Israeli official vows to end draft exemptions

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's deputy foreign minister says that if the country's new hawkish bloc forms the next government, it will do away with a contentious system of draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Danny Ayalon said Wednesday the outgoing government failed to meet a Supreme Court order to abolish the exemptions because of objections by the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party.

Ayalon says the situation has changed after Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party joined forces with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud.

Ayalon says Shas will have to agree to a universal draft, otherwise, "they won't be part of the government."

Shas wants to keep the current system, which allows ultra-Orthodox males to skip compulsory army service to pursue religious studies.

New elections are scheduled Jan. 22.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-official-vows-end-draft-exemptions-152139888.html

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Cuba to welcome back many who left

In order to normalize relations with Cubans abroad, Cuba's most recent policy is expected to allow the return of many now banned from the island, estimated any anywhere from 70,000 to 300,000.

By Juan O. Tamayo,?McClatchy / October 26, 2012

Cuba said Thursday it will welcome back tens of thousands of its citizens who left illegally ? including rafters, doctors, and baseball players ? in the second round of a migration reform it claims will help normalize relations with Cubans abroad.

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Havana has barred the return of rafters since its 1994 migration accord with the US government in order to deter risky escapes across the Florida Straits. But the ban is not part of the accord and is not expected to affect the agreement or US policy.

"We will normalize the temporary entry to the island of those who emigrated illegally after the 1994 migration accords," Homero Acosta, secretary of the ruling Council of State, announced in a television appearance late Wednesday.

Also allowed to return will be medical personnel and top athletes who left illegally or defected while abroad after 1990 and who have been out for more than eight years, as well as Cubans who left when they were 16 or younger and those who want to return for humanitarian reasons, such as caring for ailing relatives.

The change is expected to allow the return of many Cubans now banned from the island, estimated any anywhere from 70,000 - mostly rafters - to 300,000, including important Cubans branded by Havana as defectors and even traitors.

RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz!

Still banned are those who escaped through the US Navy base in Guantanamo in southeastern Cuba, Acosta added, "for reasons of defense and national security." Havana also can ban the return of those who "organize, encourage, or participate in hostile actions against the political, economic, and social basis of the state," and anyone at all "when reasons of defense and national security require it."

Cuban ruler Raul Castro announced last year that he wanted to reform the country's migration regulations "as a contribution to the growth in the links between the nation and the communities of its emigrants."

But most analysts outside the island believe Castro wants to squeeze more money out of migration so that he can finance the dramatic economic reforms that he has been pushing since 2007.

"It is time to do justice to the poorest of the migrants, the rafters, even if this will generate tens of millions of dollars for the government by way of passport and other fees," said Pedro Gonzalez Munne, a Miami businessman who monitors travel to Cuba.

The fee for Cuban passports rose from $60 to about $110 in the first round of migration reforms announced last week, which lifted the hated requirement of exit permits for Cubans who want to travel abroad. Havana retained the right to block any travel.

"I have to submit a humanitarian request so that someone can decide whether to allow me to return to where I was born? ... Big deal!" said Juan Antonio Blanco, a former analyst with the Cuban Communist Party's Central Committee now living in Miami.

Although the number of Cubans living abroad is critically important for its economy ? cash remittances were estimated at more than $2 billion in 2011 alone ? the exact details of the migration flows are almost impossible to obtain.

Nearly 2 million Cubans are estimated to have emigrated since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, and about 85 percent now live in the United States.

Cuba's National Statistical Office (ONE) reported that 400,000 citizens living abroad visited the island in 2011, including 300,000 who live in the United States. The emigre arrivals are sometimes listed in the official arrivals count as "other Caribbeans."

The number of rafters banned from returning has been estimated at 70,000 ? the 35,000 who left during the Rafter Crisis in 1994, when Fidel Castro opened the doors to anyone who wanted to leave, plus those who escaped afterward. About 14,500 rafters arrived on US shores in fiscal year 2005 to 2012 alone.

