Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cheat away on taxes, more Americans say

IRS Oversight Board

By Allison Linn

Here?s the good news for Uncle Sam: The vast majority of Americans still believe that you should never cheat on your taxes?? or,?at? least, that's what?they tell the pollsters representing the?Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board.

The bad news: The percentage of people who say you should cheat on your income taxes ?as much as possible? hit 8 percent in 2011, double what it was in 2010. That?s also higher than any other recent year in which the question was asked.

Another 6 percent of those surveyed said a little cheating here and there is OK.

The oversight board this week released its annual survey of taxpayer?s attitudes about the IRS. The survey was conducted by an outside research firm in August.

?

For the most part, despite our grumbling, Americans seem to at least accept that taxes are a necessary part of life. Almost everyone surveyed agreed that it is every American's civic duty to pay taxes, and most people said they thought tax cheats should be held accountable.

Still, that doesn?t mean we all feel the need to be the tax police. About six in 10 people said people have a personal responsibility to report tax cheats.

Americans also seem to think we should pay our fair share of taxes because it?s the right thing to do. Most people said their ?personal integrity? had a great deal of influence on whether they report their income honestly.

Other factors, such as a fear of an audit, seemed to have less influence.

Related:

Tax time is coming, turn on the computer

Procrastinators rejoice: Tax deadline extended

?

Do you think it's OK to cheat on your taxes?

?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10272695-cheat-on-taxes-never-or-as-much-as-possible

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Top free iPhone app devs paying $1.81 in marketing per loyal user

Fiksu, a mobile marketing firm, released some interesting data on how much money top iPhone app developers are spending on promoting their creations. After looking at the top 200 free iPhone App Store for December, the average cost to get someone to run an app more than three times is $1.81.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/4cIjAp520TQ/story01.htm

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Winter cold snap kills 36 in eastern Europe

A couple walks on a snow covered road near the Lake of Eymir, Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Winter temperatures and recent snowfall has partially paralyzed life in Turkey. (AP Photo/Selcan Hacaoglu)

A couple walks on a snow covered road near the Lake of Eymir, Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Winter temperatures and recent snowfall has partially paralyzed life in Turkey. (AP Photo/Selcan Hacaoglu)

Coots fight for a piece of bread on the frozen Lake of Eymir, near Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Winter temperatures and recent snowfall has partially paralyzed life in Turkey. (AP Photo/Selcan Hacaoglu)

Coots run for a piece of bread on the frozen Lake of Eymir, near Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Winter temperatures and recent snowfall has partially paralyzed life in Turkey. (AP Photo/Selcan Hacaoglu)

(AP) ? A severe and snowy cold snap across central and eastern Europe has left at least 36 people dead, cut off power to towns, and snarled traffic. Officials are responding with measures ranging from opening shelters to dispensing hot tea, with particular concern for the homeless and elderly.

This part of Europe is not unused to cold, but the current freeze, which spread to most of the region last week, came after a period of relatively mild weather. Many were shocked when temperatures in some parts plunged Monday to minus 20 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).

"Just as we thought we could get away with a spring-like winter ..." lamented Jelena Savic, 43, from the Serbian capital of Belgrade, her head wrapped in a shawl with only eyes uncovered. "I'm freezing. It's hard to get used to it so suddenly."

Officials have appealed to people to stay indoors and be careful. Police searched for the homeless to make sure they didn't freeze to death. In some places, heaters will be set up at bus stations.

Still, 18 people, most of them homeless, died in Ukraine from hypothermia and nearly 500 people sought medical help for frostbite and hypothermia in just three days last week, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Temperatures in parts of Ukraine fell to minus 16 C (3 F) during the day and minus 23 C (minus 10 F) in the night. Authorities opened 1,500 shelters to provide food and heat and closed schools and nurseries. More than 17,000 people have sought help in such shelters in the past three days, authorities said.

In Poland, at least 10 people froze to death as the cold reached minus 26 C (minus 15 F) on Monday.

Malgorzata Wozniak, a spokeswoman for Poland's Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press that elderly people and the homeless were among the dead. Police were checking unheated empty buildings for homeless people they could take to shelters.

Warsaw city authorities decided to place more than 40 heaters in the busiest city transport stops to help waiting passengers keep warm.

City authorities in the Czech capital of Prague set up tents for an estimated 3,000 homeless people. Freezing temperatures also damaged train tracks, slowing railway traffic.

In central Serbia, three people died and two more were missing, while 14 municipalities were operating under emergency decrees. Efforts to clear roads blocked by snow were hampered by strong winds and dozens of towns faced power outages.

Police said one woman froze to death in a snowstorm in a central Serbian village, while two elderly men were found dead, one in the snow outside his home. Further south, emergency crews are searching for two men in their 70s who are feared dead.

"We are getting some 'real' winter this week," Croatian meteorologist Zoran Vakula said.

In Bulgaria, a 57-year-old man froze to death in a northwestern village and emergency decrees were declared in 25 of the country's 28 districts. In the capital of Sofia, authorities handed out hot tea and placed homeless people in emergency shelters.

Strong winds also closed down Bulgaria's main Black Sea port of Varna, while part of a major highway leading to Bulgaria and Greece from Turkey was closed after a heavy snowfall. Nearly 200 Turkish Airlines flights to and from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport were canceled, and a city sports hall was turned to a temporary shelter for some 350 homeless people.

The temperature in Turkey's province of Kars, which borders Armenia, dropped to minus 25 C on Sunday night.

