Light meters might sound like one of those photography accessories that should remain the persevere of professionals?but actually they can make a dramatic difference to your pictures. In this video renowned cinematographer Mark Vargo explains how to use one properly.
     |
| |
By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor
He may be on the verge of turning 60, but Pierce Brosnan is looking darned good -- and still taking on roles as a romantic lead. His latest film, "Love Is All You Need" may say it all: In it, Brosnan plays a widower who feels a new spark with the mother of his son's fiancee. He sat down with TODAY's Matt Lauer Monday.
Some aspects of this film mirror Brosnan's own life, including widower-hood, but the actor said "I had no problems with that. ... This man that I play, Philip, has lost a wife, I lost a wife to cancer. ... I lent myself to the project because I thought I could bring something to it, which had a humanity, a sincerity."
The film isn't of the gross-out romantic comedy genre, and instead deals with the love lives of the AARP set (it's also half in Danish, with English subtitles). But getting older doesn't seem to bother Brosnan. "I love what I do and I had a bit of luck and I?m still driven and I turn 60 here next month and I?m very much aware of my time and life and just have nothing but ... humble gratitude for being an actor; it?s a very capricious game," he said.
And as for his 60th birthday, it's just another milestone. "Some days it rattles and shakes in there psychically, but ultimately I feel nothing but a great gift of life," he said. "There's nothing to prove. I feel comfortable in my own skin."
"Love Is All You Need" opens in select cities on May 3.
Related content:
Colorado fires supreme court summer solstice Summer Solstice 2012 Waldo Canyon fire nba finals K Michelle
Courtesy Beth Murphy / Principle Pictuers
A chicken vendor in Kabul, Afghanistan expresses sympathy for Bostonians after the marathon attack.
By Ron Mott, Correspondent, NBC News
KABUL ? After more than three decades of war, you would think Afghans would be desensitized to violent attacks like the Boston Marathon explosion. A Boston-based documentary filmmaker found just the opposite.
Instead of disregard, she found empathy among Kabul's residents for the three killed and more than 170 injured in the twin bomb blasts at the center of Boston 6,500 miles away. And she has the images to prove it.?
In the wake of the attacks, Beth Murphy awakened Tuesday morning in Afghanistan to a confounding text message from her husband.
"I thought at first I was re-reading my own message to him saying, 'Yes, I'm OK'," said Beth Murphy. She was referring to a text message she had sent her husband about a large-scale Taliban attack in western Afghanistan on April 3 that left more than 40 people dead.
"But it said, 'It's OK, we're safe.' So I did a double-take.
Courtesy Beth Murphy / Principle Pictures
A man with a donkey carriage in Kabul, Afghanistan relates to the victims of violence in Boston.
"I immediately went online before I even got back to him and saw what was happening in Boston, and [got] that overwhelming feeling of helplessness and sadness and feeling so far away. I thought, 'I'd really like to be home right now.'"
Murphy's husband, Dennis, and 5-year-old daughter were fine. But as a runner who had felt the joy and pain of crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon, she felt compelled to do something.
In an effort to show solidarity with the city she calls home, Murphy set off for her day's work on a documentary project in Kabul armed with a simple sign she made that read: "To Boston From Kabul With Love."
Courtesy Beth Murphy / Principle Pictures
A bookseller in Kabul, Afghanistan expresses sympathy for Bostonians after the violent marathon attack.
Her initial plan was to photograph herself holding the sign and post it online but reactions from Afghans to the unfolding tragedy in Boston prompted a change of plans.
"As I started to talk with people here about what was happening, I saw the expressions on their faces change," she said. "They experience things like this here all the time. You might expect that they'd be desensitized to it or talk about it with a lack of compassion, but it was the exact opposite. There was this shared experience of pain and suffering, and the way people expressed that to me was really beautiful."
Those expressions led Murphy to ask permission to photograph them holding her sign ? a spontaneous idea that quickly spread around the world and went viral on the Internet.
Beth Murphy, a Boston filmmaker currently in Kabul Afghanistan, was so moved by the marathon violence she wanted to send some love to her home city from 6,500 miles away. She explains the "incredible connection" and "shared experience of pain and suffering" Afghans expressed for Bostonians.
