Kelly Clarkson, Pitbull, More Added To 'VH1 Divas' Lineup

Annual girl-power party airs live on VH1 December 16, with Adam Lambert set to host.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kelly Clarkson
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698181/kelly-clarkson-pitbull-vh1-divas-lineup.jhtml

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New method of manufacturing smallest structures in electronics: Discovery could revolutionize semiconductors

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2012) ? A completely new method of manufacturing the smallest structures in electronics could make their manufacture thousands of times quicker, allowing for cheaper semiconductors. The findings have been published in the latest issue of Nature.

Instead of starting from a silicon wafer or other substrate, as is usual today, researchers have made it possible for the structures to grow from freely suspended nanoparticles of gold in a flowing gas.

Behind the discovery is Lars Samuelson, Professor of Semiconductor Physics at Lund University, Sweden, and head of the University's Nanometre Structure Consortium. He believes the technology will be ready for commercialisation in two to four years' time. A prototype for solar cells is expected to be completed in two years.

"When I first suggested the idea of getting rid of the substrate, people around me said 'you're out of your mind, Lars; that would never work'. When we tested the principle in one of our converted ovens at 400?C, the results were better than we could have dreamt of," he says.

"The basic idea was to let nanoparticles of gold serve as a substrate from which the semiconductors grow. This means that the accepted concepts really were turned upside down!"

Since then, the technology has been refined, patents have been obtained and further studies have been conducted. In the article in Nature, the researchers show how the growth can be controlled using temperature, time and the size of the gold nanoparticles.

Recently, they have also built a prototype machine with a specially built oven. Using a series of ovens, the researchers expect to be able to 'bake' the nanowires, as the structures are called, and thereby develop multiple variants, such as p-n diodes. A further advantage of the technology is avoiding the cost of expensive semiconductor wafers.

"In addition, the process is not only extremely quick, it is also continuous. Traditional manufacture of substrates is batch-based and is therefore much more time-consuming," adds Lars Samuelson.

At the moment, the researchers are working to develop a good method to capture the nanowires and make them self-assemble in an ordered manner on a specific surface. This could be glass, steel or another material suited to the purpose. The reason why no one has tested this method before, in the view of Professor Samuelson, is that today's method is so basic and obvious. Such things tend to be difficult to question.

However, the Lund researchers have a head start thanks to their parallel research based on an innovative method in the manufacture of nanowires on semiconductor wafers, known as epitaxy -- consequently, the researchers have chosen to call the new method aerotaxy. Instead of sculpting structures out of silicon or another semiconductor material, the structures are instead allowed to develop, atomic layer by atomic layer, through controlled self-organisation.

The structures are referred to as nanowires or nanorods. The breakthrough for these semiconductor structures came in 2002 and research on them is primarily carried out at Lund, Berkeley and Harvard universities.

The Lund researchers specialise in developing the physical and electrical properties of the wires, which helps create better and more energy-saving solar cells, LEDs, batteries and other electrical equipment that is now an integrated part of our lives.

Besides Lars Samuelson, the other authors of the article are: Magnus Heurlin, Martin Magnusson, David Lindgren, Martin Ek, Reine Wallenberg and Knut Deppert, all employed at Lund University, except for Martin Magnusson, who works at start-up company Sol Voltaics AB.

About semiconductors Semiconductors are materials that neither conduct electricity as well as metals, nor stop a current as effectively as insulators -- silicon and germanium are two examples. These properties may not sound attractive, but in actual fact they are excellent. The reason is that we can influence the conductive capacity of the materials, for example by introducing impurity atoms, known as doping. Materials with different types of doping can be combined to manufacture products such as transistors, solar cells or LEDs.

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---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Lund University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Magnus Heurlin, Martin H. Magnusson, David Lindgren, Martin Ek, L. Reine Wallenberg, Knut Deppert, Lars Samuelson. Continuous gas-phase synthesis of nanowires with tunable properties. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11652

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/top_news/top_technology/~3/_Sy3gopuJIw/121128143942.htm

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Hewlett-Packard: An example of folly in American business - Daily Kos

Interestingly, the CEO of H-P, Meg Whitman not too long ago ran for governor of California claiming that an experienced business person like her would be better able to resolve the State's economic difficulties than anyone else. She now finds herself not only unable to reverse the decline of the entity she manages, but forced to admit in the case of current acquisition gone bad that she failed to do the due-diligence investigation before committing her company to take on that risk that even a neophyte governmental employee would have done before spending taxpayer dollars.

Now I point this out not to comment on the exemplary wisdom of the California electorate nor on Ms. Whitman?s competence as a manager, but to speculate on why such a distinguished and innovative American technological powerhouse has fallen so low.

H-P is one of the poster children for the of the rise of Silicon Valley and America?s leadership in modern electronic technology. Beginning in the proverbial garage, H-P prospered moving from one innovative technological advance to another, until it stopped. Why did it stop?

The innovation ended because at some point in its growth it hired to run the corporation more and more trained managers from the best business schools in America; like Ms Whitman and before her Leo Apotheker (Leo the pharmacist) and before him the over-sexed Mark Hurd. Along with these highly trained business managers, the best accountants, financial analysts and attorneys also were recruited to join the management team. They discovered, as they discover in every previously innovative company they are brought in to manage, a number of things that they knew would make the company better.

Among the first things they realized was that it was essential in order to make the company more successful that they needed to hire even more managers and the like and pay them even more money so that they could attract the best management talent and retain them. They realized this at the same time they realized that the experienced workers in the assembly lines, the technicians in the laboratories and the like could be hired for less money in other countries thereby saving the company money and making it more profitable. Of course, the first mistake that these highly trained and very expensive managers made was their failure to realize that they could save even more money for the company by also out-sourcing their costly managerial jobs to low-cost jurisdictions. Nevertheless, they were certain with the cost cutting that they had done the company was going to be even more competitive in the market. But it wasn?t.

The second thing these experts at running businesses figured out was that it was cheaper to buy future innovation than to do it yourself. So while the company?s in-house innovation efforts withered, they purchased company after company that had already spent lots of money on product development.They cleverly saved the cost of hit or miss product development by having someone else spent the money and take the risks. They now were able, with this newly acquired technology, to become even more competitive. But they didn?t.