The situation was similar in Romania, where reports said four people have died because of freezing weather. There, authorities sent prison inmates to shovel snow and unblock paths leading to a shelter with some 300 stray dogs and puppies.

Weather forecasts say the cold snap will continue through the week.

_____

Associated Press writers across the region contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-30-EU-Europe-Weather/id-5ad7e01a4a3d4ba3aef4a7e2ef6420e6

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Reports: Maradona on short list to coach UAE

Associated Press Sports

updated 8:23 a.m. ET Jan. 30, 2012

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Diego Maradona is reportedly among the candidates to take over as coach of the United Arab Emirates national team.

Yousuf Al Serkal, chairman of the UAE's Football Association interim committee, was quoted Monday in the local media as saying the Argentine great is on a short list that contains at least three names.

A decision is expected before the UAE's league season wraps up in May.

Last month, Maradona said would accept the job "with pleasure." He has coached Dubai-based Al Wasl since last year.

The UAE has had a caretaker coach since Srecko Katanec of Slovenia was fired after a 3-1 loss to Lebanon in September.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Arsenal advances in FA Cup

Roundup: Arsenal kept its bid to end a seven-year trophy drought on track Sunday, scoring three times in eight second-half minutes to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46186822/ns/sports-soccer/

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Getting Weird (talking-points-memo)

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Syrian forces battle to retake Damascus suburbs (Reuters)

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) ? Syrian soldiers killed 19 people in fighting to retake Damascus suburbs from rebels on Sunday, activists said, a day after the Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria because of mounting violence.

Around 2,000 soldiers in buses and armored personnel carriers, along with at least 50 tanks and armored vehicles, moved at dawn into the Ghouta area on the eastern edge of Damascus to reinforce an offensive in the suburbs of Saqba, Hammouriya and Kfar Batna, activists said.

The army pushed into the heart of Kfar Batna and four tanks were in its central square, they said, in a move to flush out rebels who had taken over districts just a few kilometers from President Bashar al-Assad's centre of power.

"It's urban war. There are bodies in the street," said one activist, speaking from Kfar Batna. Activists said 14 civilians and five insurgents from the rebel Free Syrian Army were killed there and in other suburbs.

The Arab League suspended the work of its monitors on Saturday after calling on Assad to step down and make way for a government of national unity. It said Arab foreign ministers would discuss the Syrian crisis on February 5.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby left for New York on Sunday where he will brief representatives of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to seek support for an Arab peace plan that calls on Assad to step aside after 10 months of protests.

He will be joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, whose country heads the league's committee charged with overseeing Syria.

Speaking shortly before he left Cairo for New York, Elaraby said he hoped to overcome resistance from China and Russia over endorsing the Arab proposals. "There are contacts with China and Russia on this issue," he said.

A Syrian government official was quoted by state media as saying Syria was surprised by the decision to suspend operations, which would "put pressure on (Security Council) deliberations with the aim of calling for foreign intervention and encouraging armed groups to increase violence."

Assad blames the violence on foreign-backed militants.

ARMY DEATHS

State news agency SANA reported funerals on Saturday for 28 soldiers and security force members killed by "armed terrorist groups" in Homs, Hama, Deraa, Deir al-Zor and Damascus province.

Another 16 soldiers were reported killed on Sunday. SANA said six soldiers were killed in a bombing southwest of Damascus, while the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 soldiers were killed when their convoy was attacked in Jabal al-Zawiya in northern Syria.

Faced with mass demonstrations against his rule, Assad launched a military crackdown to try to subdue the protests. Growing numbers of army deserters and gunmen have joined the demonstrators, increasing instability in the country of 23 million people at the heart of the Middle East.

The insurgency has been gradually approaching the capital, whose suburbs, a series of mainly conservative Sunni Muslim towns bordering old gardens and farmland, known as the al-Ghouta, are home to the bulk of Damascus's population.

One activist in Saqba suburb said mosques there had been turned into field hospitals and were appealing for blood supplies. "They cut off the electricity. Petrol stations are empty and the army is preventing people from leaving to get fuel for generators or heating," he said.

The Damascus suburbs have seen large demonstrations demanding the removal of Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that has dominated the mostly Sunni Muslim country for the last five decades.

TOWN BESIEGED

In Rankous, 30 km (20 miles) north of Damascus by the Lebanese border, Assad's forces have killed at least 33 people in recent days in an attack to dislodge army defectors and insurgents, activists and residents said on Sunday.

Rankous, a mountain town of 25,000 people, has been under tank fire since Wednesday, when several thousand troops laid siege to it, they said.

France, which has been leading calls for stronger international action on Syria, said the Arab League decision highlighted the need to act.

"France vigorously condemns the dramatic escalation of violence in Syria, which has led the Arab League to suspend its observers' mission in Syria," the Foreign Ministry said.

"Dozens of Syrian civilians have been killed in the past days by the savage repression taken by the Syrian regime ... Those responsible for these barbarous acts must answer to their crimes," it said.

The Arab League mission was sent in at the end of last year to observe Syria's implementation of a peace plan, which failed to end the fighting. Gulf states withdrew monitors last week, saying the team could not stop the violence.

The United Nations said in December more than 5,000 people had been killed in the protests and crackdown. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council discussed a European-Arab draft resolution aimed at halting the bloodshed. Britain and France said they hoped to put it to a vote next week.

