Mobile App Ratings: Teens Review Their Favorite Social Apps From Instagram To GifBoom

This article was written by teen reporters from The Mash, a weekly publication distributed to Chicagoland high schools.

By Ashley Black, St. Charles East high school, and Mikhaela Padilla, Whitney Young high school

The time of simple communication is dwindling toward extinction. Think about it: When?s the last time you called a friend from a landline phone and talked for hours? Year after year, study after study, it?s shown that teens favor communicating through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

But now, there?s a new crop of social networking applications that are readily available to teens (aka free)?and there?s something for everyone. Want to show off a vacation photo? Instagram is your best bet. Interested in documenting your life, one check-in at a time? Path can help you with that. Or maybe you just want to send a silly selfie to your best friends? Check out Snapchat.

We rounded up some of the most popular communication apps, tried them out for ourselves and gave them report cards.

Instagram

Instagram allows its users to play professional photographer with filters, a cropping tool and focus options. Plus, you can see what your friends (and celebs) are up to through live updates.
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram is a photo-only app that banks on creativity. ?People love it because it shows a little bit of your personality and your life,? said Brianna Booth, a freshman at Barrington.

Since Instagram?s launch in 2010, heaps of knockoff apps have debuted. Still, most lack the massive following that Instagram has built.

Instagram did come under fire late last year after changing its terms of service. Users worried that the app could sell their works of art. Instagram cleared that up: You own your photos, but Instagram can share your user data with its parent company, Facebook.

Grade: A
Top marks for: user-friendly tools, creativity and cult-like following
Could improve: confusing service terms

GifBoom

In a nutshell, GifBoom is a moving Instagram. The app makes it easy to create and share your very own gifs (aka animated photographs, like the ones on whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com). Unlike Tumblr, GifBoom only allows its users to share gifs?no still photos allowed.

One major complaint? It?s not super user-friendly at first. ?It was hard to navigate for the first week,? said Gina Paletta, a freshman at St. Charles East. ?I had no idea what I was doing and it took time to figure out.?

Once you get the hang of it, GifBoom is a unique app to have. If you?ve ever wished your Instagram photos could move, this app is for you.

Grade: B+
Top marks for: growing user base and clean design
Could improve: ease of use and tools

Pheed

If Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube had a baby (don?t ask us how), it would be Pheed. The easy-to-use, clutter-free app is quickly gaining popularity and followers. You can use Pheed to share texts, photos, videos, audio and live broadcasts.

Some would say the concept is new, but others find it repetitive. ?Facebook is all I need because other apps are basically all just the same,? said Jose Garcia, a junior at Carl Schurz.

But there is something that sets Pheed apart: Users can subscribe to premium channels for a fee (anywhere from $1.99 to $34.99 per month). For example, a singer might broadcast their performance or concert on Pheed and users would have to subscribe?and possibly pay a fee?to view it.

Grade: A-
Top marks for: clutter-free design and ease of use
Could improve: originality and premium fees

Path

If you love the idea of Facebook?s timeline, Path might just be your new favorite app. The new-ish concept allows you to share almost anything: your current location, what you?re listening to, future plans, cute stickers and more. The app also allows you to have conversations with friends (as shown above).

?Facebook and Instagram are easier to use and understand, but Path is a more minute-by-minute timeline of someone?s day,? said Brooke Rinker, a senior at St. Charles East.

One major difference between Facebook and Path is that you can have only 150 friends on Path. It creates a more close-knit feeling for many users, but some find it too restrictive.

Grade: B
Top marks for: live updating and variety
Could improve: sharing restrictions and ease of use

Snapchat

Snapchat is like nothing else on the app market. You take a photo or short video, add text or a doodle and send it to your friends to view for a set amount of time (one to 10 seconds, your choice). Once your friends open the pic, they have to press down on their phone screen to view your photo. After the timer is up, the photo or video disappears forever ? or so we?re told.

?Snapchat allows people to easily share information about their lives on a whole (different) level using photos,? said Willie Stevan, a sophomore at Whitney Young. ?I send about 15 snaps a day and receive, like, 50!?

One downfall? The privacy settings are questionable. A University of Michigan student and hacker, Raj Vir, reported that users secretly can save incoming images. Note to all: Don?t send anything via Snapchat that you wouldn?t want to resurface.

Grade: B+
Top marks for: originality and easy-to-use tools
Could improve: privacy settings

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/27/mobile-app-ratings-teens-_n_3171661.html

kawasaki disease resurrection masters tickets one direction tulsa news scalloped potatoes the ten commandments

Pale Plague

I'll take an Assassin Doctor if that's alright? I can get a profile sheet in very soon if I start now lol

-K

A name is not your identity; a name is your title, your leash, your prison, your expectation. Without a name you can be as free as you want, as obscene as you want, as emotional as you want, anybody you want. A name, your name, is optional not mandatory. And it is because of this that I am The Unnamed One.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/KZPAaKPdk8E/viewtopic.php

stanford football guy fieri Jill Kelley hope solo hope solo tesla model s tesla model s

Police say 4 people stabbed at Albuquerque church

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? Police say a 24-year-old man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Police spokesman Robert Gibbs says Lawrence Capener jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday and walked up to the choir area where he began his attack.

