14 Eylül 2012 Cuma

US diplomatic outposts in Egypt, Libya attacked over inflammatory anti-Islam film financed by Sam Bacile, Israeli-American real estate developer

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The film is laughably bad. You'd see better acting and story lines in bargain-bin smut or even in a Kirk Cameron feature.
 
The movie was made by Sam Bacile, an Israeli-American real-estate developer, according to the Wall Street Journal, and promoted by Koran-burning Florida evangelist Terry Jones.
Bacile -- who wrote, directed and produced the film -- said he wanted to showcase his view of Islam as a hateful religion, the Journal reported, citing a telephone interview with him.
     Bacile, 52, told the newspaper that to make the film, he had raised $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors, who he declined to identify. He said he made the two-hour movie over a three-month period last year in California, using about 60 actors and 45 crew members, the Journal reported.
Proving once again that he is clueless about international diplomacy and ruthless about putting politics above statesmanship, Mitt Romney pounced on US diplomatic efforts to diffuse the situation by claiming that the Obama administration's first response was "to sympathize" with the attackers (because it deplored efforts to denigrate religion.)
     An Obama campaign spokesman responded by saying they were "shocked" that Romney would "choose to launch a political attack" shortly after the death of a U.S. official. A State Department officer was killed in Benghazi, Libya, after armed protesters stormed the consulate.

Ann Romney, Paul Ryan will speak at LGBT-bashing conference organized and sponsored by two SPLC-certified hate groups

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UPDATE: FRC spokesperson Darin Miller told BuzzFeed that the people listed on the online program were those both invited and confirmed. Only the ones with an asterisk next to their names were confirmed — and Mrs. Romney never had an asterisk. Paul Ryan will be there. (Via JMG.)

From The Raw Story:
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which considers the Family Research Council and American Family Association to be anti-LGBT hate groups, has urged public officials to avoid the conference.     “The FRC is far outside the mainstream,” a letter sent to public officials said (PDF). “It has engaged in repeated, groundless demonization – portraying LGBT people as sick, vile, incestuous, violent, perverted, and a danger to the nation. One of its officials has gone so far as to say that homosexuality should be criminalized.”     “The FRC’s extremism is vividly illustrated,” the letter added, “by the fact that it has invited the American Family Association (AFA) to co-sponsor the Summit at which you have been invited to speak. Here is what Bryan Fischer, the AFA’s Director of Issue Analysis, wrote in 2010: ‘Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and 6 million dead Jews.’”
The Nebraska affiliate of the Family Research Council is Family First, which, together with the Nebraska Family Council, gathered over 10,000 signatures to kill an equal employment ordinance extending protected class status to gay people as well as Christians.

Christer Pat Robertson, rich hustler of religion with talkative burning bushes and opinionated snakes, says Muslims 'cannot defend some of the stuff they believe'

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You wonder what it is in these Muslims that makes them go crazy when somebody says something about Muhammad, most of which happens to be true... He took his favorite wife when she was either 8 or 9 years old and he was 53. And he began having sexual relations with that 8- or 9-year-old child. And we called that pedophilia in this country, but with him it was like a holy act...     He had a number of wives and this movie showed him having sexual intercourse with one more more of his wives, and I guess the Muslims got upset about that... they cannot defend some of the stuff they believe... Ishmael, the Bible says, was like a wild donkey. I mean, he was just a wild man. And apparently, that spirit has pervaded these people. And it’s just crazy, but they do it.
AKSARBENT is largely bored by all this pot-can't-call-the-kettle-insane back and forth, but will defend to the death against slurs on donkeys, which are soulful, loyal animals, once you neuter them.

The most famous chord in rock 'n' roll, dissected

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Paul McCartney was said to have been highly annoyed when one critic called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band the "best album yet" from the Beatles' steller producer, George Martin.
     Martin, in his 80s now, is almost deaf, but his son let Canadian rocker Randy Bachman into the Abbey Road studios to settle long-running speculation about exactly how the opening to A Hard Day's Night, rock's most famous chord, was constructed. Below: Miramax rerelease trailer.