Murphy published a series of black and white photos rich with the color of everyday life here: a bookseller crouched before his wares, a chicken vendor with a trio of whole fryer birds hanging over his shoulder, a little girl's largely expressionless face starkly contrasted by those of her shrouded female relatives in the distance.
Courtesy Beth Murphy / Principle Pictures
Beth Murphy, a Boston-based documentary film maker set out on the streets of Kabul after the Boston Marathon attacks with a simple sign that read: "To Boston From Kabul With Love." She was overwhelmed with the expressions of sympathy by Afghans for Bostonians.
And the common thread binding the images and the people in them is a collective nod of empathy for the people of Boston.
"I've been really overwhelmed by the response," Murphy said. "It certainly wasn't anything that I anticipated. I'm happy that the pictures resonated because I think they speak to a common humanity that we all share."
Related links:
What's next: The interrogation of the Boston bombing suspect
Secret weapon: How thermal imaging helped catch bomb suspect
Parents of suspects say their children were framed
Family of dead suspect's wife: 'Our hearts are sickened'
On social media, Tsarnaev's mixed religious fervor, whimsy
Slain MIT officer's family mourns: 'Our only solace is Sean died bravely'
Obama: 'We've closed an important chapter in this tragedy'?
A nation cheers arrest of Boston bombing suspect
Slideshow: Timeline of terror hunt and capture
Boxing photos of dead Boston suspect revealed?
?
Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/20/17839134-to-boston-from-kabul-with-love?lite
matt forte jeremy shockey new orleans saints ireland vangogh yield crossbow
In the video above, watch members of the Boston University equestrian team as they practice and compete. Riding requires a combination of physical strength, smarts, and a "feel" for the horse. Photos by Kalman Zabarsky View closed captions on YouTube
Name the most physically and mentally challenging, adrenaline-rushing, and potentially dangerous sport at BU. Did you say equestrian? If not, perhaps you should think again.
?Riding is not like any other sport where you just play with a bunch of other kids,? says Lily Zarrella (CAS?13), captain of the BU equestrian team (BUET). ?Your teammate is this living, breathing animal that you can?t talk to and you have to figure out a way to communicate with. The relationship that you have with the horses is unique. They?re not pets; they?re athletes.?
Equestrian may not be a high-profile club sport, but it?s been thriving at the University for more than 20 years. Coach Phyllis Cervelli has led BUET all of that time out of her Holly Hill Show Stable, in Hanover, Mass. She?s taken at least three individuals and one team to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championships. This year?s team placed 3rd out of 11 schools in the region, coming in behind Tufts and Stonehill College. Two riders, Meghan Kaupp (SMG?15) and Sarah Broadbent (CAS?16), will attend nationals in Harrisburg, Pa., the first week in May.
?We?re actually a really good team,? Kaupp says, ?and no one knows about us.?
No one at BU anyway. But at competitions the team gets plenty of respect. On a frigid morning in late March at Dry Water Farm, in Stoughton, Mass., the scents of hot chocolate, horse manure, and hay mingled in the open barn as BUET members prepared for their final competition of the season. They huddled in the observation area along with other teams and rugged spectators, many wrapped in blankets and hunkered into camping chairs for the long day ahead.
Before the competition began, officials from the host stable warmed up the horses in the ring?partly to accustom the one-ton beasts to the course and partly to allow riders to observe their new steeds. Horses and riders are matched at random so no one has an unfair advantage.
Lily Zarrella (CAS?13), captain of the BU equestrian team, with her horse at Holly Hill Show Stable in Hanover, Mass.
?The biggest thing for us is learning to do a skill set that we can transfer to other horses,? says Kaupp. ?We could get anything from a small pony to a huge draft horse? during a competition.
That places the onus on riders to figure out their horse, and fast. ?It?s all about feel,? says Zarrella, who was named Captain of the Year by the region?s coaches. ?You don?t know until you get on.?