What about competition? They hated competition. It was risky and expensive they reasoned, so they decided to buy the competition where they could and this they reasoned would make them even more successful. They did, and it didn?t.

It turns out that the buying of innovation and competitors has cost H-P more than $40 billion over the last decade. Of that $40 billion, it should be noted that at least 15% went to Wall Street, accountants, consultants and lawyers to execute the transactions. What that means is that out of that $40 billion $6 billion or so never made it to making the company better. Did that make the company more profitable and competitive? I do not think so since during that same time period the company?s market value shrunk about 70%.

Imagine if instead the company did not need to attract all that managerial talent and instead spent that $40 billion of research, development and innovation and chose to compete rather than taking the lazy way out. And it was the lazy way out. You see only lazy people will spend whatever time it takes to figure out how to avoid doing the really hard work; in this case the hard work of innovating, producing and competing.

This sad story is not a story about just one company. It is the story about how many companies operate in America today. No matter how many times Steve Jobs would have come back and forced the company to focus on innovation and competition, the moment he left the management would go right back to seeking the short-term easy way out. Now that he has gone for good, Apple management, ?seems committed to squandering his legacy and, like the management of some many of America's largest companies, blaming it in everyone else; government regulation, changed competitive environment, wages, taxes, the high cost of labor, Obamacare or what have you.

Unfortunately, today in America all too often what passes for a successful company is one teetering at the edge between innovation and decline. Unless of course, the business is a fast food franchise or it drills for oil.

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/29/1165603/-Hewlett-Packard-An-example-of-folly-in-American-business-management

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Fresh Friday Link-up: E-Book, Week 8, and Cow's Milk Allergy Guide ...

Hey my Beautiful Blossoming Daffodils!

Thanks for all of your heart-warming comments and emails I got from my last post. Your kindness, love, and support really brought me to tears and I am so grateful for all of your encouragement. I know I may not be perfect (I released myself from my obsession with perfectionism), but that doesn?t mean I can?t live my life the best I can. The more strive to help others and lose myself in the service of others, I am better able to find myself. One thing I have learned is that some things take time. Getting an education takes time. Finding balance takes time. Healing takes time. I just have to keep pressing forward with steadfastness, striving to be the best me I can, and then I can come off conqueror.

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I just finished up my second phase of ThisFitChick?s workout program. These past 4 weeks have consisted of 4 heavy weight sessions a week (two of which I combine into one because of my schedule) and with 3 HIT cardio sessions.The next 4 weeks will consist of 3 heavy weight sessions (one day arms, next day legs, and last day arms+abs) and 4 HIT cardio sessions (that involve either speed cardio on a machine or full body cardio moves to rev up the heart rate).?I found this past week of workouts were starting to get a little easy for me (because I was getting stronger with each session), so I?m definitely ready to change things up with this next 4 weeks of challenges, starting with week 9.

Katherine from The Real Food Runner is having a Fresh Friday Link-Up Party, and I?d thought I?d join the fun.

Here are 3 things that made my week Fresh & Fantastic:

1.?Tayla put together a beautiful and inspiring e-book on accepting and loving yourself as you are today. It?s filled with inspirational quotes and messages that have helped her in the past, and she put them all together in one place and is giving it out for free. If you want to grab a copy of it, go over to her blog and you can download it via Google Docs.

2. I had a green smoothie this morning ? I felt absolutely amazing afterwards.

3. I have a guest post for you from Bianca Ridley, a leading nutritionist from Nutricia, a company that specializes in the delivery of advanced medical nutrition for the very young, the old and the sick. She wrote a fantastic guide (printed below) that discusses a cow?s milk allergy and shares ways parents can make the lives of their children with a cow?s milk allergy a little easier.?

Cows? Milk Allergy: A Parent?s Guide

Having a baby and being a parent is tough. Mums definitely have it tough too, as most of the things our baby wants are supplied by us: breast milk, cuddles, mummy-baby skin-to-skin, that kind of thing. When they are born, unless daddy is at home 24/7, we do almost everything to make sure our ?mini me? is healthy and happy.

Sometimes, things aren?t always quite perfect. If being pregnant wasn?t worrying enough, they then drop our fragile little bundles into the big scary world. Allergens are just one of the world?s evil tricks. While some children are predisposed, there is just no way of telling what they will react to. Among the most common allergies are dust, cows? milk, pets and nuts.

Cows? milk allergy can be a very difficult one to manage. Avoiding it as a drink helps, but if you pick up a packet of something in the supermarket and read the back, you might notice they have included milk in disguise. It is rarely referred to as ?milk?, and instead you may find ?hydrolyzed whey protein? or ?casein? among the ingredients list. This is milk, hiding in plain sight.

When a child is diagnosed with CMA, it is often a huge relief. Symptoms include colic, reflux, constipation or diarrhea, and skin problems such as rashes or eczema. More extreme reactions can include breathing difficulties or even anaphylaxis. As a parent, having a name for the unsettled, screaming, refluxy baby that just won?t let you sleep can really help. So what next?

Since CMA is often detected in infancy, their diet must be reviewed by a dietician. Breastfed babies will usually continue to take mum?s breast milk while mum sticks to a restricted diet. Bottle fed babies, and some breastfed babies, may be prescribed medical nutrition such as a special medical formula which may help to ease symptoms. If reflux is one of the troubling symptoms, try feeding your baby their bottle with their head elevated, or for a breastfed baby, sit them up in a slight reclining position when they have finished their feed. The next challenge is weaning.

Milk-free weaning is possible, especially if you choose to cook for your child. Guidelines state that allergic children should not wean before six months as there is an allergy-preventing enzyme in their stomach that does not develop until this time. However, once you start, it isn?t as restricted as you may think! Pureed fruit and vegetables are perfect, and don?t have any extras in. If cooking meat dishes, avoid coupling them with creamy milk-based sauces, and opt for gravy or a tomato-based product instead. Experiment with different foods to see what your child enjoys.

If you don?t have time to cook all the time, there are some amazing organic food ranges which contain minimal ingredients and taste really good too (from experience). If you offer breakfast, porridges and even some baby rice products can contain milk, so make sure you check the packets.