The injuries to the four church-goers weren't life-threatening. All four were being treated at hospitals.

An off-duty police officer and others at the church subdued Capener and held him down until police arrived.

Some of those who were stabbed were members of the choir.

The choir's pianist, Brenda Baca King, told KRQE-TV that the attacker was looking at the lead soloist. "I just remember seeing him hurdle over the pews, hurdle over people and run towards us and I thought, 'Oh my God, this is not good,'" Baca King said.

Police described the stabbing scene as chaotic as parishioners screamed as the attack unfolded.

Gibbs says Capener was interviewed by police and was expected to face felony charges. It's not yet known whether Capener has an attorney.

Gibbs says investigators don't yet know the motive for the stabbings, whether Capener had ties to the victims or whether he regularly attended the church.

The stabbings occurred as the choir had just begun its closing hymns.

Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack.

"I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again," Sheehan said.

The church didn't immediately return calls seeking comment on Sunday afternoon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-28-Church%20Stabbing/id-d64e23286017460897d237c3399454b7

USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014 powerball numbers freddie mercury Horshack

Biden: Economic Collapse Led to McCain Loss in 2008 (ABC News)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302015489?client_source=feed&format=rss

sledge hammer tax day freebies madison bumgarner wnba draft tax day april 17 tu pac hologram

Senate weighs move to stop airline flight delays: aide (reuters)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301520851?client_source=feed&format=rss

Sylvia Kristel st louis cardinals Steelers Schedule tory burch Al Smith Dinner Herman Melville Books Kyna Treacy

Bush 43: 'History will ultimately judge ... I'm a content man' (CNN)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301488502?client_source=feed&format=rss

jessie j jessie j David Boudia David Rakoff Bourne Legacy Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer

Dutch court: compensation for gas attack survivors

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) ? A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered a businessman convicted of selling Saddam Hussein raw materials for mustard gas to pay compensation to victims of chemical weapon attacks by the late Iraqi dictator's regime.

The landmark ruling was largely symbolic for the 16 survivors as the businessman, Hans van Anraat, is serving a prison sentence for selling the chemicals and is believed to be destitute. But it served as a warning to individuals or businesses who may still try to sell chemicals to tyrants at a time of reports that poison gas is being used in Syria's bloody civil war.

"I am of course very happy that the judgment is finally in our favor," said Rebas Kadir, the only victim in court. "For us it was very important that it sent a message that something like this should not and cannot happen."

Kadir was just 4 years old when he survived Saddam's notorious 1988 attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja in Iraq in which an estimated 5,600 civilians were killed. His parents, brother and sister died and he was left with badly damaged lungs that make even day-to-day activities like climbing a flight of stairs tough.

Saddam, then Iraq's dictator, ordered the Halabja attack as part of a scorched-earth campaign to crush a Kurdish rebellion in the north, which was seen as aiding Iran in the final months of its war with Iraq.

Kadir now lives in the Netherlands, where Van Anraat is serving a 16 ?-year sentence for supplying Saddam with a chemical known as TDG,in the full knowledge that it was going to be used to make poison gas.

Van Anraat, who was not in court, was ordered to pay each survivor ?25,000 ($32,475).

He was Iraq's sole supplier of TDG, or thiodiglycol, for its mustard gas production program. His lawyer, Hans Vermeer, said Wednesday that Van Anraat believed the chemical was to be used in the Iraqi textile industry.

Judges rejected that argument at his 2005 trial and said he knew the chemicals might well be used for war crimes, but sold more than 1,000 tons to Saddam anyway, motivated by greed. Van Anraat continued selling the chemicals even after learning of the Halabja attack.

Wednesday's case in The Hague came amid mounting claims of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

A senior Israeli military intelligence official said on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons last month in his battle against insurgent groups.

Britain and France also recently announced that they had evidence Assad's government had used chemical weapons. Although the U.S. says it has not been able to verify the claims, President Barack Obama has warned that the introduction of chemical weapons by Assad would be a "game changer."

Britain and France asked the U.N. to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use in two locations near Damascus on March 19, as well as in the city of Homs on Dec. 23. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed an investigative team, but the Syrian government has largely blocked its effort. Syria, meanwhile, has accused the rebels of using chemical weapons.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-court-compensation-gas-attack-survivors-115415325.html

Horshack Beady Eye Eric Idle rory mcilroy Fatboy Slim Rio de Janeiro Shark Week

U.S. Heart Failure Costs Could Skyrocket: Report - Health News and ...

WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) ? The number of Americans with heart failure could rise 46 percent, from 5 million in 2012 to 8 million in 2030, new research says.

And the direct and indirect costs of treating the condition could more than double, from $31 billion to $70 billion, over the same time period.

That means that by 2030, every U.S. taxpayer could be paying $244 a year to care for heart failure patients, according to the American Heart Association policy statement. It said the findings highlight the need for strategies to prevent and treat heart failure.

Heart failure ? the leading cause of hospitalization for Americans over age 65, according to the AHA ? occurs when the heart becomes weak and can no longer pump enough oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body. Patients often experience fatigue and breathing problems as the heart enlarges and pumps faster in an effort to meet the body?s needs.

The rising number of people with heart failure is the result of an aging population and an increase in the rates of conditions that contribute to heart failure, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Being older, a smoker, poor or a member of a minority group also are risk factors for heart failure.

?If we don?t improve or reduce the incidence of heart failure by preventing and treating the underlying conditions, there will be a large monetary and health burden on the country,? said Dr. Paul Heidenreich in an AHA news release. ?The costs will be paid for by every adult in this country, not just every adult with heart failure.?

?Awareness of risk factors and adequately treating them is the greatest need,? said Heidenreich, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of a chronic heart failure research initiative at the VA Health Care System in Palo Alto, Calif.

The statement includes recommendations on how to tackle the issue. These include the following:

• More effective distribution and use of therapy recommended in guidelines to prevent heart failure and improve patient survival.
• Improving the coordination of care when hospitalized patients go home in order to help them achieve better outcomes and reduce their risk of having to return to the hospital.
• Specialized training for physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals on advanced heart failure care.
• Improving heart failure prevention and care for minority groups and lower-income people.
• Increasing access to palliative and hospice care for patients with heart failure in advanced stages.

The statement was published online April 24 in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

?We have the solutions we need to change the course of heart failure in this country, but we must take steps now to reverse the trend,? American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in the news release. ?If we treat patients using existing guidelines, improve care transitions, adequately train our health care workforce and reduce disparities in the health outcomes of specific populations, we can lessen the burdens of heart failure.?

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about heart failure.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/04/24/u-s-heart-failure-costs-could-skyrocket-report/

Lady Gaga New Girl Avalanna Gigi Chao Jimmy Hoffa Ed Hochuli Opie

Four children die in S. Carolina mobile home fire

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) ? Authorities say four children have been killed in a mobile home fire in the South Carolina city of Hartsville.

Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee said twin 1-year-old girls and their brothers aged 3 and 4 were found dead in the home after the fire was put out Wednesday afternoon.

Hardee said autopsies have been scheduled for Thursday to determine the cause of death and their identities.

Sheriff Wayne Byrd said the mother was in the yard when firefighters arrived. He didn't elaborate.

The fire is under investigation by both the sheriff 's department and the State Law Enforcement Division. No charges have been filed and authorities were preparing to talk with the mother.

Hartsville is a city of some 8,000 people about 60 miles east of the state capital, Columbia.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/official-4-children-killed-sc-mobile-home-fire-195420381.html

allure jane goodall saturday night fever glamping forgetting sarah marshall taraji p. henson shuttle discovery

Pa. judge defends church aide's trial, conviction

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? A judge is defending her decisions in the trial of the first Catholic Church official in the United States to be charged and convicted in the cover-up of the priest abuse scandal.

Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina concluded in a recent opinion that Monsignor William Lynn lied to perpetuate a church cover-up of child sexual abuse.

"The defendant learned that his predecessors handled clergy sex abuse in a way that prioritized shielding the church from scandal and ... perpetuated the same system during his tenure," she wrote in the 243-page decision, which summarized much of the trial testimony.

The document responds to trial decisions that Lynn is challenging on appeal. The appeal now goes to the state Superior Court. The Legal Intelligencer first reported Wednesday on the judge's April 12 opinion.

Lynn, the longtime secretary for clergy, was convicted of child endangerment and is serving a three- to six-year prison term.

Defense lawyers argued during and after the three-month trial that the judge unfairly let jurors hear about priest sexual-abuse complaints filed long before Lynn worked at the Philadelphia archdiocese. Lynn served as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, acting, in the judge's words, as the point person for abuse complaints and a "funnel" for information going up the church's chain of command to the archbishop.

The judge said the earlier abuse complaints, some dating to the 1950s, showed how Lynn continued the cover-up begun by his predecessors. And she rejected arguments that they unduly influenced jurors, noting the jurors convicted Lynn on just one of three counts.