Russia joined China in vetoing a previous Western draft resolution in October, and has said it wants a Syrian-led political process, not "an Arab League-imposed outcome" or Libyan-style "regime change.

(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon, Dominic Evans and Mariam Karouny in Beirut; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/wl_nm/us_syria

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Deflating the Grandious Amphibian (Balloon Juice)

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac


You may have heard that mechanical keyboards are making a comeback. Correction: If anyone you live or work with has started using one, you?ve definitely heard. These are peripherals that return typing to its glory days, where you don?t just create letters from nothing, you summon a distinctive sound, and can feel a firm bounce beneath your fingertips as you do so. Few companies have hawked their wares as energetically as Metadot, which over the last several years has released a series of mechanical keyboards intended for use with PCs. Now that there?s the Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac ($133 list), that?s all changed. Apple owners now have a substantial-feeling, legitimately clicky keyboard to call their own?provided they don?t care about how it looks.

We?ll get to that in due time. For now, let?s review what the Das Keyboard is and why you want it. It?s of fairly typical size for a desktop model (1 by 18 by 6.5 inches, HWD), but is heavier than most these days (about three pounds). That?s because, instead of using a lighter dome-switch (aka membrane) mechanism that creates electrical signals by pressing two circuit board traces together using rubber ?domes? beneath the keys, it uses honest-to-goodness mechanical switches like the ones you once would have found in a typewriter. This causes the keys, and thus the keyboard that contains them, to have a much sturdier and more responsive feel than you?ll find in even dedicated Mac keyboards.

Because the specific switches used in this version of the Das Keyboard are Cherry MX Blue, you also get outstanding feedback for both your hands (the unquestionable press down and a light bounce back up) and your ears (the satisfying ?click? that, until the advent of cheap PC keyboards, always told you typing was occurring). And because those switches are gold-plated, you also get unusual durability: Each key is rated for 50 million presses, several times more than on an average keyboard, and cannot rust.

But if you?re in for some chicly retro typing, everything else is sparklingly up to date. The keyboard works with all Mac operating systems, and requires no additional drivers. (We had to perform a brief setup procedure to help Mac OS X 10.7 Lion identify the keys, but it took just a few seconds, and the keyboard worked fine afterward.) It connects to your computer with a 6.6-foot USB cable that terminates in two connectors: one for transmitting the keyboard data, and one for driving the two-port USB 2.0 hub you?ll find in the keyboard?s upper-right corner. (It?s compatible with USB-based KVM switches as well.) The F6-F11 keys even double as media keys for Rewind, Play/Pause, Forward, Mute, Lower Volume, and Raise Volume, and F1 also functions as Sleep; to activate these functions, hit a blue-labeled function key in the lower-right corner.

Provided you?re disposed to this sort of typing?and, as it?s been a while since Macs went down this road, it?s possible you may need a little coaxing?you?re almost certain to find this ideal for whatever you want to do. In fact, aside from the price, which is admittedly high even for mechanical keyboards, this Das Keyboard has almost no significant drawbacks.

Except its design. We wouldn?t normally knock a product as good as this for something this mundane, but this keyboard is a special case. For better or worse, Macs are generally treated by Apple (and seen by its customers) as design statements, in which form exists in blessed union with function. Any company aiming an external piece of hardware at that audience must take that into account, and Metadot hasn?t. This keyboard is?sorry, there?s no other way to put it?black: matte on the keys and glossy everywhere else. And it's more distinctly angular and asymmetrical than you will ever see from an Apple product. On PCs, where keyboards can be (and frequently are) any color, this is less of an issue. But used with a Mac, this Das Keyboard stands out?and not in a good way.

True, Apple has occasionally utilized black in its keyboards in the past, and even does so on its current lines of laptops. In all these cases, however, it?s as part of a larger, more elegant design usually based on an abundance of silver and white. The complete absence of that here makes the Das Keyboard look like an out-of-place port from the PC, something that sends the wrong signal. We wish these things mattered less for Macs, but alas they do, and many people like the computers specifically for that kind of consistency. Metadot has cleverly demonstrated that in one unsuspected place: The keys (which contain Command and Option, of course) are labeled with lower-case letters, just like you?d see on an official Mac keyboard. So there?s no lack of attention to detail, and when we asked our contact about this, he said that white may be an option in the future; that?s definitely something to watch for.

Whether the Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac is ideal for you, then, depends on your personal taste and tolerance level. If you don?t mind having something on your desk that looks this astonishingly different from everything that surrounds it, you?ll have a hard time finding a better typing keyboard than this one. But if how your computer setup looks is just as important to you as how it works, you?re probably going to find the Das Keyboard an unwelcome interloper?though we?d encourage you to consider putting aside your prejudices so you can feel what you didn?t know your fingers have been missing.

More Keyboard Reviews:
??? Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac
??? Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth Edition
??? Kensington KeyFolio Pro Universal Removable Bluetooth Keyboard for 10" Tablets
??? iLuv Portable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad
??? Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/t3RmJLMWu0Y/0,2817,2399442,00.asp

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Amazon prices Verizon Galaxy Nexus at $99, tests your self control

Amazon prices Verizon Galaxy Nexus at $99, tests your self control
Looking for an excuse to buy a LTE-enabled superphone? Look no further. Online retail giant Amazon has priced Verizon's iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus at a paltry $99 for customers opening a new line of service. For those keeping score at home, that's a full $200 less than the on-contract price ($299) currently being peddled by Big Red. Why are you still reading this? Hit the source link, hammer in your Amazon credentials and get yourself one of these lean, mean, Ice Cream Sandwich running machines.