Keeping a food diary and noting symptoms is very important when managing CMA. Sometimes, a child may react to a new food, or you may take a ?dairy challenge?, usually on a doctor or dietician?s advice. Recognizing a reaction may help to distinguish new allergies, or, in the case of food challenges, can establish if a child has outgrown CMA.

If you notice a change in your child?s symptoms, or something new, be strong when talking to your healthcare professional. Many parents find that GPs are not necessarily the most understanding with CMA, as it is not something they usually diagnose. It may help to write things down for them.

Most children will outgrow it by age 4, while it may take until age 6 for some. While some may never outgrow it, there is good news: it is a completely manageable condition. By being vigilant, and encouraging your child to do the same when they are a little older, this allergy can be totally controlled. Finding the best way to cope is half the battle won.

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Do you have a food allergy? How do you handle it?

Do you prefer E-books or paperback/hardback books?

What?s one thing that made your week?fresh and fantastic?

With lots of hugs,

Love what you see? Share it with others!

Tags: e-book, fresh friday link-up, Green Smoothie, Health, Milk allergy, ThisFitChick, workouts

Source: http://katshealthcorner.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/fresh-friday-link-up-e-book-workouts-and-cows-milk-allergy-guide/

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First accredited German language centre in Wales ... - Education

• Wednesday, November 28, 2012
• French Language

Cardiff University?s Centre for Lifelong Learning is the first language provider in Wales to be accredited by the Goethe-Institut to conduct internationally recognised German language examinations.

The Goethe-Institut, with headquarters in Munich, is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany whose purpose it to promote knowledge of the German language and culture abroad. Their examinations correspond to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and are well known throughout the world and accepted as a qualification by employers.

After assessing the Centre and its German language provision, the Goethe-Institut signed a partnership agreement for holding the examinations of the Goethe-Institut at Cardiff University.

Helga Eckart, Senior Lecturer at the Centre said: ?With Germany being a top-employment country for British people it is hoped that many will be encouraged to sit these exams. We are excited that from 2013 onwards we will be an examination centre of the Goethe-Institut and I am thrilled that we are the first and the only institution in Wales to sign such an agreement.?

The range of German language courses that the Centre offers, from beginners to advanced, will provide ample opportunity to practise for these certificates.

Juliana Nau, a German Tutor at the Centre said: ?Taking some of the Goethe-Institut exams will punctuate your progress and attest your level of competence at any given time. The Goethe-Institut exams offer some of the most widely recognized German language qualifications and are offered at six different levels, from basic to near native proficiency.? They are purely skills based rather than predominantly academic.? In other words, spoken communication, listening to news and interviews, reading texts and e-mails feature high on the agenda.? Most of our German classes follow a syllabus that will prepare you for these exams.?

Over the years, strong links with Paris, Madrid and Sienna have been developed for the DELF/DALF qualifications in French, the DELE in Spanish and the CILS in Italian and more recently Public Service Interpreting ? qualifications which many language students have benefitted from. It is hoped that the German examination Centre will be just as successful.

Related posts:

1. First accredited German language centre in Wales | Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning
2. First accredited German language centre in Wales | Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning
3. First accredited German language centre in Wales | Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning
4. First accredited German language centre in Wales | Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning
5. Oman first Gulf nation to introduce German as second foreign language in schools

Source: http://www.earic.com/language-education/french-language/first-accredited-german-language-centre-in-wales-cardiff-centre-for-lifelong-learning-5.html

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Toro Energy Limited (ASX:TOE) Managing Director's Presentation to 2012 AGM

Adelaide, Nov 28, 2012 (ABN Newswire) - Toro Energy Limited (ASX:TOE) are pleased to provide the Managing Director's Presentation to 2012 AGM.

Key Points

"To become a significant sustainable uranium mining company focusing on developing a top tier exploration and production profile in the global uranium mining sector."

Wiluna Uranium Project & Region

- WA Ministerial environmental approval received
- One of the few projects globally capable of production from 2015
- 54mlb (24,200 tonnes) U3O8 total regional JORC resource*

Front-running project with Federal Govt decision anticipated Q4

Theseus Uranium Project

- Exciting discovery in greenfield exploration of new uranium province
- High grade tenor (up to 1% pU3O8) with potential acid ISR extraction#
- Exploration target range (ETR) 22 - 44mlbs (10,000-20,000t) U3O8*

Maiden resource and updated ETR in Q4 2012

View the complete presentation at the link below:
http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-TOE-709153.pdf

Source: http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/74288/

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32 yrs, Female, 5'4", Hindu, Bengali, India

Personal Information

In My Own Words

I like reading and traveling most of all and I severely dislike Nuktachini (if you understand what I mean.. if you dont.. ask me... ). I love big families, old people and children. I would like somebody very tall, big and preferably hindi speaking who likes traveling and talking with me. I can talk about varying subjects and like a person who has opinions on those subjects but is open minded enough for my opinions too... I am a fairly good cook and love spicy and hot food... like wearing jeans and a T-Shirt informally and sarees formally.... I have high myopia so wear thick glasses.... Am very heavy in weight but usually dont look so much and am trying to loose weight....but may not be lightweight ever....
From my families angle somebody Probasi Bengali like our family will be best but this is not a requirement.... I would prefer somebody who has grown up in North / West India spl UP......

Basic Details

Body Type / Complexion

Athletic / Wheatish

Height

5?Ft?4?In / 163 Cms

Eating Habits

Non Vegetarian

Drinking Habits

Light / Social drinker

Smoking Habits

Non-smoker

Religious Information

Religion

Hindu

Caste / Sub Caste

(Caste No Bar) / Bengali Kulin Kayastha

Gothram

Gautam

Star / Raasi

Not Specified / Vrishabh (Taurus)

Manglik

Yes

Location

Professional Information

Occupation

Scientist / Researcher

Education in Detail

M.Sc. Geophysics

Occupation in Detail

Research Scholar in Paleoclimate

Employed in

Government/PSU

Annual Income

Rs.?2.59 lakhs

Family Details

Father's Occupation

Railway personnel Deceased

Mother's Occupation

PGt Teacher

Family Status

Middle class

No of Brother(s)

Not Specified

Ancestral Origin

Natibpur, Hoogli, WB

No of Sister(s)

Not Specified

About My Family

Father died last year... mother will retire this year... I am closest to my grandmother.... We used to have a joint family but scattered away now... I really miss my cousins who never let me feel an only child... I think of myself as the eldest girl in an extended family and am as managing and enterprising as one... I have good relations with most of our relatives...