"The contents of the Secret Archives (of priest-abuse complaints) illustrated that the defendant's predecessors handled issues of clergy sex abuse consistently with the priorities of the archbishop," she wrote. "... Those who came before the defendant consistently sought to minimize any potential for scandal and to protect the reputation of the church and its clergy."

Lynn's lawyers have argued that the child endangerment charge should not apply to him because he did not supervise any child.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pa-judge-defends-church-aides-trial-conviction-211500942.html

Obama Acceptance Speech 2012 dow jones Selena Gomez ariel winter Paige Butcher David Petraeus Petraeus

The TSA postpones plan to allow small knives on U.S. planes ...

The Transportation Security Administration today postponed its plan to allow small knives on U.S. planes this week, according to two flight attendants groups.

Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions announced the news on its website. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, a union at American Airlines, confirmed it.

The TSA did not return phone calls tonight.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that TSA chief John Pistole said in a letter to employees he decided to maintain, at least temporarily, the ban on knives on planes after a meeting with an aviation security panel.

The TSA said last month it would permit small knives, golf clubs, ski poles, small baseball bats and other items in carry-on luggage that have been banned since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The change was to have started Thursday.

The agency said at the time the change was part of ?an overall risk-based security approach, which allows transportation security officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher-threat items such as explosives.?

Unions representing flight attendants at Fort Worth-based American Airlines and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines fought the TSA?s proposal.

The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which has opposed the TSA?s plan, said it ?resolute? that all knives should be banned from planes permanently. The group represents 90,000 flight attendants nationwide, including those at American and Southwest.

?The APFA is pleased that the TSA has decided to postpone this change,? said Leslie Mayo, a spokeswoman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants at American. ?We got what we wanted for now. Every day without a knife on board is a good day.?

The APFA is part of the Coalition. The Coalition is working with Congressional members on legislation to permanently keep knives off planes.

Source: http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/the-tsa-postpones-plan-to-allow-small-knives-on-u-s-planes.html/

arian foster dennis kucinich apple ipad kony kony 2012 jim irsay the new ipad

Tipp Pride and Day of Caring | TippNews DAILY

The requested URL /local/united-way/tipp-pride-and-day-of-caring/ was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

---

Apache/2.2.24 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.24 OpenSSL/1.0.0-fips DAV/2 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at tippnews.com Port 80

Source: http://tippnews.com/local/united-way/tipp-pride-and-day-of-caring/

Harbaugh brothers ray lewis alicia keys randy moss randy moss superbowl commercials OJ Brigance

More rain expected for already swollen Midwest rivers

CLARKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) ? Communities along the Mississippi River and other Midwestern waterways are vigilantly eyeing ? and in some cases hastily fortifying ? makeshift levees to hold back floodwaters that meteorologists say could worsen or be prolonged by looming storms.

An inch of rain was expected to fall from Oklahoma to Michigan through Tuesday, a new drenching that led the National Weather Service to heighten the forecast crest of some stretches of rivers while blunting the progress of other waterways' slow retreat.

Mark Fuchs, a National Weather Service hydrologist, said the latest dousing could be especially troubling for communities along the Illinois River, which he said is headed for record crests.

"Along the Illinois, any increase is going to be cause for alarm, adding to their uncertainty and, in some cases, misery," he said late Monday afternoon.

Last week's downpours brought on sudden flooding throughout the Midwest, and high water is blamed for at least three deaths. Authorities in LaSalle, Ill., spent Monday searching for a woman whose van was spotted days earlier near a bridge, and a 12-year-old boy was in critical condition after being pulled from a river near Leadwood, Mo., about 65 miles south of St. Louis.

The additional rain isn't welcome news in Clarksville, Mo., about 70 miles north of St. Louis.

Days after bused-in prison inmates worked shoulder to shoulder with the National Guard and local volunteers to build a makeshift floodwall of sand and gravel, the barrier showed signs of strain Monday. Crews scrambled to patch trouble spots and build a second sandbag wall to catch any water weaseling through.

In Grafton, Ill., some 40 miles northeast of St. Louis, Mayor Tom Thompson said small community was holding its own against the Mississippi that by early Monday afternoon was 10 feet above flood stage. Waters lapped against some downtown buildings, forcing shops such as Hawg Pit BBQ to clear out and detours to be put up around town ? one key intersection was under 8 inches of water.

"If it gets another foot (higher), it's going to become another issue," Thompson said. Many businesses "are kinda watching and holding their breath. ... Some things are going to really be close to the wire."

Elsewhere, smaller rivers caused big problems. In Grand Rapids, Mich., the Grand River hit a record 21.85 feet, driving hundreds of people from their homes and flooding parts of downtown.

Spots south of St. Louis aren't expected to crest until late this week, and significant flooding is possible in places like Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Cairo, Ill. Further downriver, flood warnings have been issued for Kentucky and Tennessee.