New Nikon D600 video and full specs; List: $2100 (US); android phones can preview image, trip shutter

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All the specs, directly from Nikon:
  • Type Single-lens reflex digital camera
  • Lens Mount Nikon F bayonet mount
  • Picture Angle Nikon FX format
  • Effective Pixels 24.3 million
  • Sensor Size 35.9mm x 24.0mm
  • Image Sensor Format FX
  • Image Sensor Type CMOS
  • Total Pixels 24.7 million
  • Dust-reduction system Image sensor cleaning
  • Dust-Off Reference Photo Yes
  • Image Area (pixels) FX-format
    (L)
    6,016 x 4,016,
    (M) 4,512 x 3,008, (S) 3,008 x 2,008
    DX-format
    (L)
    3,936 x 2,624,
    (M) 2,944 x 1,968, (S) 1,968 x 1,312
  • File Format Still Images JPEG: JPEG-Baseline Compliant; can be selected from Size Priority and Optimal Quality
    JPEG: JPEG-Baseline Compliant with fine (approx 1:4), Normal (approx 1:8) or Basic (approx 1:16) Compression
    NEF (RAW): Lossless Compressed, Compressed or Uncompressed 12 or 14 bit
    TIFF (RGB)
  • Picture Control Landscape, Monochrome, Neutral, Portrait, Standard, User-customizable Settings, Vivid
  • Storage Media SD, SDHC, SDXC
  • Card Slot 2 Secure Digital (SD)
  • File System Compliant with DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), EXIF 2.3 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras), PictBridge
  • Viewfinder Eye-level Pentaprism Single-Lens Reflex Viewfinder
  • Viewfinder Frame Coverage FX (36x24): 100% Horizontal and 100% Vertical Approx.DX (24x16): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx.
  • Viewfinder Magnification 0.70x Approx.
  • Viewfinder Eyepoint 20.6mm (-1.0m¯¹)
  • Viewfinder Diopter Adjustment Built-in diopter adjustment (-3 to +1 m¯¹)
  • Focusing Screen Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII with AF Area Brackets (grid lines can be displayed)
  • Reflex Mirror Quick-return type
  • Lens Aperture Instant-return type
  • Depth-of-field Control Yes
  • Lens Compatibility at a Glance*** AF-S or AF lenses fully compatible
    Metering with AI lenses
  • Compatible Lenses AF NIKKOR lenses, including type G and D lenses (some restrictions apply to PC lenses) and DX lenses (using DX 24 × 16 1.5x image area), AI-P NIKKOR lenses, and non-CPU AI lenses (A and M modes only).
    IX NIKKOR lenses, lenses for the F3AF, and non-AI lenses cannot be used.
  • Shutter type Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane
  • Shutter Speed 1/4000 to 30 sec.
    Bulb
  • Fastest Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec.
  • Slowest Shutter Speed 30 sec.
  • Flash Sync Speed Up to 1/200 sec.
    Synchronizes with shutter at 1/250s or slower
  • Bulb Shutter Setting Yes
  • Shutter Release Modes Continuous low-speed [CL] mode; 1-5 frames per second
    Continuous high-speed [CH] mode; 5.5 frames per second
    Mirror-up [Mup] mode, Quiet Shutter Release, Self-timer mode, Single-frame [S] mode
  • Continuous Shooting Options FX-format
    CH: Up to
    5.5 frames per second
    CL: Up to 1-5 frames per second
  • Top Continuous Shooting Speed at full resolution 5.5 frames per second
  • Self-timer 2, 5, 10, 20 sec. Timer duration electronically controlled
  • Exposure Metering System TTL exposure metering using 2,016-pixel RGB sensor
  • Metering Method Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8mm circle in center of frame
    Matrix: 3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses)
    Spot: Meters 4mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point
  • Metering Range 0 to 20 EV (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering)
    0 to 20 EV (spot metering)
  • Exposure Meter Coupling CPU
    AI
  • Exposure Modes Aperture-Priority (A), Manual (M), Programmed auto with flexible program (P), Shutter-Priority (S)
  • Exposure Compensation ±5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
  • Exposure Bracketing 2 or 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
  • Exposure Lock Yes
  • Mirror Lock Up Yes
  • ISO Sensitivity ISO 100 - 6400, Lo-1 (ISO 50), Hi-1 (ISO 12,800), Hi-2 (ISO 25,600)
  • Lowest Standard ISO Sensitivity 100
  • Highest Standard ISO Sensitivity 6400
  • Lowest Expanded ISO Sensitivity Lo-1 (ISO 50 equivalent)
  • Highest Expanded ISO Sensitivity HI-2 (ISO 25,600 equivalent)
  • Expanded ISO Sensitivity Options Hi-1 (ISO-12,800 equivalent) in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
    Hi-2, (ISO-25,600 equivalent) 1 EV
  • Long Exposure Noise Reduction Yes
  • High ISO Noise Reduction Low, Normal, High, Off
  • Active D-Lighting Auto, Extra High, High, Normal, Low, Off
  • D-Lighting Bracketing 2 frames using selected value for one frame
    3–5 frames using preset values for all frames
  • Single-point AF Mode Yes
  • Dynamic AF Mode Number of AF points: 9, 21, 39 and 39 (3D-tracking)
  • Auto-area AF Mode Yes
  • Autofocus System Nikon Multi-CAM 4800 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection
  • Detection Range -1 to 19 EV (ISO 100, 68°F/20°C)
  • Lens Servo Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); Continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status
    Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used
  • AF-area mode 9, 21 or 39 point Dynamic-area AF
    Auto-area AF
    Single-point AF
    3D-tracking (39 points)