Once they?ve been assigned horses, competitors review cheat sheets describing how their ?teammate? prefers to be ridden. At the Stoughton competition, for example, Fred appreciated that his rider ?carry a crop, but not use it.? And Tillie liked ?a soft ride? and ?hates tight reins.?
Riders in the fences competitions, who jump over low-slung hurdles on their mounts, memorize the course and then walk it to calculate how many strides their horse should take between each fence. ?We don?t really just steer over the jump and hope we make it,? says Carly Corbacho (SMG?15), an experienced rider who just missed qualifying for the nationals. ?We plan it out perfectly.? The whole point is ?to make each look exactly the same.?
Zarrella says riders are judged by position, control, and ?how pretty we can make it look? in their identical tan riding pants, dark navy jackets, polished black riding boots, and black helmets.
But here?s the clincher: riders have to do all that while looking like they haven?t moved a muscle.
Throughout the morning in Stoughton, riders and their horses jumped, trotted, cantered, came to full stops, and reversed directions in various events without giving an apparent visible or audible signal?although plenty of instruction was being exchanged. Making this fluid performance look effortless, of course, requires enormous effort, as well as physical strength (forged through hours at the gym and at the stables) and an instinctive ?feel? for a horse.
Meghan Kaupp (SMG?15) (from left), coach Phyllis Cervelli, and Zarrella.
The instruction flows from rider to horse through such things as a gentle whisper or the pressure of riders? legs, hands, and seat. ?All the aids that the riders use are supposed to be very subtle,? says Cervelli. ?Any combination of your natural aids is what makes the horse do exactly what you want.?
Judges watch, hawk-like, as riders jump individually over fences or compete ?on the flat? by walking, trotting, or cantering in a group at advanced, intermediate, and novice levels.
?Each judge looks for something different,? Cervelli says. ?It?s more the general impression the rider makes, which can be different on certain days if you have a horse that you don?t get along with.?It?s the reason why nobody wins all the time.?
But, the riders say, there is a widespread belief that judges prefer a certain type of rider: male.
?Boys are loved in riding because it?s such a female-populated sport,? says Corbacho. Luckily for BUET, the team had at least one male rider in Stoughton?Daniel Herbick (COM?15), who competed in the novice flat event.
Scoring is complicated. As Cervelli explains it, each school gets a point card with eight levels?from open fences to walk trot. Coaches pick a team point rider in each level, and immediately after each event, judges announce the first through sixth place riders, who earn points by ranking. Those who aren?t riding for team points still tally individual points and play defense, meaning they try to win big points to keep other teams? point riders from grabbing them.
Broadbent took first place in her intermediate fences class at Stoughton and scored seven points for her team. She also counted those points toward her individual season tally. Riders who earn 36 points in a season automatically qualify for the regional competition, even if their team does not.
Advanced riders like Kaupp learned to ride a horse before they were in elementary school.
BUET?s more experienced riders learned to ride before they entered elementary school. They share stories of concussions and broken ankles or collarbones from being tossed from a testy horse. And it can get worse. In June 2012, Time magazine reported that 12 professional riders died between 2007 and 2008. The sport?s death toll led officials to question whether equestrian should be included in last year?s London Olympics. (It was.)
During the warm-up at the Stoughton competition, an eerie silence fell over the crowd when one horse bucked and minutes later tossed its rider to the ground. She was fine, but the incident prompted officials to ask the crowd to keep their voices down.
Kaupp has had her share of injuries, but that doesn?t keep her from the animals she loves. ?There?s something about them that just makes your day better,? she says. ?I get really excited about training a horse. When you break through to somehow get this 2,000-pound animal to do what you want, it?s really rewarding.?
The BU equestrian team holds tryouts at the beginning of fall and spring semesters. All levels of riders, from beginners to advanced, are welcome. For more information, contact the club via Facebook.
Source: http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/equestrian-team-makes-it-look-easy/
photoshop cs6 beta cate blanchett nfl news tebow tebow jets romney etch a sketch jeb bush
| |
ny giants brandon marshall ryder cup Kate Middleton Bottomless the Pirate Bay Hotel Transylvania eagles
Statement from AT&T saying that cellphone service issues are linked to "congestion" contradict rumors that the service was shut down due to fears that cellphones were being used to activate explosive devices in the Boston area.