Amazon prices Verizon Galaxy Nexus at $99, tests your self control originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

PEER adopts the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund | Climate ...

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, established last year to support climate scientists who are under attack by the global warming denial machine, has teamed up with a new sponsor, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. This is a good development ? a project that should be strengthened, under the wing of an organization that can?make that happen. The CSLDF?s first?action has been to help Michael Mann with legal expenses in a case involving the right-wing American Tradition Institute and the University of Virginia.

Climate Science Legal Defense Fund home page

From PEER?s January 25 press release:

CLIMATE SCIENCE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND GETS NEW BACKING

PEER Sponsors Effort to Counter Fossil-Fueled Attacks on Climate Scientists

Washington, DC ? The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) has found a nonprofit home in Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) which provides it fiscal sponsorship and logistical support. CSLDF lets scientific colleagues and the public directly help climate scientists protect themselves and their work from industry-funded legal attacks.

In recent years, these legal attacks have intensified, especially against climate scientists. The fund is designed to help scientists like Professor Michael Mann cope with the legal fees that stack up in fighting attempts by climate-contrarian groups to gain access to private emails and other correspondence through lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests at their public universities.

The project is co-directed by physical sciences Professor Scott Mandia of Suffolk County Community College and Joshua Wolfe, co-author of ?Climate Change: Picturing the Science.? The Fund started this past fall after Prof. Mandia posted a ?Dear Colleague? appeal for support which generated more than $10,000 in less than 24 hours (http://bit.ly/qzg7X4). To date, CSLDF has raised $25,000. All contributions to CSLDF are tax-deductible.

?Academic salaries are not designed to support ongoing legal expenses in fights with corporate-funded law firms and institutes,? said Prof. Mandia. ?These legal battles also have taken many of our brightest scientific minds away from their research.?

?Our goal is not only to defend the scientist but to protect the scientific endeavor,? explained Wolfe. ?The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund was established to make sure that these legal claims are not viewed as an action against one scientist or institution but as actions against the scientific endeavor as a whole.?

In addition to its core mission of defraying legal fees, CSLDF will ?

? Educate researchers about their legal rights and responsibilities on issues surrounding their work;
? Serve as a clearinghouse for information related to legal actions taken against scientists; and
? Recruit and assist lawyers representing these scientists.

?The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund dovetails with the mission of PEER ? to protect those who protect our environment,? stated PEER executive Director Jeff Ruch. ?When individual researchers find themselves under intense legal assault, they often have few resources. Their universities do not necessarily represent their interests and may be disinclined to resist corporate fishing expeditions. We are stepping into this void to provide direct aid to both the scientists and their institutions.?

###

Visit the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund website

Support climate scientists ? give to the fund

Lauren Morello at ClimateWire (by subscription) writes (?Nonprofit group to help defend scientists facing legal actions?):

? The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund began last year as a grass-roots campaign to help defray the legal costs incurred by Mann as he fights a request from the conservative American Tradition Institute for emails he exchanged with other scientists while he was employed by the University of Virginia. ?

Scott Mandia, a professor of physical sciences at Suffolk County Community College, jump-started the effort to aid Mann last year when he posted a "Dear Colleague" letter on his blog. ?

"Mike [Mann] is client number one," Mandia said. "He still has outstanding legal fees."

In addition to his legal battle against the American Tradition Institute, Mann is at the center of a fight between Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) and the University of Virginia. Cuccinelli is seeking emails and other documents from the school as he investigates whether Mann, who received state grant money during his tenure at UVA, violated the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act.

Coverage by Andy Revkin at DotEarth includes an exchange with PEER executive director Jeff Ruch: ?A Legal Defense Fund for Climate Scientists?

Andrew Freedman at Climate Central: ?Defense Fund Helps Scientists Targeted by Lawsuits?

On the CSLDF website:

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund:

Protecting the Scientific Endeavor

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund was established with one goal: to protect the scientific endeavor. Scientific research has brought us amazing advancements in technology, medicine, and in our basic understanding of the planet. Over the last twenty years, a small handful of politically-motivated think tanks and legal foundations, because they disliked certain scientific findings, have taken legal action against scientific institutions and individual scientists. In recent years, the legal attacks have intensified, especially against climate scientists.

The scientific method is designed around the belief that skepticism is good. Results should be subjected to the utmost scrutiny through the peer review process, followed by close examination and replication by others in the scientific community. Those whose ideas do not live up to the standards of rigorous science have instead chosen to litigate.

For the individual scientist these legal actions are a painful burden. Academic salaries were not designed to support ongoing legal expenses. Legal actions also have taken many of our brightest scientific minds away from their research to focus on frivolous lawsuits. This state of affairs is unacceptable. The United States of America should be the leader in science and technology, and it cannot do so if unscrupulous people subject our scientists to these actions.

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund was established to make sure that these legal claims are not viewed as an action against one scientist or institution, but that they are seen as actions against the scientific endeavor as a whole. As such the Fund will defend climate scientists who are dragged into litigation and act aggressively to protect the interests of the scientific endeavor.

In addition, the Climate Science Defense Fund will create platforms and opportunities for members of the scientific community to gain a better understanding of the legal issues surrounding their work.