The US and Cuban government signed migration pacts in 1994 and 1995 to end that crisis and assure safe migration. The pact requires the US to deliver 20,000 visas to Cuban migrants per year.

Havana officials have told employees of Miami companies that handle trips to the island that the number of citizens on their don't-come-back list in fact totals 300,000, including senior government defectors, sports figures, and medical personnel.

One travel company employee said that 1 percent or 2 percent of Cuban Americans who request Havana's permission to visit the island get rejected, with notices from Cuban authorities saying "Cannot Board. Illegal Exit."

Acosta also complained that Cuba has an unfair image as a country that does not allow its people to travel abroad freely, "a great prison or tropical gulag."

He boasted that 99.4 percent of those who requested exit permits to make personal trips abroad between 2000 and 2012 received them ? a total of 941,953 people.

That works out to 78,496 Cubans allowed to travel abroad per year for a country with a population of 11.2 million people. The US Department of Commerce estimated that 30 million US residents traveled abroad in 2009 alone.

Acosta added that out of the 941,953, those who did not return totaled 120,705, for a defection rate about 10,000 a year or 12.8 percent. That number does not include Cubans who leave illegally or those who leave with migrant visas.

RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz!

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Xkys0_8gp-Y/Cuba-to-welcome-back-many-who-left

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95% Argo

All Critics (192) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (183) | Rotten (9)

'Argo' is one of the best movies of the year.

Argo has that solid, kick-the-tires feel of those studio films from the 70s that were about something but also entertained. Only it's as laugh outright amusing as it is sobering.

The movieland satire is laid on thick, but it's also deadly accurate. Schlock has never seemed so patriotic, and Arkin and Goodman have rarely been so good.

Argo is a rollicking yarn, easily the most cohesive and technically accomplished of Affleck's three films so far, but a part of me wishes the director hadn't cast himself in the lead role.

If nothing else, it proves that every so often, the CIA can pull something off - and that yes, Canadians are just about the nicest people on the planet.

The film is a whopper of a tale, one designed for Oscar nominations, Best Picture and Best Director among them.

There's "creating an intense, claustrophobic situation in a foreign locale" and there's "inciting unquestioning fear of 'the other'," and Argo pulls off the former far more often than it accidentally achieves the latter.

An ingeniously conceived thriller that's almost as much about our collective love of cinema as it is a tricky international incident.

Suspenseful movie based on a true incident; Ben Affleck's stock rises as an actor and director.

It not only confirms Affleck as one of the few A-listers to have made a credible transition to behind the camera, but that he's one of the most exciting mainstream directors around, full stop.

Affleck's seamless melding of intense thrills in Tehran and biting humour in California makes for a wholly satisfying movie.

The use of dramatic licence in the finale is too obvious but aside, Argo is a solid dramatic thriller that is informative, entertaining and gripping.

The film has heart and brains as well as balls, the screenplay delivering a clear and strong story without sacrificing either political or personal context

As a real life human drama, it is extraordinary. As a thrilling movie experience, it is unmissable

A thoroughly enjoyable, well put together movie that flies by, works well and largely succeeds at what it is trying to accomplish. Also one of those movies where it feels like "I should LOVE it - but don't."

It's okay to take a few liberties in the name of a good story

A funny trip to Hollywood and gripping escape from Tehran.

The scenes involving Goodman and Arkin are ribald and laugh-out-loud funny. You couldn't ask for two more expert actors to play these jaded movie veterans.

If there's one lesson to be gleaned from director Ben Affleck's relentlessly tense, painstakingly detailed Argo, it's that we should consider the possibility that our history has been manipulated more than many of us would care to admit.

Argo smacks of being another dreary Oscar contender but in actuality it's destined to be one of the fall's most purely enjoyable films.

Ar-go see them in action.

... a crackling good suspense thriller ...