___

Salter reported from St. Louis.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/more-rain-expected-already-swollen-rivers-070400840.html

daniel day lewis Life of Pi Christoph Waltz Quvenzhané Wallis dancing with the stars cast kristen stewart Shirley Bassey

AAA Mich.: Gas prices rise 24 cents from last week

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- AAA Michigan says gasoline prices have risen about 24 cents during the past week to a statewide average of about $3.75 per gallon.

The auto club says Monday the average is about 9 cents per gallon less than last year at this time.

Of the cities it surveys, AAA Michigan says the cheapest price for self-serve unleaded fuel is in the Marquette area, where it's about $3.55 a gallon. The highest average is in the Benton Harbor and Grand Rapids areas at about $3.78.

Dearborn-based AAA Michigan surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aaa-mich-gas-prices-rise-151011074.html

Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores khan academy Espn College Football

John Galliano to teach master class at NY fashion school

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Disgraced fashion designer John Galliano is continuing his public image rehabilitation with an upcoming stint teaching a master class at one of New York's leading design schools.

Galliano, who was fired by Dior in 2011 after he was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe, will teach a course titled "Show Me Emotion" at Parsons The New School For Design, the school said on Monday.

Parsons said the class "will be a dynamic and intimate opportunity for our students to learn from an immensely talented designer."

"We believe that over the past two years Galliano has demonstrated a serious intent to make amends for his past actions," the school added.

Earlier this year, the 52-year-old British designer, widely thought of as one of the most talented and creative names in fashion, spent several weeks working at Oscar de la Renta's studio in New York, preparing for de la Renta's New York Fashion Week show in February.

A French court handed out a 6,000-euro ($8,000) suspended fine to Galliano in 2011 after he was found guilty of anti-Semitic behavior. Galliano has said an addiction to drugs and alcohol had left him out of control and he was determined to make amends.

Parsons said students in the master class "will have the opportunity to engage in a frank conversation with Mr. Galliano about the challenges and complications of leading a design house in the 21st century."

Following his Dior dismissal, Galliano designed British model Kate Moss's wedding dress.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Jill Serjeant and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/john-galliano-teach-master-class-ny-fashion-school-182955829.html

nfl free agency jonbenet ramsey jason campbell doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston golden state warriors

Egypt justice minister quits, cites Islamist protest

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky has resigned in protest at "an assault" on the judiciary by President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist backers, a spokesman said on Sunday, underlining mounting tensions between the judiciary and the executive.

Mekky submitted his resignation to Mursi on Saturday, said the spokesman, Ahmed Salam. It followed a protest on Friday by Mursi's Islamist backers in the Muslim Brotherhood demanding the "purification" of the judiciary.

An outspoken supporter of judicial reform during the rule of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Mekky was named justice minister in August in the first government appointed by Mursi after his victory in June's presidential election.

He opposes a proposed law under discussion in the Islamist-dominated parliament that critics say would give the government too much control over the make-up of the judiciary, according to local media reports.

Mekky had threatened to resign if it was passed, though the parliament has yet to vote on the law.

His resignation strips the government of a high-profile figure just as Mursi plans a reshuffle seen as an effort to ease tensions and convince the IMF there is enough political consensus on a loan deal vital to easing an economic crisis.

Egypt's economy has been hit by more than two years of turmoil that has scared off tourists and investors and triggered a currency and budget crisis.

The country, which has rapidly been burning through the hard currency reserves it needs to import food to feed its 84 million people, has in recent weeks sought financial support from its Arab allies and key emerging powers.

The United States, which gives about $1.5 billion a year in mainly military aid to Egypt, has grown more critical of the Islamist-led authorities of late, citing a lack of political inclusivity as one of its concerns.

At the time he came to office, Mekky was widely respected as a reformer. But he quickly came under attack from critics who said he had abandoned his principles.

The criticism spiraled in November when Mursi issued a controversial decree which the opposition saw as a power grab. Mekky was caught off guard.

In his resignation letter, Mekky said Friday's protest showed that Mursi's allies now agreed with his opponents on the need for him to step down. "Now is the time to realize my wish of lifting this burden from my shoulders," he wrote.

Thousands of Islamists rallied in Cairo on Friday, calling for the implementation of the new legislation and the removal of judges they see as corrupt remnants of the Mubarak era. The protests triggered clashes in which dozens were injured.

PLANS FOR REFORM HIT POLITICAL REALITY

Mursi's most vocal opponents see the plans for judicial reform as part of a Brotherhood attempt to deepen its control. Denying such accusations, the Brotherhood says the judiciary is in bad need of reform.

"Mekky came to the job with a fairly detailed idea of what he wanted to accomplish that has run up against political reality," said Elijah Zarwan, a Cairo-based political analyst.

"In the context of what looks to be an escalating confrontation between the judiciary and the executive, Mekky thought that this was not the best time to carry out reform."