  • Focus Lock Focus can be locked by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
    Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF)
  • Focus Modes Auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A)
    Continuous-servo (AF-C)
    Face-Priority AF available in Live View only and D-Movie only
    Manual (M) with electronic rangefinder
    Normal area
    Single-servo AF (AF-S)
    Wide area
  • Maximum Autofocus Areas/Points 39
  • Autofocus Sensitivity -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F)
  • Autofocus Fine Tune Yes
  • Built-in Flash Yes
  • Flash Bracketing 2 to 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
  • Built-in Flash Distance 39 ft. (ISO 100)
  • X-Sync Speed 1/200
  • Top FP High Speed Sync Up to 1/4000
  • Flash Control TTL: i-TTL flash control using 2,016-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash and SB-910, SB-900, SB-700, or SB-400; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighting metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering
  • Flash Sync Modes Front-curtain sync (normal), Rear-curtain sync, Red-Eye reduction, Red-Eye reduction with slow sync, Slow sync
  • Flash Compensation -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
  • Flash-ready indicator Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit such as SB-910, SB-900, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX or SB-50DX is fully charged
  • Accessory Shoe Yes
  • Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) CLS Supported
  • White Balance Auto, Choose color temperature (2500K–10000K), Cloudy, Direct Sunlight, Flash
    Fluorescent (7 types), Incandescent, Preset manual (up to 4 values can be stored)Shade
  • White Balance Bracketing 2 or 3 exposures
  • Live View Shooting Photography Live View Mode
    Movie Live View Mode
  • Live View Lens servo Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F)
    Manual focus (MF)
  • Live View AF-area mode Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF, Subject-tracking AF
  • Live View Autofocus Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
  • Live View Scene Auto Selector Auto mode, Auto (flash off) mode
  • Movie Metering TTL exposure metering using main image sensor
  • Movie Maximum recording time 20 minutes at highest quality
    29 minutes 59 seconds at normal quality
  • Movie File Format MOV
  • Movie Video Compression H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
  • Movie Audio recording format Linear PCM
  • Movie HD 1,920x1,080 / 30 fps, HD 1,920x1,080 / 25 fps, HD 1,920x1,080 / 24 fps, HD 1,280x720 / 60 fps, HD 1,280x720 / 50 fps, HD 1,280x720 / 30 fps HD 1,280x720 / 25 fps,
  • Movie Audio Built-in microphone, monaural
    External stereo microphone (optional)
  • Monitor Size 3.2 in. diagonal
  • Monitor Resolution 921,000 Dots
  • Monitor Type Wide Viewing Angle TFT-LCD
  • Monitor Angle of View 170-degree wide-viewing angle
  • Monitor Adjustments Brightness, 5 levelsBrightness control using ambient brightness sensor
  • Virtual Horizon Camera Indicator Yes
  • Playback Functions Auto Image Rotation, Full-Frame and Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar), Highlights, Histogram Display, Image Comment, Movie Playback, Movie Slideshow, Playback with Zoom
    Slideshow
  • In-Camera Image Editing Color Balance, Color Outline, Color Sketch, D-Lighting, Distortion Control, Edit Movie, Filter Effects, Fisheye, Image Overlay, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, NEF (RAW) Processing, Perspective Control, Quick Retouch, Red-Eye Correction, Resize, Selective Color, Side-by-Side Comparison, Straighten, Trim
  • Image Comment Yes
  • Interface Accessory Terminal: Remote Cord: MC-DC2 (available separately); GPS unit: GP-1 (available separately)
    HDMI output: Type C mini-pin HDMI connector
    Headphone Connector
    Hi-speed USB
    Stereo Microphone Input
  • Wi-Fi Functionality Eye-Fi Compatible
    WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter
  • GPS GP-1 GPS unit
    GP-1A GPS unit
  • Save/Load Camera settings Yes
  • Total custom Settings 50
  • My Menu Yes with customization
  • Recent Settings Yes
  • Supported Languages Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norweigan, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian
  • Date, Time and Daylight Savings Time Settings Yes
  • World Time Setting Yes
  • Battery / Batteries EN-EL15 Lithium-ion Battery
  • Battery Life (shots per charge) 900 shots per charge (Battery Life) (CIPA)
  • AC Adapter EH-5b AC Adapter
    Requires EP-5B Power Supply Connector
  • Battery Charger MH-25 Quick Charger
  • Tripod Socket 1/4 in.
  • Approx. Dimensions Width: 5.6 in. (141mm), Height: 4.4 in. (113mm), Depth: 3.2 in. (82mm)
  • Approx. Weight 42 oz. (760g)
    camera body only
  • Operating Environment 0–40 °C (+32–104 °F)
  • Supplied Accessories
    • EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
    • MH-25 Quick Charger
    • EG-D2 Audio Video Cable
    • UC-E15 USB Cable
    • BM-14 LCD Monitor Cover
    • DK-21 Rubber Eyecup
    • AN-DC8 Strap
    • DK-5 Eyepiece Cap
    • BF-1B Body Cap
    • BS-1 Accessory Shoe Cap
    • NikonView NX2 CD ROM
*SRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time. **Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.
***Refer to the product manual or the Compatible Lenses Specification for additional details.