By Wilson Rothman
Cellphone congestion following the Boston Marathon bombings has led to many dropped calls, but according to wireless carriers, service has remained operational.
"There was no damage to the Verizon Wireless network, which is seeing elevated calling and data usage throughout the region since the explosions occurred," reads Verizon's statement, sent to NBC News.
Cell towers are like highway on-ramps ? if too many people try to get on at once, things get slow. And the rise of smartphones means people are on their phones for many reasons, all competing moment-to-moment for access to precious cellular bandwidth.
Carriers anticipated increased call demand around Boston's Copley Square area because of the marathon. They boosted network capacity through technical means and by bringing in temporary mobile towers. Without the extra capacity, call drops and poor connectivity may have been even worse. Regardless, the events that transpired led to an unanticipated amount of cellphone use, hence the issues.?
Sprint's?Crystal Davis told NBC News that despite "above-normal call blockage," Boston's Sprint network is "still operating." AT&T's official Twitter account tweeted, "Boston customers may have issues w/wireless voice & data service due to spike in network activity," but reported no outage.
During emergency situations, many people reach for their cellphones to let loved ones know they are OK. Invariably, the phones are already ringing nonstop from people who are seeking them as well. In times like these, the best advice is to make fewer calls, and use other means of communication.
"Customers are advised to use text or email to free up voice capacity for public safety officials at the scene," said Verizon. AT&T gave similar advice, and has made its Wi-Fi network around the marathon finish line free to the public for the time being.
The Associated Press earlier cited an unnamed "law enforcement official" as saying that "cellphone service has been shut down in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives." According to cellular carriers, this has not been the case.
what time is it current time a thousand words my sisters keeper
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) ? Who says "Harry Potter" is just for the pages of books and movies?
Thanks to the brainchild of two college roommates eight years ago, the International Quidditch Association is staging its sixth World Cup event in Kissimmee beginning on Saturday, and bringing 80 worldwide teams to compete in a real-life version of the sport played by characters in the fictional series.
Other than not having the ability to fly on broomsticks, quidditch has grown from a grassroots fringe activity enjoyed by "Harry Potter" fans to one that both novices and diehards alike can enjoy.
Although he embraces the growth, the league's commissioner, Alex Benepe, says he is resisting the urge to take on sponsorships in hopes of keeping the sport's original community spirit intact.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/harry-potter-sport-stages-world-cup-florida-202944619.html
nflx chicago blackhawks giuliana rancic giuliana rancic elie wiesel temptations work hard play hard
Stars like Sarah Jessica Parker and George Clooney are some of the most stylish celebs in Hollywood -- but not all of their fashion choices stand the test of time. The 1980s weren't always kind to everyone, after all!
meryl streep martin scorsese sacha baron cohen best picture nominees 2012 academy awards 2012 albert nobbs a star is born
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has decided not to invite Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to Margaret Thatcher's funeral next week, a government source told Reuters on Thursday, a snub likely to deepen a bitter diplomatic dispute over the Falkland Islands.
The source said it would be normal protocol to invite representatives from every country with which Britain enjoys "normal" diplomatic relations to the funeral, but said Thatcher's family had objected to Fernandez being invited.
"It's about adhering to her family's wishes," the source said, adding that discussions were taking place to determine whether a more junior representative from Argentina could be invited instead.
Thatcher, 87, who died on Monday, led Britain at the time of the 1982 Falklands war ordering her armed forces to repel an Argentine invasion of the contested South Atlantic archipelago which Argentina calls Las Malvinas. Fernandez has mounted an increasingly vocal campaign to renegotiate its sovereignty.
In a special parliamentary debate about her legacy on Wednesday, many MPs from her ruling Conservative party paid tribute to her leadership during the war and her funeral will have a Falklands theme with military personnel from units that fought in the conflict playing a prominent role.