Friction between the government and the judiciary has been on the rise since March when the Administrative Court ordered the cancellation of a Mursi decree calling for parliamentary elections, forcing a delay in voting due to have begun in April.

A court on Sunday rejected a state appeal against the ruling. Mursi has said the elections may now begin in October.

The Brotherhood points to other court rulings as proof of a judiciary dedicated to thwarting it. These include last year's decision to dissolve the Islamist-led lower house of parliament.

(Reporting by Yasmine Saleh, Tom Perry and Asma Alsharif; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-justice-minister-quits-cites-islamist-protest-161716580.html

deadmau5 phoebe snow jennifer hudson tribute to whitney houston nicki minaj grammy jason whitlock beach boys tony bennett

Celeste H Nettles - Psychology Today

[unable to retrieve full-text content]I also work with clients experiencing relationship challenges as well as mental health concerns such as mood disorders, ADHD, and anxiety. I help individuals to recover from traumatic events in their lives and restore their self ...

Source: http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/152122

diaz vs condit super bowl 2012 kickoff time football score ron paul nevada buffalo chicken dip soul train nevada caucus

Massive amounts of charcoal enter the worlds' oceans

Apr. 19, 2013 ? Wild fire residue is washed out of the soil and transported to the sea by rivers.

Wild fires turn millions of hectares of vegetation into charcoal each year. An international team of researchers led by Thorsten Dittgar from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and Rudolf Jaff? from Florida International University's Southeast Environmental Research Center in Miami has now shown that this charcoal does not remain in the soil, as previously thought. Instead, it is transported to the sea by rivers and thus enters the carbon cycle. The researchers analyzed water samples from all over the world. They demonstrated that soluble charcoal accounts for ten percent of the total amount of dissolved organic carbon.

"Most scientists thought charcoal was resistant. They thought, once it is incorporated into the soils, it would stay there," says Rudolf Jaff? from Florida International University's Southeast Environmental Research Center in Miami. But if that were the case, the soils would be black." Most of the charcoal in nature is from wild fires and combustion of biomass in general. When charcoal forms it is typically deposited in the soil." From a chemical perspective, no one really thought it dissolves, but it does," Jaff? says. "It doesn't accumulate like we had for a long time believed. Rather, it is transported into wetlands and rivers, eventually making its way to the oceans."

Thorsten Dittmar from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen focuses on carbon chemistry in the oceans. "To understand the oceans we have to understand also the processes on the land, from where the organic load enters the seas," Dittmar says.

The international team, which also included researchers from Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Georgia, Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, the USDA Forest Service, and the University of Helsinki in Finland, had taken 174 water samples from all over the world, including rivers like the Amazon, the Congo, the Yangtze as well as Arctic sites.

Surprisingly, in any river across the world about ten percent of organic carbon that is dissolved in the water came from charcoal. With this robust relationship in hand they estimated the global flux of dissolved charcoal, based on previous scientific studies that focused on organic carbon flux. According to these estimates, about 25 million tons of dissolved charcoal is transported from land to the sea each year.

The new findings are important to better calculate the global carbon budget. This budget is a balancing act between sources that produce carbon and sinks that remove it. Detailed calculations are important to assess climatic effects and find ways to alleviate them.

Until now, researchers could only provide rough estimates of the amount of charcoal in the soil, and most of these estimates turned out to be wrong, as the total amout is determined by charcoal producing processes, like wild fires, and transport to the oceans.

According to the authors, the results imply that greater consideration must be given to carbon sequestration techniques (the process of capture and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide). Biochar addition to soils is one such technique. Biochar technology is based on vegetation-derived charcoal that is added to agricultural soils as a means to store carbon. Although promising in storing carbon, Jaff? points out that as more people implement biochar technology, they must take into consideration the potential dissolution of the charcoal to ensure these techniques are actually environmentally friendly.

Jaff? and Dittmar agree that there are still many unknowns when it comes to the environmental fate of charcoal, and both plan to move on to the next phase of the research. They have proven where the charcoal goes. Next, they want to answer how this happens and what the environmental consequences are. The better scientists can understand the processes and the environmental factors controlling it, the better the chance of developing strategies for carbon sequestration and help mitigate climate change.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. R. Jaffe, Y. Ding, J. Niggemann, A. V. Vahatalo, A. Stubbins, R. G. M. Spencer, J. Campbell, T. Dittmar. Global Charcoal Mobilization from Soils via Dissolution and Riverine Transport to the Oceans. Science, 2013; 340 (6130): 345 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231476

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/~3/JR6aQV883Xs/130419160715.htm

fourth of july IFE Fireworks 2012 4th Of July independence day BET Awards 2012 declaration of independence 4th Of July 2012

Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y Give Live In Concert A Smoking 4/20 Release Day