14 Ağustos 2012 Salı

Mother Jones: Civil rights credentials of NOM's antigay African-American hood ornament, Rev. William Owens, may be largely bogus

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Antigay African-American political opportunist Rev. Bill Owens is on the take of the National Organization for Marriage, which was embarrassed recently (if that's possible) over disclosure of secret memos detailing its plan to pit black and gay Democrats against each other. USA Today documents Owens' longstanding ties to conservative Republican groups. Michael Cottman says Owens is slandering Obama. And Adam Serwer of Mother Jones says Owens may have little if any credibility as a "fighter" for civil rights in the 50s and 60s:
With his backstory as an activist at the center of the fight for civil rights, Owens would seem to be the perfect messenger. "I was a leader in the civil rights movement in Nashville from 1958 to '59 and 1960," Owens told Mother Jones. "We organized from dorm to dorm, from school to school, and went around training students how to sit in, and how to be an activist, what to do." Nashville's sit-ins played a particularly important role in the civil rights struggle, pioneering non-violent tactics that were adopted by the broader movement.
     But surviving leaders of the Nashville civil rights movement, who spoke with Mother Jones, have no recollection of Owens.Rev. C.T. Vivian, an ally of Martin Luther King Jr. who helped organize the Nashville sit-ins and who is now president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said he did not recall crossing paths with Owens. Rev. James Lawson, the famed practitioner of non-violence who trained the sit-in activists, did not remember Owens either. The same goes for Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), one of the major student leaders in the Nashville sit-in movement who went on to lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. 
Below: Owens can get quite arrogant and combative when his assertions are questioned in the slightest. (Via Good As You.)


American Chemical Society: Artificial butter flavoring ingredient linked to key Alzheimer’s disease process

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Air-pop your corn. (Photo: Flickr/The Rocketeer)
The press release:
The Butter Flavorant, Diacetyl, Exacerbates ß-Amyloid Cytotoxicity
Chemical Research in Toxicology
A new study raises concern about chronic exposure of workers in industry to a food flavoring ingredient used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn, margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods and other products. It found evidence that the ingredient, diacetyl (DA), intensifies the damaging effects of an abnormal brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The study appears in ACS’ journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.     Robert Vince and colleagues Swati More and Ashish Vartak explain that DA has been the focus of much research recently because it is linked to respiratory and other problems in workers at microwave popcorn and food-flavoring factories. DA gives microwave popcorn its distinctive buttery taste and aroma. DA also forms naturally in fermented beverages such as beer, and gives some chardonnay wines a buttery taste. Vince’s team realized that DA has an architecture similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins clump together in the brain — clumping being a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. So they tested whether DA also could clump those proteins.     DA did increase the level of beta-amyloid clumping. At real-world occupational exposure levels, DA also enhanced beta-amyloid’s toxic effects on nerve cells growing in the laboratory. Other lab experiments showed that DA easily penetrated the so-called “blood-brain barrier,” which keeps many harmful substances from entering the brain. DA also stopped a protective protein called glyoxalase I from safeguarding nerve cells. “In light of the chronic exposure of industry workers to DA, this study raises the troubling possibility of long-term neurological toxicity mediated by DA,” say the researchers.     The authors acknowledge funding from the Center for Drug Design (CDD) research endowment funds at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.