Earlier posts:

Favorable Virginia court procedural ruling in Michael Mann v. global warming denialist email raid

Letter calling on Univ. of Virginia to prevent inappropriate open records disclosure of climate scientists? exempt emails and documents [Union of Concerned Scientists, American Association of University Professors, American Geophysical Union, Climate Science Watch]

In defense of academic freedom against denialist FOIA inquisition tactics
[Letter to University of Virginia President Sullivan from American Association
of University professors, Virginia ACLU, Union of Concerned Scientists, and
nine other groups, including Climate Science Watch]

University of Virginia will seek to protect academic freedom in dealing with denialist FOIA inquisition [response to our letter]

National Science Foundation Inspector General report on Michael Mann investigation: ?No research misconduct. Case closed.? Don't bother telling Rick Perry.

Climate Science Watch video interview with Michael Mann on the Penn State Final Report and the war on climate scientists

Washington Post editorial: Resist denialist ?freedom of information? harassment of climate change scientists

Cuccinelli denialist witch-hunt is about political ambition, not climate science (Part 1 of 2)

Cuccinelli denialist witch-hunt is about political ambition, not climate science (Part 2 of 2)

Nine ways to undermine Virginia AG Cuccinelli?s McCarthyite demand for scientists? communication

Archive category: Attacks on Climate Science and Scientists

Archive category: Global Warming Denial Machine

Source: http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2012/01/26/peer-adopts-the-climate-science-legal-defense-fund/

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A hopeless romantic meets her match

Touring Greece's antiquities, a traveler comes face to face with the temples of the ancient gods -- and her childhood dreams.

As a child, on windy nights I'd fantasize that my bedroom could disengage from our home. Like a caterpillar giddy for transformation, it would emerge as a sublime sailing ship, float with the vagabond clouds, then drift down to worlds of long ago.

Skip to next paragraph

I would step off the ship onto the bronze earth. Greeting me were Greek gods and goddesses ? Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, and the others ? smiling gently from ivory faces. My life would be adorned by their radiance, their jealousies would captivate me, and my parents would be proud I'd found such famous companions.

After a social studies unit in fourth grade on Greek mythology, anything even remotely connected to ancient Greece was irresistible. It was more thrilling, by far, than a party or a snow day off school in my Indiana hometown.

In high school, I wondered if continuing such unabashed romanticism about antiquity might prove a liability, as most of my egghead friends had a proclivity for the sardonic. Then I discovered books by poets and scholars exalting the romantic melancholy of ancient ruins. If such notables shared my passion, then I knew my infatuation must be legitimate.

One lackluster day, as I looked through routine snail mail, I found a beautiful catalog with a cover photo of an ancient Greek temple soaring above the sea. It was from a newly launched cruise line, Voyages to Antiquity. Instantly, those three words transported me to my childhood reveries.

All the ancient civilizations I'd longed to visit were in that catalog, encompassed in 25 journeys ? aboard a sleek white vessel, the Aegean Odyssey.

It looked like a reincarnation of the ship in my childhood dreams. But this one sailed farther: through the entire Mediterranean world and into the Aegean, Ionian, Adriatic, and Black seas ? to Byzantine Turkey, Renaissance Italy, Pharaonic Egypt, Classical Greece, even exotic ports of Asia.

Unable to resist, I chose an odyssey through the Greek Islands and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul.

The cruise line hosted a presailing tour of the Acropolis. Our guide told how it had been sacred terrain even during the Minoan and Mycenaean periods, before Classical-era Greeks created the Parthenon there ? Athena's temple, dedicated to wisdom. Later, the guide said, the edifice became a church and mosque.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/f4xcq1tIQHA/A-hopeless-romantic-meets-her-match

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Police raid homes of alleged neo-Nazi supporters (AP)

BERLIN ? German prosecutors say police are raiding the homes of four alleged supporters of a neo-Nazi group linked to the killings of nine immigrants and a policewoman over the past decade.

The federal prosecutors' office said Wednesday the four people are suspected of having provided the far-right group with weapons and, in one case, explosives. They were not identified.

Prosecutors say seven apartments and two office premises are being searched in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia and southwestern Baden-Wuerttemberg state.

The alleged founders of the Nationalist Socialist Underground group, Uwe Boehnhardt and Uwe Mundlos, died in an apparent murder-suicide in November. A third suspected member, Beate Zschaepe, turned herself in shortly afterward.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_far_right

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Nokia Announces 1.5 Billion S40 Phones Sold

Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 4.07.17 PMDoes the term S40 mean anything to you? It's a mobile operating system built by Nokia for its feature phones back in 1999, and first appeared on the 7110. Well, apparently a lady over in S?o Paulo, Brazil has today purchased the 1.5 billionth phone running the operating system in the form of the Nokia Asha 303. Nokia is calling it "one of the most significant milestones" in company history.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fdsDCO2wQq0/

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Fed seen indicating no rate hikes until 2014 (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Federal Reserve opened a two-day meeting on Tuesday that is expected to end with a signal that interest rates will be held near zero into 2014.

Outside of words, however, the central bank appears unlikely to take any action to prop up the economy, although some officials have raised the prospect that more bond purchases will be needed.

For the first time, the Fed will release policymaker projections for the path of the benchmark federal funds rates at the conclusion of the meeting on Wednesday. It will also lay out views on when the first rate hike should occur.

Also, in what would be a historic shift, it may also announce an agreed target for inflation, which would likely be in the 1.7 percent to 2 percent that the majority of Fed officials have already said is desirable.