The How Fly rappers will drop their delayed collaboration Saturday.
By Rob Markman

Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa during a livestream with fans Wednesday night
Photo: AtlanticVideos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705925/wiz-khalifa-currensy-live-in-concert.jhtml

Russell Means Taylor Swift Red Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock

Finally, A Competency-Based College Gets Approved

Days are numbered for colleges that award degrees based on the amount of time students sit in a classroom. The U.S. Department Of Education approved financial aid for a new self-paced, online learning college, where students demonstrate competence, rather than earn credit hours in a semester-long class. From the Chronicle Of Higher Education Wired Campus Blog: “Unlike the typical experience in which students advance by completing semester-long, multicredit courses, students in College for America have no courses or traditional professors. These working-adult students make progress toward an associate degree by demonstrating mastery of 120 competencies. Competencies are phrased as ?can do? statements, such as ?can use logic, reasoning, and analysis to address a business problem? or ?can analyze works of art in terms of their historical and cultural contexts.? For instance, instead of signing up for an arts class, students are directed to online resources and are awarded the equivalent of arts credit by demonstrating mastery of the material through a presentation of a museum exhibit. Southern New Hampshire college boasts that its Gates Foundation-funded College For America Program is ?the first degree program to completely decouple from the credit hour.? Online Education pioneers, such as Sal Khan, have long advocated for a system that rewards students only for what they know, rather than for how long they pretend to learn inside of a classroom. Humans don’t learn in pre-determined intervals, but as they progress from fact to fact and skill to skill. Khan, for instance, found that so-called “failing” students are often just stuck on a particular concept. Once they got over the hump, they raced to the head of the class, proving that not all students should learn the same material at the exact same time. At Southern New Hampshire, “coaches” help students along the discovery process. It’s already attracted some big business partnerships, including Anthem Blue Cross and ConAgra Foods. Keep these innovations coming, Department of Education. We’ll get education right soon enough.

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

the host hoodie hoosiers temperance world bank kim kardashian flour bomb hunger games box office

Self Improvement | A Review: Meditative Psychotherapy: The ...

By Irene Conlan -

This is a short book, an ?e-book and very inexpensive.

Don?t let that fool you and don?t dismiss it because it?s readily available and affordable. ?It is a powerful book and an important one. It is a ?game changer? for those who practice psychotherapy and psychoanalysis and it offers a promise of more informed and compassionate help for all of us who seek guidance now and then from a professional who can assist us along life?s sometimes tortuous path.

Not only has Dr. Rubin paved the way for more compassion and understanding of the patient on the part of the therapist but he has recognized the human spirit and the importance of spirituality in our journey to health and balance. It sets the tone for a more holistic approach to ?healing and transformation? from of all those who deal with the mind and emotions.

In Meditative Psychotherapy, Rubin looks at the three dimensions of psychotherapy?listening, understanding, and liberated intimacy to demonstrate what both meditation and psychotherapy bring to the table for the therapist and the patient. He talks about the strengths and weaknesses of each discipline and how they can complement each other. ?In his opinion there isn?t a marriage yet, but an engagement. Hopefully, the marriage will take place soon.

This book should be read by all students and practitioners: psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, counselors and coaches. It should be read with what Rubin calls a ?beginner?s mind ?an ?attitude of openness, with a lack of preconceptions.?

?

Source: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/best-self-improvement-books/a-review-meditative-psychotherapy-the-marriage-of-east-and-west-by-dr-jeffrey-rubin/

Accidental Racist joel osteen Fallon Fox Chris Webber linda perry Champions League luke bryan

Salivating Over The "T" Word (talking-points-memo)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/299378560?client_source=feed&format=rss

progeria what will my baby look like gary carter died cmas cmas tcu dr. oz

Korean rapper Psy's "Gentleman" climbs YouTube heights

Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/korean-rapper-psys-gentleman-climbs-youtube-heights-040429697.html

cyprus cyprus Bracketology Erin Go Bragh St Patrick lisa vanderpump Dancing With the Stars 2013

Anxious about life? Tylenol may do the trick

Public release date: 16-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Basil Waugh
basil.waugh@ubc.ca
604-822-2048
University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia researchers have found a new potential use for the over-the-counter pain drug Tylenol. Typically known to relieve physical pain, the study suggests the drug may also reduce the psychological effects of fear and anxiety over the human condition, or existential dread.

Published in the Association for Psychological Science journal Psychological Science, the study advances our understanding of how the human brain processes different kinds of pain.

"Pain exists in many forms, including the distress that people feel when exposed to thoughts of existential uncertainty and death," says lead author Daniel Randles, UBC Dept. of Psychology. "Our study suggests these anxieties may be processed as 'pain' by the brain but Tylenol seems to inhibit the signal telling the brain that something is wrong."