Hobbies & Interests

Hobbies

Cooking, Nature, Photography

Interests

Book clubs, Computer games, Learning new languages, Movies, Music, Reading, Social service, Travel, Writing

Favorite Music

Devotional, Disco, Film songs, Ghazals, Indian classical, Indipop, Jazz, Pop, Qawalis, Sufi

Favorite Reads

Actually a bookworm, Classics, Comics, Fantasy, History, Humor, Literature, Magazines/newspapers, Romance, Science fiction

Preferred Movies

Comedy, Classics, Drama, Epics, Romantic, Sci-Fi & fantasy, Movie fanatic

Sports/Fitness Activities

Aerobics, Jogging / walking, Yoga / meditation

Favorite Cuisine

Bengali, Chinese, Continental, Italian, Moghlai, Punjabi, Rajasthani, South Indian, I'm a foodie

Preferred Dress Style

Casual wear, Indian / Ethnic wear

Spoken Languages

Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu

Partner Preference

Basic Information

Height

5 Ft 10 In - 7 Ft / 178 Cms - 213 Cms

Marital Status

Unmarried, Widower, Divorced

Mother Tongue

Bengali, Bhojpuri, Hindi

Eating Habits

Non Vegetarian

Smoking Habits

Non-smoker

Drinking Habits

Non-drinker, Light / Social drinker

Have Child

Doesn't matter

Religious Information

Professional Information

Education

Bachelors - Engineering / Computers / Others, Masters - Engineering / Computers / Others, Bachelors - Management / Others, Masters - Management / Others, Bachelors - Medicine - General / Dental / Surgeon / Others, Masters - Medicine - General / Dental / Surgeon / Others, Bachelors - Legal / Others, Masters - Legal / Others, Service - IAS / IPS / IRS / IES / IFS / Others, PhD, Finance - ICWAI / CA / CS/ CFA / Others

Location

What I am Looking For

I would like somebody very tall and preferably hindi speaking who likes traveling and talking with me. I can talk about varying subjects and like a person who has opinions on those subjects but is open minded enough for my opinions too...

Source: http://profile.bengalimatrimony.com/profiledetail/viewprofile.php?id=B655674

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Google hustles Android 4.2.1 onto Nexus devices to give you December back

With the rollout of a major OS upgrade like Android 4.2, we can imagine it's easy to forget something, but Google's omission of the entire month of December in the People app was certainly a doozy. The beauty of the Nexus program is that Google can rectify little issues like that post-haste, however, and Mountain View has now rolled out Jelly Bean 4.2.1, a small update that adds back that all-too-important month. So far, Nexus 4 and 10 users have reported getting the update, according to XDA Developers, though there's no evidence yet of any other fixes. Check your Nexus device (or the source) to see if it's arrived in time for, you know.

Update: Looks as if the Nexus 7 is a go, too!

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Google

Comments

Via: Talk Android

Source: XDA Developers (forum)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/27/google-hustles-android-4-2-1-onto-nexus-devices/

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'Catching Fire' Arena To Be Shot In IMAX

'It will be amazing,' 'Hunger Games' star Josh Hutcherson tells MTV News.
By Amy Wilkinson, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Josh Hutcherson
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1697883/catching-fire-arena-imax.jhtml

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How to Annoy Generation Y

This Sticky Comics cartoon is so depressingly accurate that it's hilarious. Who actually uses their cell phone to call people these days anyway? [Sticky Comics] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/00gP0IQb3eU/how-to-annoy-generation-y

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The case against drones, robots with license to kill

Battlefield drones and robots capable of choosing their targets and firing without any human oversight won't arrive for a few decades, experts say. But a new Human Rights Watch report calls for an international ban on fully autonomous "killer robots" before they ever become a part of military arsenals around the world.

The thousands of drones and robots that the U.S. military already has deployed alongside troops are all controlled remotely by human operators, who can take responsibility if the machines accidentally injure or kill civilians. Fully autonomous robots capable of choosing targets and firing weapons on their own may come online within the next 20 or 30 years, if not sooner.

"Giving machines the power to decide who lives and dies on the battlefield would take technology too far,? said Steve Goose, the Arms Division director at Human Rights Watch. ?Human control of robotic warfare is essential to minimizing civilian deaths and injuries."

"Fully autonomous weapons" operating without oversight won't have the artificial intelligence, human judgment or empathy necessary to distinguish between armed soldiers and cowering civilians in murky battlefield conditions, Human Rights Watch says. Its joint report with Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic argues robots could never follow rules of international humanitarian law. [5 Reasons to Fear Robots]

The report released on Nov. 19 suggests the following to stop the "killer robots" future:

• Ban development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons through an international agreement.
• Adopt national laws to ban the creation and use of fully autonomous weapons.
• Keep watch on technologies and components that could lead to fully autonomous weapons.
• Make a professional code of conduct to oversee research and development of autonomous robotic weapons.

The report also highlights concerns about the possible use of fully autonomous robots by dictators to brutally suppress their civilian populations, and about the easier decision to go to war when leaders aren't worried about troop casualties.

Robots may lack human empathy, but history already has shown that human soldiers are capable of committing the world's worst atrocities despite their supposed humanity. Ronald Arkin, a robotics researcher at Georgia Tech, even has argued that fully autonomous robots could make the battlefield safer: They wouldn't fall prey to the fatigue that can result in misidentifying targets, or to the anger that could lead to sadistic abuse of prisoners and civilians.

The U.S. military spends about $6 billion each year on developing and deploying thousands of drones and robots. Its huge arsenal includes ground robots rolling or walking along under direct human control, Reaper drones that can fly parts of their mission without human control, and robot boats capable of firing missiles.

Automatic defense weapons such as the U.S. Navy's Phalanx turret can fire thousands of rounds at incoming missiles without a human order and with only the barest human supervision. Israel's "Iron Dome" defense detects incoming threats and asks human operators to make a split-second decision on whether to give the command to fire missiles that can intercept enemy rockets and artillery shells.