The government is expected to release details about who will be attending next week's funeral later on Thursday morning. Her ceremonial funeral with military honours will begin with a procession through London to a service at St Paul's Cathedral.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-snubs-argentina-over-margaret-thatcher-funeral-092537571.html
Walmart.com detroit lions Thanksgiving Day cooking a turkey toysrus
Watson will receive the MTV Trailblazer Award at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards, an honor her 'This Is the End' co-star dubs 'impressive.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Emma Watson in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
Photo: Summit Entertainment
the shins atomic clock john mccain game changer corned beef recipe
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY
Famous names, including Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois governor Pat Quinn were among those who eulogized film critic Roger Ebert at his funeral Monday at Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral. The Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic died Thursday at age 70 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
John Gress / Reuters
Chaz Ebert watches as her husband Roger Ebert's casket is carried in to his funeral in Chicago.
Emanuel called Ebert, "the most American of American critics in the most American of cities." Emanuel said he always had two questions about any movie he wanted to see, "what time does it start and what did Roger think about it."
"The final reel of Roger's life may have run to the end, but his memory will never fade," said Emanuel.
Quinn recalled meeting the critic at his film festival, Ebertfest, and recalled how he always stood for social justice.
"We love you, Roger," Quinn said. "We always will. Thumbs up!"
Jonathan Jackson, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, delivered thoughts from his father and also relayed comments from filmmaker Spike Lee. Jackson and Lee both praised Ebert for his attention to African-American film.?
Former Sun-Times publisher John Barron recalled Ebert's devotion to the newspaper industry, saying that being his boss was "the easiest job I ever had." Barron noted that "we at the Sun-Times were always proud to say we worked where Roger Ebert worked."
Ebert's stepdaughter Sonia recalled his love for her family, especially her children, saying "he embraced all of us as his own." Ebert married her mother, Chaz Hammelsmith, in 1992 at age 50. "Roger, I want to thank you for nothing more than being you and loving us," she said.
Ebert's widow also spoke, though she said that when she woke up she wasn't sure she'd be able to do so. "This morning I didn't want to get out of bed," she said. "And then it felt like he was there with me." Indicating her elaborate black veiled hat, she said "he loves this hat, that's why I wore it today."
John Gress / Reuters
Roger Ebert's widow, Chaz, spoke briefly at his funeral service and noted that the black veiled hat she wore was a favorite of her husband's.
Ebert's granddaughter, Raven Evans, read from the Book of Isaiah, and filmmaker Gregory Nava delivered the petitions. "A heart as great as Roger's can never die," Nava said.
The funeral homily made mention of Ebert's recent blog post, "How I Am A Roman Catholic," written as Pope Benedict gave way to Pope Francis. Movies "Vanilla Sky" and "The Hours" were also mentioned, as was "Silence," Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel about a Jesuit missionary in 17th century Japan.
"We believe for (Ebert) life has changed, not ended," said Rev. John Costello.
The public was welcome at the service, and the Sun-Times reported that young film critic Matt Fagerholm, who writes for HollywoodChicago.com, was first in line.
Fagerholm was a college student when he met Ebert. "Just being able to have him as a colleague and a friendly acquaintance was a huge honor," he told the newspaper.
Former CBS anchor Bill Kurtis and "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James, who is making a documentary on Ebert?s life, also attended, according to the Sun-Times. Columnist Richard Roeper, who co-hosted "At the Movies with Roger Ebert" after Gene Siskel's death, was among the pallbearers.
Ebert's website requested donations to the Ebert Foundation, a non-profit that supports arts and education programs, in lieu of flowers.?
Another memorial to Ebert will be held Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre, where the critic often attended movie screenings and where a sidewalk star honors him. That event will include clips from Ebert's television show and musical performances.
Related content:
?
giuliana rancic elie wiesel temptations work hard play hard tim ferriss wmt human nature
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Powerful winds raked much of California on Monday, toppling trees, spreading wildfires, causing scattered power outages, whipping up blinding dust storms, and sending waves crashing ashore as a vigorous spring weather system swept through the state on its way across the West.
Rising winds were reported in Arizona, where 34 miles of Interstate 40 near Winslow were closed to traffic.
In Phoenix, blowing dust obscured the mountains surrounding the city, and at least four people were injured in a pileup when two semi-trucks jackknifed in a dust storm on I-10 in southern Arizona. The injuries were not life-threatening.