Fed officials began their meeting at 10 a.m., a Fed spokesperson said. A policy statement is due at 12:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) on Wednesday, and that will be followed by a news conference by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and the publication of policymakers' quarterly forecasts.

The central bank cut the federal funds rate to near zero in December 2008 and has bought $2.3 trillion in bonds in a further effort to spur stronger economic growth.

The U.S. economy strengthened toward the end of last year, and the unemployment rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent in December.

However, the recovery is not expected to retain all of its momentum and Europe's debt crisis still poses a risk.

Policymakers are likely to bide their time in mulling further bond purchases as they look for signs on whether the stronger growth at the end of 2011 was more than a one-quarter wonder.

The Fed has said economic conditions would likely warrant ultra-easy monetary policies at least through mid-2013, but the new rate projections are widely expected to show that view has shifted.

Officials at the central bank may also agree on a statement of longer-run goals and policy strategy that could set out an explicit inflation target, although it is unclear when the Fed would release such a statement.

Adopting an inflation target would cap a long-running campaign for Bernanke, who has for years advocated doing so as a fundamental central banking best practice.

An explicit target could hold down inflation fears if the central bank feels it needs to deliver a further boost to the recovery in the event it wobbles.

(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/bs_nm/us_usa_fed

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Vt. unemployment rate drops to 5.1 percent (AP)

MONTPELIER, Vt. ? Labor officials say Vermont's unemployment rate has dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest statewide rate since October of 2008.

The national rate is 8.5 percent.

Department of Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan said Tuesday that Vermont appears to be making headway in its economic recovery.

She says she hopes Vermont employers will continue to work with the Labor Department to recruit employees because there are many Vermonters who want to work and need a chance at a job to prove themselves.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_december_vermont

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B'Cast News Monday (TIME)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190629920?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Monday, January 23, 2012

These fantasy sports iPhone apps are worthy of their own store (Appolicious)

If you?re already tired of your group of friends who talk about their fantasy football teams like they?ve personally coached them, your life is about to get a little bit more frustrating. According to TechCrunch, CBS Sports is working on what is essentially an app store for fantasy sports apps.

As an avid and acknowledged fantasy sports nerd, an open platform for fantasy sports-related apps appeals to me in a very real way. But I?m sure I?d be scoffing a lot more if there was an app store for, say, car apps or something similarly niche, so I can understand the skepticism around this idea, too.

But if you?re already on board, there?s no reason to wait for CBS Sports? app store of sports apps. There?s plenty of valuable year round fantasy sports apps already available in your regular everyday iTunes App Store.

If you?re the type of fantasy sports player who has multiple leagues spread out over several different websites, Fantasy Monster Pro ($4.99) may seem a little pricey, but could be well worth the investment. The app lets you manage all of your Yahoo!, ESPN, and NFL.com fantasy teams under a single app. That?s a huge time saver if you?re got multiple leagues cooking, especially during the period of the year when the NBA, NFL and NHL are all going at the same time.

If that all seems a bit complex and you just need some news-centric apps to make sure you?re not going to be starting players that have been injured for a few weeks, there are a number of apps that might be of some use.

The free?Fanball.com Fantasy Sports News stands out not just because of its thorough video and text news updates, but also for its customizable player-follower. Users can create lists of the players on their fantasy teams to make sure the news they want is all easily accessible under one tab.

Rotoworld Fantasy News (also free) is another strong fantasy news option. You can quickly grab news, injury reports and well-researched analysis on players in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA golf and even NASCAR. Rotoworld?s player search function is also extremely easy to use, making finding players you?re curious about a breeze.

If you?d rather not limit your sources of information, the free?PlayerLine app brings together news from all over the web so you?ll always have the most varied and up-to-date info on your fantasy team. The app pulls news, bios and videos from Yahoo!, Digg, NFL.com, ESPN, MLB.com, CBS Sports and Fox Sports among other sources and feeds.

And if you just need some advice, well, get in line. But while you?re waiting in line, try out Fantasy Sports Coach (free). The app is essentially a forum for fantasy sports owners to ask for and offer advice to their fellow team owners. Now, if you make a bad decision to sit a guy who has a huge game, at least you can blame the crowd of strangers who offered you bad advice instead of your own poor research, and that?s always a good feeling.

While none of these apps will automatically take you from worst to first in whatever fantasy league you?re playing, they all should at least arm you with the knowledge you need to make better decisions. Heed the old proverb ? give a man fantasy sports advice, and he?ll win for a day, but teach a man how to properly navigate the tumultuous sea of fantasy football news, and he?ll win for a few more days.

Create a list of your favorite fantasy sports apps

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10825_these_fantasy_sports_iphone_apps_are_worthy_of_their_own_store/44254187/SIG=13hal7l84/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/sports/articles/10825-these-fantasy-sports-iphone-apps-are-worthy-of-their-own-store

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Generation 88 activists back Myanmar's reform path

Min Ko Naing, a leader of the 88 Generation Students Group, speaks during a press conference at a shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. The nearly legendary student leader from Myanmar's failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising was freed on Jan. 13 as part of a presidential pardon for 651 detainees. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

Min Ko Naing, a leader of the 88 Generation Students Group, speaks during a press conference at a shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. The nearly legendary student leader from Myanmar's failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising was freed on Jan. 13 as part of a presidential pardon for 651 detainees. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

Activists of the 88 Generation Students Group, including Min Ko Naing, seated third left, Ko Ko Gyi, seated third right, and Htay Kywe, seated second left, attend a press conference at a shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

Ko Ko Gyi, center, an activist of the 88 Generation Students Group, talks during a press conference at a shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

Htay Kywe, center, an activist of the 88 Generation Students Group, talks during a press conference at a shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

(AP) ? Prominent student activists recently released from prison in Myanmar said Saturday they will work with political reformers and support pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in upcoming by-elections.