Both Israel and South Korea also have deployed robot sentry turrets that could, in theory, operate on automatic mode.

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow TechNewsDaily on Twitter @TechNewsDaily, or on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/case-against-robots-license-kill-174231900.html

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Our Favorite Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving Remake

Some Shooting Challenges are crazy-popular, others, usually falling over the holidays, are eerily quiet. So this week, for our Rockwell remake results, we're going to highlight our favorite of a small bunch, by Andrew Drozd. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CkZtLSNH-S4/one-great-norman-rockwell-remake

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LinkedIn Has No Phone Number - Business Insider

AP

Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn

?

Back in September, I wrote a small item pointing out the fact that it is impossible to reach any LinkedIn staff member by phone (unless you already know their direct line).

Writing that post was a huge mistake.

Unfortunately for me, that story is now the No.2 Google result for "LinkedIn Phone Number."

Now I frequently get calls from people trying to reach someone at LinkedIn, or people who believe that I am a LinkedIn employee. Multiple calls per week, not including hangups. (The top Google result is for a site that has a phone number that doesn't work; LinkedIn's own pages don't really rank; so my story appears as the only useful piece of information on LinkedIn's phone number situation.)

The no-phone policy is frustrating for users and potential advertisers who just want to talk to someone at the company about their accounts or the buying ad space.

Some of the complaints I've heard are reasonable, and distressing. And the stakes are increasingly high: More and more companies require a LinkedIn resume rather than the real thing for job applications.

One woman told me she left her job and then realized she had stored her LinkedIn password on her old employer's computer. She didn't know how to get it back. Another LinkedIn user told me she accidentally created a second account for herself ? and found herself locked out of both. Get locked out of LinkedIn and you could get locked out of your career.

They're the kind of problems that are most satisfyingly solved with a simple call to an employee.

And, therefore, I get all LinkedIn's calls.

So, for the record: I am not a LinkedIn employee, and I don't know the phone number of anyone in the Help Department.

If you are looking for help from LinkedIn, you CANNOT call them on the phone. The company would prefer it if you went through these channels:

But please don't call me.

Alternatively, Mr. Weiner, you might want to consider offering your members and customers a way to speak to a human being at LinkedIn.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-has-no-phone-number-2012-11

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Stock index futures signal slightly higher open

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.1 to 0.2 percent.

Market sentiment improved after Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund clinched agreement late on Monday on reducing Greece's debt in a breakthrough to release urgently needed loans to keep the near-bankrupt economy afloat.

The Commerce Department releases October durable goods orders at 8.30 a.m. ET. Economists expect a 0.6 percent fall in orders in October, against a 9.8 percent rise in September.

ConocoPhillips' partners in Kazakhstan's Kashagan field have 60 days to exercise pre-emption rights to prevent India's ONGC Videsh from buying an 8.4 percent stake in the project held by the U.S. company, the Indian firm's managing director said.

ICSC/Goldman Sachs release chain store sales for the week ended November 24 at 7.45 a.m. ET. In the previous week, sales fell 0.3 percent.

Redbook releases its Retail Sales Index of department and chain store sales for November at 8.55 a.m. ET. In the prior period, sales were unchanged.

Standard & Poor's releases its S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index for September at 9 a.m. ET. Economists expect an adjusted 20 city index to rise 0.4 percent, versus a 0.5 percent increase in the previous month.

Europe is preparing to follow the United States in delaying the introduction of stricter rules on bank capital, while it lobbies for a rethink of the U.S. stance, EU sources said.

However, the head of the Basel Committee at the Bank of International Settlements told Reuters on Tuesday that the introduction of stricter capital rules for banks will go ahead as planned on January 1.

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago releases its Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index for October at 8.30 a.m. ET. The index read 93.4 in the prior month.

Conference Board releases November consumer confidence at 10 a.m. ET. Economists expect a reading of 73.0, compared with 72.2 in October.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency issues its Home Price Index for September at 10 a.m. ET. In the prior month, the index rose 0.7 percent.

European stocks <.fteu3> rose 0.5 percent on Tuesday, recovering after weakness in the previous session.

U.S. stocks slipped on Monday after posting their best week in over five months as investors reacted to a lack of visible progress in budget deficit discussions in Washington.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> fell 77.92 points, or 0.60 percent, to 12,931.76. The S&P 500 Index <.spx> dropped 6.99 points, or 0.50 percent, to 1,402.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> shed less than a point at 2,966.75.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-slightly-higher-open-093032330--finance.html

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Benefits fight brings lesbian couple to high court

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Like a lot of newlyweds, Karen Golinski was eager to enjoy the financial fruits of marriage. Within weeks of her wedding, she applied to add her spouse to her employer-sponsored health care plan, a move that would save the couple thousands of dollars a year.

Her ordinarily routine request still is being debated more than four years later, and by the likes of former attorneys general, a slew of senators, the Obama administration and possibly this week, the U.S. Supreme Court.

Because Golinski is married to another woman and works for the U.S. government, her claim for benefits has morphed into a multi-layered legal challenge to a 1996 law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing unions like hers.

The high court has scheduled a closed-door conference for Friday to review Golinski's case and four others that also seek to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act overwhelmingly approved by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton.

The purpose of the meeting is to decide which, if any, to put on the court's schedule for arguments next year.

The outcome carries economic and social consequences for gay, lesbian and bisexual couples, who now are unable to access Social Security survivor benefits, file joint income taxes, inherit a deceased spouse's pension or obtain family health insurance.

The other plaintiffs in the cases pending before the court include the state of Massachusetts, 13 couples and five widows and widowers.

"It's pretty monumental and it's an honor," said Golinski, a staff lawyer for the federal appeals court based in San Francisco who married her partner of 23 years, Amy Cunninghis, during the brief 2008 window when same-sex marriages were legal in California.

The federal trial courts that heard the cases all ruled the act violates the civil rights of legally married gays and lesbians. Two appellate courts agreed, making it highly likely the high court will agree to hear at least one of the appeals, Lambda Legal Executive Director Jon Davidson said.