New Mexico was expected to start feeling the impact late Monday, and in Colorado, the blustery system was expected to bring up to 2 feet of snow.
Northern California was first to feel the lashing blasts, which spread to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
At least a dozen trees came down in San Francisco, police officer John Tozzini told KGO-TV, which reported that more than 20,000 utility customers lost power in the region. A swath of electrical outages occurred across the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The wind sent a tree smashing into a Sacramento home where four friends were playing cards, but they didn't stop the game, according to KCRA-TV.
"It could've been worse," said Dodie Backus, who lives in the house.
"It's not going to stop our bridge game," said her game partner, Marilyn Baker.
The northwest-to-north winds were punctuated with gusts topping 80 mph at some Southern California points.
The blustery system was being fueled by a cold front.
"It's just a cold, really strong upper low," said Carol Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, Calif.
Whitecaps flecked the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, where gale warnings and small craft advisories were posted. Recreational boaters were warned to stay in port. Wind-driven swells slapped over the tops of breakwaters and turned waves into a churning froth under piers at points such as Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach on the Los Angeles County coast.
The wind turned small wildfires into big problems in some areas, including a blaze in Fillmore about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles that burned two homes and forced the evacuation of 84 homes.
Blowing dust forced the California Highway Patrol to close state Route 14 in the high desert Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles due to low visibility. Officer Michael Farrell said minor accidents occurred as motorists stopped and were hit from behind by other cars. No major injuries were reported.
The power went out for more than 13,000 Southern Californians because of the winds. Areas of the north San Fernando Valley experienced outages as tree branches tangled with power lines in at least two areas, said Michelle Vargas, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. About 740 homes in Sylmar and 15 homes in Pacoima were affected.
About 2,700 homes were without power because of at least five downed utility poles in the remote desert area of Borrego Springs in San Diego County, according to Amber Albrecht, spokeswoman for San Diego Gas and Electric.
Southern California Edison reported major weather-related outages throughout the San Gabriel Valley, with the lights out for thousands of customers in Rosemead, Monterey Park and Altadena.
In Ventura County, the power was out for 1,115 homes. Outages also affected more than 200 homes in Garden Grove and more than 80 homes in La Habra.
Air quality alerts were issued for northern Santa Barbara County and adjacent southern San Luis Obispo County because of blowing dust and sand.
The massive rush of air also had an upside. California's main power grid manager, the Independent System Operator, reported that turbines spinning within the ISO grid produced a record of 4,196 megawatts Sunday. The previous record was 3,944 megawatts on March 3.
___
Associated Press writers Greg Risling and John Antczak in Los Angeles; Paul Davenport and Walter Berry in Phoenix; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this story.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/windy-spring-storm-sweeps-calif-arizona-034919431.html
Christian Bale visits victims Christian Bale Sherman Hemsley Olympics Opening Ceremony Katherine Jackson Olympics Opening Ceremony Time paris jackson
Father Keith Wilkie Denford, 78, and Michael Mytton, 69, abused their access to young boys while they worked together at St John the Evangelist Church in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
Hove Crown Court heard how the priest had gave one of the boys alcohol and then got into a bath with him while aroused.
Denford had invited the boy to stay over after he acted as a waiter for a dinner party at his house.
On the same evening he pressed himself up against the other boy intimately in bed while saying: 'How nice it is to have a cuddle.'
Prosecutors said Denford from Shoreham-by-Sea groomed two 13-year-old boys over 18 months between 1987 and 1990.
The prosecutor told the court: 'Over a period of time, he sought to gain their trust and, put simply, he was grooming them.'
One of Denford?s two victims recalled telling another vicar about the abuse - but nothing was done.
It was not until last year that police were alerted after one of the boys, now in his thirties, found out that Denford was still in contact with children.
Denford was found guilty of indecent assault against the two boys while Mytton, from East Chiltington, East Sussex, was convicted of indecent assault with a third boy who was aged 10 or 11.
The third boy told investigators that Mytton would perform a regular sex act on him and that he once accompanied Mytton to a dinner party as his 'plus one'.