Min Ko Naing, a top member of the 88 Generation Students Group, said it would always side with those who strive for "fairness, freedom and equality" and join hands with supporters of President Thein Sein's reforms.

The group's name refers to a failed democracy uprising in 1988 that resulted in long prison terms for the activists. They were at the cutting edge of that rebellion and are widely admired for their perseverance and dedication despite the threat of re-arrest always hanging over them.

At least four 88 Generation members spoke at the news conference, attended by about 500 people, including many of their supporters. It was their first joint public appearance since being released from prison on Jan. 13.

Thein Sein took office last year as chief executive of a military-backed but elected government after two decades of military repression made Myanmar a pariah state. Reforms he has initiated include starting a dialogue with Suu Kyi, legalizing labor unions and signing a cease-fire agreement in a long-running campaign against Karen insurgents.

An 88 Generation statement said the group "will participate to the fullest extent with the government led by the President, the parliament, military, political parties and ethnic minority groups for the emergence of democracy, peace and development."

"There are those who want to carry out reforms and those who are averse to reforms. We promise that the 88 Generation Students will side with the reformists," said Min Ko Naing.

Suu Kyi has expressed cautious optimism in the reform movement and lent her support by having her National League for Democracy reregister as a legal political party, and contest all 48 seats at stake in an April 1 by-election. The NLD had boycotted the November 2010 general election, saying it was conducted in an unfair and undemocratic manner.

Another Generation 88 member, Ko Ko Gyi, said the group would not run in the upcoming polls but "will support ... Aung San Suu Kyi who has made a risky and practical choice in order to achieve national reconciliation."

Some critics fear the military is using Suu Kyi as window-dressing to promote Myanmar as democratic while the countries constitution ensures army dominance over politics. For more than two decades, the military had kept the upper hand despite Suu Kyi's nonviolent resistance, armed conflict with ethnic minority groups, and political and economic sanctions by Western nations.

Another Generation 88 member, Mya Aye said that many political prisoners remain in prison.

"The fact is that the government's denial to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners amounts to ignoring the reality," he said.

After the initial euphoria over this month's release of about 500 political prisoners, it became evident that many convicts who are political detainees by most definitions remain behind bars because they were convicted of crimes not regarded by the government as political offenses.

The number of those still held is nearly impossible to determine because of the various crimes under which they are held and the limited information available about the detainees.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), based in neighboring Thailand, welcomed the releases, but pointed out that they are conditional and can be withdrawn, putting practical limits on those freed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-AS-Myanmar-Politics/id-a8041cd6397a4d55a4809d226ef3b19c

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Remorseful man admits he caused big Reno blaze

The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area Thursday. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area Thursday. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

Firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire burning through Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez says crews were able to stop the wall of flames before it reached Galena High School. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

Firefighters wait for water before attacking an outbuilding adjacent to a home Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 in Pleasant Valley, Nev. Winds gusting up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire south of Reno out of control on Thursday as it burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods. (AP Photo/The Reno Gazette-Journal, Tim Dunn) NEVADA APPEAL OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES

The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev. smolders as firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Winds gusting up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire south of Reno out of control on Thursday as it burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

(AP) ? An elderly man discarding fireplace ashes accidentally touched off the brush fire that raged south of Reno, destroying 29 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee the flames, authorities said.

The man admitted his role by improperly disposing of the ashes at his home.

Investigators already had tracked the origin of the fire to a location in East Lake on the north end of the Washoe Valley, where the man lives about 20 miles south of downtown Reno.

"He came forward on his own accord," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said. "He has given statements to our investigators as well as law enforcement officers. He is extremely remorseful."

Fueled by 82 mph wind gusts, the blaze burned nearly 3,200 acres and forced the evacuation of up to 10,000 people Thursday.

A break in the weather and calmer winds allowed firefighters to get the upper hand on the blaze Friday.

Hernandez estimated it to be 65 percent contained Friday night. He said 300 firefighters would remain on the scene through the night checking for hot spots along with another 125 support people, including law enforcement officers and the Nevada National Guard.

The next challenge may be the forecast for rain and snow in the mountains on Saturday, which officials fear could cause flooding in burned areas.

The Highway Patrol said Friday night that all of U.S. Highway 395 between Reno and Carson City had reopened.

Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley said a formal case file will be forwarded to the district attorney next week for consideration of charges.

"The DA will have to give this case a lot of deliberation," Haley said.

"The fact he came forward and admitted it plays a role. But so does the massive damage and loss of life," he said. "It's a balancing act."

In addition to the potential for facing jail time on arson charges, the man could also be ordered to pay the cost of fighting the fire, which already totals $690,000.

Washoe County Manager Katy Simon said she expects the final bill to run into the millions of dollars.

Gov. Sandoval toured the fire damaged area Friday, describing it as "horrendous, devastating."

"There is nothing left in some of those places except for the chimneys and fireplaces," he said.

The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by the wind, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno.