"I don't think we've ever had an occasion where the Supreme Court has had so many gay rights cases knocking at its door," said Davidson, whose gay legal advocacy group represents Golinski. "That in and of itself shows how far we've come."

The Supreme Court also is scheduled to discuss Friday whether it should take two more long-simmering cases dealing with relationship recognition for same-sex couples.

One is an appeal of two lower court rulings that struck down California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. The other is a challenge to an Arizona law that made state employees in same-sex relationships ineligible for domestic partner benefits.

The last time the court confronted a gay rights case was in 2010, when the justices voted 5-4 to let stand lower court rulings holding that a California law school could deny recognition to a Christian student group that does not allow gay members.

The time before that was the court's landmark 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which declared state anti-sodomy laws to be an unconstitutional violation of personal privacy.

Brigham Young University law professor Lynn Wardle, who testified before Congress when lawmakers were considering the Defense of Marriage Act 16 years ago, said he still thinks the law passes constitutional muster.

"Congress has the power to define for itself domestic relationships, including defining relationships for purposes of federal programs," Wardle said.

At the same time, he said, the gay rights landscape has shifted radically since 1996, citing this month's election of the first sitting president to declare support for same-sex marriage and four state ballot measures being decided in favor of gay rights activists.

"This is the gay moment, momentum is building," Wardle said. "The politics are profound, and politics influence what the court does."

For Golinski and Cunninghis, getting this far has been a long, sometimes frustrating and sometimes heartening journey.

Citing the act, known as DOMA, the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human relations arm, initially denied Golinski's attempt to enroll Cunninghis in the medical coverage she had selected for herself and the couple's son, now 10.

"I got a phone call from OPM in Washington, D.C., asking me to confirm that Amy Cunninghis was female, and I said, 'Yes, she is,' and they said, 'We won't be able to add her to your health plan," Golinski recalled.

Golinski knew that her employer, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, had a policy prohibiting discrimination against gay workers, so she filed an employee grievance and won a hearing before the court's dispute resolution officer, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski.

As a lawyer for the court, she felt awkward about pursuing the issue, but she was also angry. Lambda Legal and a San Francisco law firm offered to represent her.

"I had been working for the courts since 1990, and I feel, like everybody, I work hard and I'm a valuable employee, and I'm not getting paid the same amount if I have to pay for a whole separate plan for Amy," she said. "It was really hurting our family."

Kozinski ruled that Golinski was entitled to full spousal benefits, but federal officials ordered Golinski's insurer not to process her application, prompting the chief judge to issue a scathing opinion on her behalf.

After the government refused to budge, Golinski sued in January 2010.

The couple had joked about whether they "would make a federal case" out of their situation. Cunninghis noted that their genders would not have been an issue had Golinski worked in the private sector or in state or local government where domestic partnerships are offered.

Because of DOMA, she said, "we don't get access to a whole slew of benefits."

The Department of Justice originally opposed Golinski in court but changed course last year after President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder said they would no longer defend the law.

Republican members of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, which oversees legal activities of the House of Representatives, voted to hire an outside lawyer first to back the act in Golinski's case and the four others, and to then appeal the rulings on its unconstitutionality.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White handed Cunninghis and Golinski an unequivocal victory in February, finding that anti-gay sentiment motivated Congress to pass DOMA.

In ordering the government to allow Golinski to enroll her wife in a family health plan, White rejected all of the House group's arguments, including that the law was necessary to foster stable unions among men and women.

A group of 10 U.S. senators who voted for DOMA in 1996 have filed a brief with the Supreme Court angrily denouncing the judge's opinion and urging the high court to overturn it.

"It is one thing for the District Court to conclude that traditional moral views, standing alone, do not justify the enactment of DOMA; it is quite another to find that legislators who hold or express such moral views somehow taint the constitutionality of the statute," they said.

Former U.S. Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Edwin Meese also weighed in, telling the court that Obama had failed in his duty and set a dangerous precedent by declining to defend DOMA.

As a result of White's ruling, Cunninghis was allowed in March to be added to Golinski's health plan.

Golinski so far is the only gay American who has been allowed to begin receiving federal benefits while DOMA remains in effect, a development that could be reversed if the Supreme Court upholds DOMA.

Until then, the couple said they are going to trust that the tide of history is moving toward gay rights.

"It seems so simple to us: just put me on the family health plan," Cunninghis said. "It's much bigger than that obviously, yet it isn't."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/benefits-fight-brings-lesbian-couple-high-court-145336788.html

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Newest Technologies in Computer Hardware | Batoime ...

The particular rate from which new PC hardware products or arriving in the industry is simply mind-boggling. As the technological advances, the size and the price of the devices come down, while the efficiency and capacity enhance. The situation is same in all case s, whether it is about inside components like processor chip, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and hard disk drive or for peripheral components like a mouse, keyboard, and monitors. Computers became common only before about three years back.

But previously there are massive piles of out-of-date and vintage hardware component and products. This is a honour to the huge rate of growth of most current technologies in computer hardware field. The luxurious looking LCD monitors are spreading like PC malware.

Data storage products have captivated considerable focus of the technology designers. Brand New kinds of storage devices like newer types of flash memory cards, hard disks using most recent technology and disks of ever-increasing capability are the results of advancement in most recent technologies in compute equipment.

This memory size of the random access memory (RAM) cards is leaping to permit the clean functioning of graphics animation software packages and streaming video sites. Also, PC motherboards have undergone large modifications over the years. A growing number of functions are being added to the motherboard. Furthermore, inspite of the incredible enhancement in performance and functionalities, the price of these parts has actually dropped steadily.

The most essential component of a computer system is the microprocessor. It is at this field that?s a battle of developing latest systems in computer hardware takes place. The pace of improvement of microprocessor boosts as the competition between the major processor chip manufacturing firms, Intel and AMD, intensifies. Both businesses are participating in a neck and neck competition and also continuously outdo one another in launching new technologies.

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This entry was posted in Computers and tagged Computers, Hardware, technology. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://batoime.com/newest-technologies-in-computer-hardware/

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Source: http://emorythornton.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/newest-technologies-in-computer-hardware-batoime.html

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Feds: Teacher cheating scam lasted 15 years

By Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press

It was a brazen and surprisingly long-lived scheme, authorities said, to help aspiring public school teachers cheat on the tests they must pass to prove they are qualified to lead their classrooms.