Mytton told officers following his arrest: 'I like boys. If I was a straight gay, life would be a lot easier. I like boys, I know I like boys and it has cost me everything.'
Source: http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=153716&goto=newpost
Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game john lennon leann rimes pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha Butch Jones
Apr. 5, 2013 ? NASA's Kepler space telescope, in concert with Cornell-led measurements of stars' ultraviolet activity, has observed the effects of a dead star bending the light of its companion red star.
The findings are among the first detections of this effect -- a result predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity -- in binary, or double, star systems.
The dead star, also called a white dwarf, is the burnt-out core of what used to be a star like our sun. It is locked in an orbiting dance with its partner, a small "red dwarf" star. While the tiny white dwarf is physically smaller than the red dwarf, it is more massive. When the white dwarf passed in front of its star, its gravity caused the starlight to observably bend and brighten.
"This white dwarf is about the size of Earth but the mass of the sun," said Phil Muirhead, Ph.D. '11, of the California Institute of Technology and lead author of the findings to be published April 20 in the Astrophysical Journal, titled "Characterizing the cool KOIs: A mutually eclipsing post-common envelope binary."
"It's so hefty that the red dwarf, though larger in physical size, is circling around the white dwarf," Muirhead continued.
The research team used Cornell-led ultraviolet measurements of the star called (Kepler Object of Interest) KOI-256 taken by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), a NASA space telescope operated by Caltech. The GALEX observations were conducted by Cornell researchers Jamie Lloyd, associate professor of astronomy and of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Kevin Covey, former postdoctoral associate now at Lowell Observatory; and Lucianne Walkowicz of Princeton University and Evgenya Shkolnik of Lowell Observatory.
Still in early phases and for which Cornell students are now being recruited by Lloyd, the GALEX program measures ultraviolet activity in all the stars in the Kepler field of view -- an indicator of potential habitability for planets.
Graduate student and co-author Jim Fuller also did a theoretical analysis of the star system in the context of its future and past evolutions.
The red dwarf orbits the white dwarf in just 1.4 days. This orbital period is so short that the stars must have previously undergone a "common-envelope" phase in which the red dwarf orbited within the outer layers of the star that formed the white dwarf, Fuller explained.
Moreover, the short orbital period means the red dwarf's days are numbered: In a few billion years, the intense gravity of the white dwarf will strip material off the red dwarf, forming a hot accretion disk of in-falling material around the white dwarf.
"This system is especially exciting because it allows us to accurately characterize the peaceful state of these systems before the violent mass-transfer phase begins," Fuller said.
Kepler's primary job is to scan stars in search of orbiting planets. As the planets pass by, they block the starlight by miniscule amounts, which Kepler's sensitive detectors can see.
So far, Kepler has identified more than 2,700 planet candidates. Still ongoing is the mission's search for planets similar to Earth in size and temperature that orbit a star like our sun. Ultimately, Kepler will reveal how common Earth-size planets are in the Milky Way galaxy.
To learn more about this particular star system, Muirhead and colleagues also used the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. Using a technique called radial velocity, they discovered that the red dwarf was wobbling around like a spinning top. The wobble was too big to be from the tug of a planet. That's when they knew they were looking at a massive white dwarf passing behind the red dwarf, rather than a gas giant passing in front.
One of the consequences of Einstein's theory of general relativity is that gravity bends light. Astronomers regularly observe this phenomenon, often called gravitational lensing, which has been used to discover new planets and hunt for free-floating planets.
In this new study, scientists used gravitational lensing to determine the mass of the white dwarf. By combining this information with all the data they acquired, they were able to accurately measure the mass of the red dwarf and the physical sizes of both stars.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cornell University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/uEUbZayfGuE/130405094732.htm
christine christine will ferrell double fine adventure turbo tax katharine mcphee cold mountain
Recently, a two-man traveling contact team (TCT) from U.S. Army Africa Inspector General's Office shared professional knowledge with 18 officers and NCOs of Armed Forces of Liberia during a week-long engagement.