The strong, erratic winds caused major challenges for crews evacuating residents, Sierra Front spokesman Mark Regan said. "In a matter of seconds, the wind would shift," he said.

Haley confirmed that the body of June Hargis, 93, was found in the fire's aftermath, but her cause of death has not been established, so it's not known if it was fire related.

Jeannie Watts, the woman's 70-year-old daughter, told KRNV-TV that Hargis' grandson telephoned her to tell her to evacuate but she didn't get out in time.

About 2,000 people remained subject to evacuation, and about 100 households still were without power.

Marred in Reno's driest winter in more than 120 years, residents had welcomed the forecast that a storm was due to blow across the Sierra Nevada this week.

Instead, thousands found themselves fleeing their homes Thursday afternoon.

Connie Cryer went to the fire response command post Friday with her 12-year-old granddaughter, Maddie Miramon, to find out if her house had survived the flames.

"We had to know so we could get some sleep," Cryer said, adding her house was spared but a neighbor's wasn't. She had seen wildfires before, but nothing on this scale.

"There was fire in front of me, fire beside me, fire behind me. It was everywhere," she said. "I don't know how more didn't burn up. It was terrible, all the wind and the smoke."

Fire officials said Thursday's fire was "almost a carbon copy" of a blaze that destroyed 30 homes in Reno during similar summer-like conditions in mid-November.

State Forester Pete Anderson said he has not seen such hazardous fire conditions in winter in his 43 years in Nevada. Reno had no precipitation in December. The last time that happened was 1883.

An inch of snow Monday ended the longest recorded dry spell in Reno history, a 56-day stretch that prompted Anderson to issue an unusual warning about wildfire threats.

"We're usually pretty much done with the fire season by the first of November, but this year it's been nonstop," Anderson said.

Kit Bailey, U.S. Forest Service fire chief at nearby Lake Tahoe, said conditions are so dry that even a forecast calling for rain and snow might not take the Reno-Tahoe area out of fire danger.

"The scary thing is a few days of drying after this storm cycle and we could be back into fire season again," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas and Sandra Chereb in Carson City, Nev., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-21-Reno%20Brush%20Fire/id-ece4db1fb7f3448c9c97faee9b4ed6cf

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Body parts found in LA canyon; police seek answers (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? It's the perfect secluded hiking spot for those in the know, celebrities trying to keep clear of the paparazzi and others seeking a close-up view of the "Hollywood" sign or sweeping panoramas of downtown.

This week, someone apparently thought Bronson Canyon, a twisting, tiny warren of narrow streets just a mile up a hill from the studio where the TV show "Wizards of Waverly Place" was filmed, could also be the perfect place to hide a dismembered body.

A head. Feet. And hands.

Whoever it was that left the gruesome scene may be long gone now. That's one mystery, in a town that thrives on them and often rings up millions of dollars making up tales filled with gory scenes just like the one discovered Tuesday.

The other, more pressing mystery: Who do the body parts belong to?

So far, police believe the unidentified man is between 40 and 60 years old.

They also believe the body, found by a dog walker who let one of her animals off the leash, had been there only a short time. Just a few days at the most.

They note that the coyotes that roam rugged Bronson Canyon Park in packs at night ? their howls are the only sounds people hear after dusk ? would have destroyed the remains if they had been there longer than a few days.

"If it had not been for the dog walker, we might never have found it," police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said Thursday at the park.

As if to make Smith's point, a coyote strolled by a hillside at that moment, stopping no more than 30 yards away and turning its head curiously toward the assembled reporters as the officer continued to speak.

As 120 officers and firefighters on foot and horseback fought their way through 7 acres of brush this week looking for the victim's torso, some searchers used ropes to rappel into a steep drainage culvert. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, meanwhile, was attempting to identify the remains.

Smith said they would try to identify the man through fingerprints first and, if that doesn't work, search DNA databases and dental records.

Police are still searching for a motive, reviewing hundreds of theories provided by both detectives and local residents.

They don't believe the head, feet and hands are connected to a torso police in Tucson, Ariz., found on Jan. 6, Smith said.

That was too long ago for the head and other parts to have survived in the condition in which they were discovered. The head was found inside a plastic bag. Police also believe the victim was killed somewhere else and brought to the park.

They don't believe a serial killer was involved.

"We have no indication there is a serial murderer running around," Smith said.

The discovery, just inside Bronson Canyon Park's front gate, also was the first time police could recall finding a head or other body parts there.

Griffith Park, a huge, rugged expanse on the other side of the hill, is usually the dumping place for bodies, Officer Bruce Borihahn said.

Bronson Canyon is a quiet neighborhood of homes of various architectural styles and sizes that dead-ends at the rustic park, which features picnic tables, hiking trails and the so-called "Bat Cave," where segments of the "Batman" TV show were filmed.

"We're the area even celebrities come to hike when they don't want paparazzi following them," said Susan Moss, who has lived just seven houses down from the park's gate for the past 12 years. "It's so quiet the paparazzi don't even come up here."

Until the remains turned up, the most serious things residents said they had to worry about were the coyotes and the smash-and-grab burglars who sometimes target hikers' cars.

Renee Dake Wilson, who was walking her boxer-pit bull mix, Sweet Pea, near the park, said she was unnerved by the find, especially the fact that the head was uncovered right off the trail where she and her dog walk every day.

"I'm a little worried," she said. "It's a concern to have such an event happen in your neighborhood. But I do think it's an isolated event."

___

Associated Press writer Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_human_head_found

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