For 15 years, teachers in three Southern states paid Clarence Mumford Sr. ? himself a longtime educator ? to send someone else to take the tests in their place, authorities said. Each time, Mumford received a fee of between $1,500 and $3,000 to send one of his test ringers with fake identification to the Praxis exam. In return, his customers got a passing grade and began their careers as cheaters, according to federal prosecutors in Memphis.

---

Authorities say the scheme affected hundreds ? if not thousands ? of public school students who ended up being taught by unqualified instructors.

Mel Evans / AP

Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Services writes and administers Praxis teacher certification examinations.

Mumford faces more than 60 fraud and conspiracy charges that claim he created fake driver's licenses with the information of a teacher or an aspiring teacher and attached the photograph of a test-taker. Prospective teachers are accused of giving Mumford their Social Security numbers for him to make the fake identities.

The hired-test takers went to testing centers, showed the proctor the fake license, and passed the certification exam, prosecutors say. Then, the aspiring teacher used the test score to secure a job with a public school district, the indictment alleges. Fourteen people have been charged with mail and Social Security fraud, and four people have pleaded guilty to charges associated with the scheme.

Mumford "obtained tens of thousands of dollars" during the alleged conspiracy, which prosecutors say lasted from 1995 to 2010 in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Among those charged is former University of Tennessee and NFL wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, who is accused of employing a test-taker for a Praxis physical education exam. He was charged in late October with four counts of Social Security and mail fraud. He has pleaded not guilty and is out of jail on a $10,000 bond. He has been suspended by the Memphis City Schools system.

Charlie Riedel / AP

In this photo taken Friday, Nov. 23, Neal Kingston, director of the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas, talks about testing fraud in his Lawrence, Kan., office.

If convicted, Mumford could face between two and 20 years in prison on each count. The teachers face between two and 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.

Lawyers for Mumford and Wilson did not return calls for comment.

Prosecutors and standardized test experts say students were hurt the most by the scheme because they were being taught by unqualified teachers. It also sheds some light on the nature of cheating and the lengths people go to in order to get ahead.

"As technology keeps advancing, there are more and more ways to cheat on tests of this kind," said Neal Kingston, director of the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas. "There's a never-ending war between those who try to maintain standards and those who are looking out for their own interests."

Cheating on standardized tests is not new, and it can be as simple as looking at the other person's test sheet. The Internet and cell phones have made it easier for students to cheat in a variety of ways. In the past few years, investigations into cheating on standardized tests for K-12 students have surfaced in Atlanta, New York and El Paso, Texas.

Still, most of the recent test-taking scandals involved students taking tests, not people taking teacher certification exams. Cheating scams involving teacher certification tests are more unusual, said Robert Schaeffer, public education director for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.

Schaeffer notes that a large-scale scandal involving teacher certification tests was discovered in 2000, also in the South. In that case, 52 teachers were charged with paying up to $1,000 apiece to a former Educational Testing Services proctor to ensure a passing grade on teacher certification tests.

Teachers from Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi took tests through Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., in 1998. The college was not accused of wrongdoing.

Educational Testing Services also writes and administers the Praxis examinations involved in the Memphis case. ETS spokesman Tom Ewing said the company discovered the cheating in June 2009, conducted an investigation and canceled scores. The company began meeting with authorities to turn over the information in late 2009, Ewing said.

"These cases are rare, but we consider them to be very serious and something we have to guard against happening for all the honest test-takers, students and teachers," Ewing said.

Ewing said ETS observes test-takers and reviews test scores to try to root out cheaters. ETS also has received anonymous tips that have led them to cheaters, Ewing said.

Prosecutors in the Mumford case say he, the teachers and test-takers used the Internet and the U.S. Postal Service to register and pay for the tests, and to receive payment. The indictment does not say how much he allegedly paid the test-takers.

An experienced educator, Mumford was working for Memphis City Schools when the alleged scam took place. Authorities say Mumford defrauded the three states by making the fake driver's licenses.

"What happens at many testing centers is that a whole bunch of test-takers show up simultaneously, early on a Saturday morning, and the proctors give only a cursory look to the identification," Schaeffer said. "It's not like going through airport security where a guy holds up a magnifying glass and puts our license under ultraviolet light to make sure it has not been tampered with."

Mumford was fired after news of the investigation came out, and others, like Wilson, have been suspended. But at least three teachers implicated in the scandal remain employed with their school district.

Kingston, the university professor, said prospective teachers may not be confident in their knowledge base to pass the test. Or, the cheaters may believe they are smart enough to pass on their own but also know they are poor test takers.

Kingston said his research has shown that cheating on exams is getting more prevalent.

"The propensity to cheat on exams both through college and for licensure and certification exams seems to be increasing over time," said Kingston. "People often don't see it as something wrong."

The pressure of passing the test could make people do things they normally would not do. And it could take a while for authorities and test-taking services to catch up with the cheaters.

"When people come up with a new method for cheating, it takes some time for folks to figure it out, partly because this has been an understudied area in the field of assessment," Kingston said.

Nina Monfredo, a 23-year-old history teacher at Power Center Academy in Memphis, has taken Praxis exams for history, geography, middle school content, and secondary teaching and learning.

Monfredo, who passed all her tests and is not involved in the fraud case, said the exams she took were relatively easy for someone who has a high school education. She said some people use study aids to prepare, but she didn't. And she didn't feel much pressure because it was her understanding that she could take the test again if she did not pass.

"If you feel like you can't pass and you hire someone it means you really didn't know what you were doing," she said. "I think it would be easier to just learn what's on the test."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/25/15430647-cheating-scandal-feds-say-teachers-hired-stand-in-to-take-their-certification-tests?lite

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bronx 12 news: Shopping and Product Reviews: Will Traditional ...

The popularity of online shopping has been seen by many as a threat to the existence of traditional shopping. Their argument is based on the recent widespread closure of established brands like Sears and Best Buy. But can we really say that traditional shopping is dying?

