the generators could go simultaneously to all the hospitals on an opposition list.

When the U.S. offered to provide the opposition headquarters in Cairo some $2 million to buy phones and computers and hire staff, Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib rejected the aid, citing administrative costs that the U.S. also was picking up, the official said.

One thing any future aid package will include is trucks. With Obama ruling out any American military boots on the ground in Syria, it is up to the opposition itself to transport goods received in Turkey or Jordan to civilians in Syrian cities or fighters on the battlefield. And so far it has struggled on this account, according to officials.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday that the next package of nonlethal U.S. assistance would include at least $16.6 million in "combat support assistance," which includes trucks, communications gear and medicine. Other funds will go to reconstruction efforts, university scholarships, activist training and democracy-building efforts.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Matthew Lee and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rivalries-pose-problem-arming-syrian-rebels-190950143.html

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100,000 Morsi backers stage show of force in Egypt

Supporters of Egypt's president Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business."(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Supporters of Egypt's president Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business."(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Supporters of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi attend Friday noon prayer before a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business." (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Supporters of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi attend a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business." (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Supporters of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business." (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Supporters of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a rally in Nasser City in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 21, 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamists supporting Egypt's president staged a show of force ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil. Adding to the combustible mix, the U.S. ambassador in Egypt gets drawn into Egypt's treacherous politics when comments interpreted as critical of the opposition spark outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business." (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? More than 100,000 supporters of Egypt's Islamist president staged a show of force Friday ahead of massive protests later this month by the opposition, chanting "Islamic revolution!" and warning of a new and bloody bout of turmoil.

Adding to the combustible mix, comments by the U.S. ambassador that were interpreted as critical of the opposition's planned protests sparked outrage, with one activist telling the diplomat to "shut up and mind your own business."

Friday's mass gathering was ostensibly called by Islamists to denounce violence, but it took on the appearance of a war rally instead. Participants, many of them bearded and wearing robes or green bandanas, vowed in chants to protect President Mohammed Morsi against his opponents. Some who addressed the crowd spoke of smashing opposition protesters on June 30, the anniversary of Morsi's assumption of power.

"We want to stress that we will protect the legitimacy with our blood and souls," declared Mohammed el-Beltagy, a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic group from which Morsi hails.

Most participants were bused in from elsewhere in the Egyptian capital or from far-flung provinces. They waved Egypt's red, white and black flag as well as the green banner of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and posters of the president. Many raised their fists in the air.

Brotherhood members in red helmets and carrying white plastic sticks manned makeshift checkpoints, searching bags and checking IDs as demonstrators streamed into the venue.

Friday's rally was the latest evidence of the schism that has torn Egypt apart in the more than two years since autocrat Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising. That division has plunged the country into deadly street battles and taken on a clear religious character after Morsi took office a year ago as the nation's first freely elected leader. In the year since, Egypt has been divided into two camps, with the president and his Islamist backers in one, and secular, liberal Egyptians, moderate Muslims, women and minority Christians in the other.

The past year has also been marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy. Morsi's opponents charge that he and his Brotherhood have been systematically amassing power, excluding liberals, secular groups and even ultraconservative Salafi Muslims. A persistent security vacuum and political turmoil have scared away foreign investors and tourists. Egypt's already battered economy has continued to slide, draining foreign currency reserves and resulting in worsening fuel shortages and electricity cuts, along with increasing unemployment.

The president's supporters charge that the opposition, having lost elections, is trying to impose its will through street protests.

"They threaten us with June 30. We promise them they will be smashed that day," warned hard-line Islamist Tareq el-Zommor, who spent more than two decades in jail for his part in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat.

"June 30 is Islamic," he said as the crowd chanted behind him.

"Our battle is an identity battle, against communism and secularism," read one banner carried by protesters. "The people want to implement Islamic Shariah law," declared another.

"I am here to support the legitimacy of an elected president who was chosen by the people through the ballot box," said Saad Ismail, a 43-year-old teacher from the Nile Delta province of Beheira.

Assem Abdel-Maged, a hard-line Islamist leader addressing the crowd, threatened that any attempt to oust Morsi would be met with an Islamic revolution. On Thursday, he told a gathering in the southern city of Minya that those conspiring against Morsi include Coptic Christian extremists, communists and remnants of Mubarak's regime.

"Our dead will be in heaven, and their dead will be in hell," he said.

The main boulevard where the rally was held, along with several side streets were packed as protesters streamed in for hours and the crowd grew to more than 100,000.

Opposition leaders were not impressed by the turnout.

"Those 100,000 are not going to scare the people. We have collected petitions of 15 million people," said Mahmoud Badr, one of the main organizers of the June 30 protests. "They brought people from the provinces that stretch from Cairo to (the southern city of) Aswan. This is their top capacity."

After a months-long petition drive, opposition organizers announced on Thursday that they had collected up to 15 million signatures supporting Morsi's ouster and an early presidential election.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson, who has repeatedly been accused by the opposition of bias in favor of Morsi, caused outrage this week when she said she was "deeply skeptical" the protests will be fruitful and defended U.S. relations with Morsi and his Brotherhood as necessary because the group is part of the democratically elected Egyptian government.

"Some say that street action will produce better results than elections. To be honest, my government and I are deeply skeptical," she said at a seminar Tuesday organized by a Cairo research center. "Egypt needs stability to get its economic house in order, and more violence on the streets will do little more than add new names to the lists of martyrs."

Her unusually frank comments were widely interpreted as referring to the June 30 demonstrations.

Leading opposition activist Shady el-Ghazali Harb said Patterson showed "blatant bias" in favor of Morsi and the Brotherhood and her remarks had earned the U.S. administration "the enmity of the Egyptian people."

"The Muslim Brotherhood is ready to offer Egypt on a golden platter to the United States in exchange for Washington's support. It is no surprise that she would say that," he said.

Another prominent opposition activist, George Ishaq, counseled Patterson in a television interview to "shut up and mind your own business." Christian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris posted a message on his Twitter account addressed to the ambassador saying, "Bless us with your silence."

The United States has had its own frustrations with the mainly liberal and secular opposition, which has been beset by divisions. During a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Egypt in March, he pressed the main opposition grouping, the National Salvation Front, to reverse its decision to boycott parliamentary elections expected later this year or early in 2014.

Washington, Egypt's longtime economic and military backer, has maintained relatively warm ties with Morsi. The Obama administration has praised him for mediating a truce late last year between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant rulers of the Gaza Strip, and for maintaining Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.

"This is the government that you and your fellow citizens elected. Even if you voted for others, I don't think the elected nature of this government is seriously in doubt," Patterson said. "Throughout Egypt's post-revolution series of elections, the United States took the position that we would work with whoever won elections that met international standards, and this is what we have done."

Meanwhile, privately owned TV network ONTV aired footage of what it said was Patterson's convoy of black SUVs in a visit to Khairat el-Shater, a powerful figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who is widely suspected to exercise vast influence over Morsi.

The visit drew criticism from the opposition. The U.S. Embassy declined comment.

"Is this democracy that she visits a man who holds no post in the Egyptian state," Harb said.

Morad Ali, spokesman for the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, confirmed the meeting but said he was not authorized to disclose details.

"It was not a secret meeting. The ambassador meets with all political parties and this is the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Why is this considered interference in Egypt's domestic affairs?" he said.

___

Associated Press reporter Tony G. Gabriel contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-21-Egypt/id-ee5fd0dfc7874c959a632d96cb2af88f

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