The study builds on recent American research that found acetaminophen the generic form of Tylenol can successfully reduce the non-physical pain of being ostracized from friends. The UBC team sought to determine whether the drug had similar effects on other unpleasant experiences in this case, existential dread.

In the study, participants took acetaminophen or a placebo while performing tasks designed to evoke this kind of anxiety including writing about death or watching a surreal David Lynch video and then assign fines to different types of crimes, including public rioting and prostitution.

Compared to a placebo group, the researchers found the people taking acetaminophen were significantly more lenient in judging the acts of the criminals and rioters and better able to cope with troubling ideas. The results suggest that participants' existential suffering was "treated" by the headache drug.

"That a drug used primarily to alleviate headaches may also numb people to the worry of thoughts of their deaths, or to the uneasiness of watching a surrealist film is a surprising and very interesting finding," says Randles, a PhD candidate who authored the study with Prof. Steve Heine and Nathan Santos.

Backgrounder

While the findings suggest that acetaminophen can help to reduce anxiety, the researchers caution that further research and clinical trials must occur before acetaminophen should be considered a safe or effective treatment for anxiety.

###

The study, The Common Pain of Surrealism and Death: Acetaminophen Reduces Compensatory Affirmation Following Meaning Threats, is available by request.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 16-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Basil Waugh
basil.waugh@ubc.ca
604-822-2048
University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia researchers have found a new potential use for the over-the-counter pain drug Tylenol. Typically known to relieve physical pain, the study suggests the drug may also reduce the psychological effects of fear and anxiety over the human condition, or existential dread.

Published in the Association for Psychological Science journal Psychological Science, the study advances our understanding of how the human brain processes different kinds of pain.

"Pain exists in many forms, including the distress that people feel when exposed to thoughts of existential uncertainty and death," says lead author Daniel Randles, UBC Dept. of Psychology. "Our study suggests these anxieties may be processed as 'pain' by the brain but Tylenol seems to inhibit the signal telling the brain that something is wrong."

The study builds on recent American research that found acetaminophen the generic form of Tylenol can successfully reduce the non-physical pain of being ostracized from friends. The UBC team sought to determine whether the drug had similar effects on other unpleasant experiences in this case, existential dread.

In the study, participants took acetaminophen or a placebo while performing tasks designed to evoke this kind of anxiety including writing about death or watching a surreal David Lynch video and then assign fines to different types of crimes, including public rioting and prostitution.

Compared to a placebo group, the researchers found the people taking acetaminophen were significantly more lenient in judging the acts of the criminals and rioters and better able to cope with troubling ideas. The results suggest that participants' existential suffering was "treated" by the headache drug.

"That a drug used primarily to alleviate headaches may also numb people to the worry of thoughts of their deaths, or to the uneasiness of watching a surrealist film is a surprising and very interesting finding," says Randles, a PhD candidate who authored the study with Prof. Steve Heine and Nathan Santos.

Backgrounder

While the findings suggest that acetaminophen can help to reduce anxiety, the researchers caution that further research and clinical trials must occur before acetaminophen should be considered a safe or effective treatment for anxiety.

###

The study, The Common Pain of Surrealism and Death: Acetaminophen Reduces Compensatory Affirmation Following Meaning Threats, is available by request.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uobc-aal041613.php

London 2012 closing ceremony Shark Week 2012 evelyn lozada UFC 150 Caster Semenya Medal Count 2012 Olympics victoria beckham

Deutsche Bank investment bankers' pay averages 170,627 euros

Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/deutsche-bank-investment-bankers-pay-averages-170-627-142042271--finance.html

fenway park philadelphia flyers 4/20 student loan forgiveness ufc 145 weigh ins record store day 2012 detroit red wings

EA shuttering SimCity Social, The Sims Social and Pet Society on June 14th

For a while, it looked like EA was ready to stake a large part of its gaming future on social networking, introducing Facebook-oriented ports like SimCity Social and The Sims Social as well as more original titles. As it turns out, the game publisher isn't quite ready to be a social butterfly: following an earlier cull that focused heavily on sports-themed web games, EA is axing SimCity Social, The Sims Social and Pet Society on June 14th. There's no mystery to the shutdown, as EA explains that strong initial demand rapidly tapered off -- name recognition got the company's foot in the door, but didn't keep it there. Fortunately, gamers who feel jilted will at least get an incentive to switch to more popular games from EA's PopCap studio, though the company hasn't provided any additional details there except to say an offer is coming soon. We're all in favor of shifting resources to where they'll be truly appreciated, although we can't help but feel sorry for SimCity fans that have just been burned twice in a row.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Facebook

Comments

Via: The Next Web

Source: The Beat (EA)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/ea-shutters-pet-society-simcity-social-and-the-sims-social/

david wilson playstation all stars battle royale kim zolciak kim zolciak travis pastrana quinton coples a.j. jenkins