In 2011, even though the U.S economy was sluggish, shopping grew by 15% over the previous year. In addition, about 35% of Americans now have smartphones which enable them to purchase goods and services over the internet and this figure is expected to rise significantly in subsequent years. In actual fact, about half of smartphone users have used their phones for one purchase or the other. On Christmas day of 2011 alone, about 6.8 million iOs and Android smartphones were activated. Top internet retailer, Amazon, recorded a whooping net sale of $48.08 billion in 2011 which represents 40.6% increase over $32.20 billion recorded in 2010. This figure is expected to rise in 2012 and subsequent years. What then is the implication of all these to physical retailing?

Since many people now decide to shop over the internet due to the benefits derivable in doing so like convenience, easy access to market, price comparison, avoidance of crowd, better prices and so on, can we really say that that the traditional way of shopping is being threatened? In my own opinion, technology will enhance the traditional method and not kill it. The popularity of video cassette recorder (VCR) in the 80's was seen by many as a threat to movie theaters then, but today, the film industry has been strengthened by the new technology and the demand for films has increased.

Moreover, when the email became very popular, a lot people thought that the traditional postal service would die, but today, it is waxing stronger. The point I'm driving at here is that, if traditional shop owners can embrace new technology, shopping on the internet would not be a threat to them but a blessing.

If physical retailers can monitor shopping behavior through the use of Wi-Fi signals from smartphones, they would be able to compete favorably in a fast-changing world. They can use technology to measure loyalty, make better staffing decisions, improve store layouts, reduce wait times in checkout lines and so on. Online shopping has come to stay but it is not a threat to traditional shopping because many consumers still value some of its features like quality of customer service, the experience of trying and buying products, how products are displayed and so on.

Olushola Otenaike is an online shopping expert.

Source: http://mysoupbaby.blogspot.com/2012/11/will-traditional-shopping-die-because.html

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Source: http://bronx-12-news.blogspot.com/2012/11/shopping-and-product-reviews-will.html

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Pope elevates 6 cardinals to choose successor

Pope Benedict XVI makes his way through cardinals as he arrives inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to preside over a consistory, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI makes his way through cardinals as he arrives inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to preside over a consistory, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI makes his way through cardinals as he arrives inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to preside over a consistory, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI prays as he arrives inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to preside over a consistory, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI prays as he arrives inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to preside over a consistory, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI presides over a consistory in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals. The new cardinals are: Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household; Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; Manila, Philippines Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI responded to criticism that the club of churchmen who will choose his successor is too Eurocentric, elevating six new cardinals from Colombia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Philippines and the U.S. during a formal ceremony Saturday.

Benedict welcomed the prelates into the College of Cardinals during a short, hour-long ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica, telling them that their presence among the other red-robed prelates was a sign of the "unique, universal and all-inclusive identity" of the Catholic Church.

"In this consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the church is the church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents," he told the crowd.

The ceremony was both joyful and emotional: Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, seen by many to be a rising star in the church, visibly choked up as he knelt before Benedict to receive his three-pointed red hat, or biretta, and gold ring. He wiped tears from his eyes as he returned to his place.

The archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, meanwhile, seemed to want to sit down and chat with each one of the dozens of cardinals that he greeted in the traditional exchange of peace that follows the formal elevation rite.

Benedict has said that with this "little consistory," he was essentially completing his last cardinal-making ceremony held in February, when he elevated 22 cardinals, the vast majority of them European archbishops and Vatican bureaucrats.

The College of Cardinals remains heavily European even with the new additions: Of the 120 cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope, more than half ? 62 ? are European.

Critics have complained that the "princes of the church" no longer represents the Catholic Church today, since Catholicism is growing in Asia and Africa but is in crisis in much of Europe.

The issue of numbers is significant since these are the men who will elect the next pope from within their ranks. Will the next pontiff hail from the southern hemisphere, where two-thirds of the world's Catholics live? Or will the papacy return to Italy, which has 28 voting-age cardinals, following a Polish and German pope?

While there's no rule that papal ballots are cast along geographic lines, the new cardinals do give an eventual conclave a slightly more multinational air: Latin America, which boasts half of the world's Catholics, now has 21 voting-age cardinals; North America, 14; Africa, 11; Asia, 11; and Oceana, one.

Among the six new cardinals is Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household. As prefect, Harvey was the direct superior of the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, who is serving an 18 month prison sentence in a Vatican jail for stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to a reporter in the greatest Vatican security breach in modern times.

The Vatican spokesman has denied Harvey, 63, from Milwaukee, is leaving because of the scandal. But on the day the pope announced Harvey would be made cardinal, he also said he would leave the Vatican to take up duties as the archpriest of one of the Vatican's four Roman basilicas. Such a face-saving promotion-removal is not an uncommon Vatican personnel move.

Harvey's departure has led to much speculation about who would replace him in the delicate job of organizing the pope's daily schedule and arranging audiences.

Aside from Harvey, Tagle, and Onaiyekan, the new cardinals are: Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; the Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal.

Later Saturday after the ceremony, the cardinals received visitors in the frescoed rooms of the Apostolic Palace, which opens its doors to the general public for these special cardinal-making occasions.

Cardinals serve as the pope's closest advisers, but their main task is to elect a new pope. And with Benedict, 85, slowing down, that task is ever more present. For the second time, the consistory ceremony was greatly trimmed back, lasting just over an hour to spare the pope the fatigue of a lengthy ceremony.

He will, however, celebrate Mass on Sunday with his new cardinals.

While Benedict didn't mention the cardinals' primary task in his remarks, he did remind them that the scarlet of their cassock and hat that they wear symbolizes the blood that cardinals must be willing to shed to remain faithful to the church.

"From now on you will be even more closely and intimately linked to the See of Peter," he said.

The six new cardinals are all under age 80. Their nominations bring the number of voting-age cardinals to 120, 67 of whom were named by Benedict, all but ensuring that his successor will be chosen from a group of like-minded prelates.

Saturday's consistory marks the first time in decades that not a single European or Italian has been made a cardinal ? a statistic that has not gone unnoticed in Italy. Italy still has the lions' share of cardinals, though, with 28 voting-age "princes" of the church.

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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-24-EU-Vatican-New-Cardinals/id-95678c6515d542b1849dee3e35ef944c

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