At the request of the AFL, Capt. James Watson and Sgt. 1st Class Bobby Conn journeyed to Camp Sandee Ware, near Monrovia, Liberia, to assist in development of an Inspector General cell.
According to Watson, AFL is a relatively newly formed and compact organization.
"AFL is about eight years old and they are standing up their first IG cell," Watson said. "The Republic of Liberia is a small West African nation with a young and ambitious armed force. AFL is an evolving and developing organization. This was the fourth USARAF IG TCT visit to Liberia and our goals included reviewing and helping AFL to refine their newly drafted IG doctrine."
In the U.S. Army, the Office of the Inspector General assists commanders in determining the state of discipline, efficiency and other areas of concern. Often they are asked to work as a problem-solving and impartial fact-finding agency with the objective of helping Soldiers, Families and civilians resolve issues of concern, impropriety or wrongdoing. An IG office is often the place where complaints from these stake-holders are received, investigated and resolved.
During the TCT, Watson gauged the development of the AFL IG cell and provided advice on the establishment of objectives as well as developing a plan for sustained mentorship from USARAF's IG office.
Conn, a native of Ashland, Ky., discussed a few topics covered by the team during their engagement.
"We presented several real-world issues and cases similar to what will occur in a typical IG office," Conn said. "These scenarios were discussed during open forums which offered the AFL staff a varied perspective to IG operations. We're helping the AFL IG cell grow and develop and in turn building partner capacity for the entire organization."
Conn said the TCT adapted to challenges during their engagement.
"We occasionally held discussions in outdoor classrooms. It allowed us to escape some of the heat in the classrooms. But the AFL participants were eager and kept the discussions lively," Conn said.
Currently, AFL Maj. Davidson Forleh is in charge of the AFL IG cell.
Forleh, Watson, Conn and other inspector general personnel have had a partnering relationship since 2010. Forleh described some of the benefits he and his team received from the TCT.
"This is the first IG cell for the AFL. Capt. Watson and Sgt. 1st Class Conn are significantly impacting its development," said Forleh. "Their involvement has been very informative and rewarding for everyone that has been part of the discussion."
"The knowledge that these gentlemen have imparted to us will take us a long way. Particularly valuable to us is the standard used to conduct investigations and make reports. Capt. Watson gave us a copy of the Army regulations and those are tremendously helpful," Forleh said.
According to Watson, the USARAF team shared how Army IG offices conduct business.
"This was a follow-on visit with the AFL, so they already had a basic idea of how a U.S. Army IG [office] operates. One aspect of Army management is the role of the NCO Corps. Incorporation of NCOs in the AFL isn't as wide ranging as it is in the U.S. Army," he said.
Watson explained the importance and roles of NCOs in the IG system.
"We shared some ideas on how to incorporate noncommissioned officers into their office structure. Previously, they had only commissioned officers. And at a minimum NCOs advise officers before they make decisions. Additionally, NCOs can often offer a different perspective to a situation or decision making process," Watson said. "We have learned through more than 230 years that NCOs are the backbone of the U.S. Army."
Watson said leaving the cool climate of Winter-time Italy to travel to equatorial Africa offers a challenge in adjusting to high heat and humidity.
"The classroom environment offered an unexpected challenge for us. We improvised and decided to conduct many of our discussions outdoors in a gazebo. Interior rooms were almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit at nearly 100 percent relative humidity. Through this simple change, we were able to persevere and share information," Watson said.
One of the things they shared with the AFL IG was the U.S. Army's regulations governing IG operations.
"We discussed inspection regulations and provided the AFL with a copy of our regulations," Watson said.
Overall, Watson believes the team has made a long-lasting impact on the burgeoning AFL IG cell.
"I think we made difference and that the AFL IG cell is well on the path to becoming fully functional. They are a growing organization and will have an equally growing IG cell," Watson said.
What does the future hold for the AFL Inspector General's office?
"In the near future, I see them working independently without any mentorship from others. I remain hopeful we can continue our partnership and continue to have valuable exchanges between U.S. Army Africa IG and the AFL IG," Watson said.
Source: http://www.army.mil/article/100352/U_S__Army_Africa_Inspector_General_Soldiers_travel_to_Liberia/