I was literally in tears for parts of Argo, a purely physical reaction, not an emotional one, to deal with the tension... That isn't only some serious movie magic, it's a downright master class in suspense filmmaking from director Ben Affleck.

Under its own terms as an upscale mainstream thriller, it's a total success. This is classy moviemaking, from its well-observed performances to immaculate eye for period detail.

a crackerjack based-on-a-true story thriller that finally allows actor/director Ben Affleck to demonstrate his behind-the-camera muscles in a location other than his native Boston

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/argo_2012/

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Wexford Online University Names Tracy Daly Department Chair and ...

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA ? Cementing its dedication to health, fitness and nutrition education, Wexford University recently named Tracy Daly professor and department chair for its Nutrition and Exercise program. A 100 percent online university, Wexford University offers a variety of associates through doctoral degrees in health, fitness, exercise and nutrition.

With a master?s degree in Nutrition Education from Chicago Medical School and a bachelor?s degree in Dietetics from Madonna University in Michigan, Daly has been a registered dietitian since 1999. She has also served as the sports dietitian for the San Diego State University (SDSU) Aztecs and high-risk dietitian for SDSU students for nearly a decade.

?Tracy truly believes in the power of nutrition in health and disease prevention as well as the ability to improve quality of life through eating fun and healthy foods and physical activity, an ideal match for the philosophy of Wexford?s online health, wellness and nutrition programs,? said Jack Bauerle, Chancellor of Wexford University. ?As our online university continues to offer more diverse courses and programs for students interested in nutrition and exercise, we are thrilled to add her expertise and passion to our staff.?

Daly also serves as adjunct professor at San Diego State University, Cal State San Marcos, San Diego Community College District and Trident University, and has provided guest lectures to the University of San Diego and the University of California, San Diego. Further, she has been involved in nutrition research at the University of California, San Diego and previously served as consultant sports dietitian for the University of San Diego Toreros. Daly is a member of the American Dietetic Association, the California Dietetic Association, San Diego Area Dietetic Association, Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, and the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association.

Wexford University offers the following online degree programs for both U.S. and international students:

Associate of arts degree in Fitness Training

Bachelor of science degree in Health and Fitness

Master of science degree in Nutrition and Exercise

Master of arts degree in Applied Sports Psychology

Doctor of Applied Sports Psychology

About Wexford University

Wexford University is dedicated to providing world-class education through cutting-edge technology, offering direct application degree programs in an accelerated format with 100 percent online learning to save time and money. Programs include an associate of arts degree in Fitness Training, bachelor?s degree in Health and Fitness, master?s degree in Nutrition and Exercise as well as master?s degree and doctorate degree in Applied Sport Psychology. Wexford University is the higher education division of NESTA (National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association). For more information, please visit http://wexford.edu/.

Wexford University

Dr. John Spencer Ellis

30245 Tomas Suite A

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 USA

949-484-8454

Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/wexford-online-university-names-tracy-daly-department-chair-and-professor

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Sonic Jump by SEGA for iPhone and iPad review

Sonic Jump for iPhone and iPad is, in a nutshell, SEGA's version of the popular platform jumper Doodle Jump that features SEGA's iconic character Sonic the Hedgehog. There are two games modes, Story and Arcade, where you must jump and tilt your way up the levels collecting coins, defeating enemies, gaining abilities, and battling Dr. Eggman.

Sonic Jump features two games modes: Story and Arcade. In Story Mode, you progress through different levels by jumping your way to the top. When you complete all the levels in a zone, you must defeat Dr. Eggman in a special boss level. In Arcade Mode, you simply try to get as high as you can without dying.

The first zone is fairly easy and doesn't include very many obstacles which is great for beginners because it helps you learn the controls and strategies for the game. For those who are "naturals" at this type of game, you may not find it very challenging, but just stick with it, because it gets a lot harder in the other zones. When you complete a level, you will be given a score based on your time, how many enemies you defeated, how many stars and rings you collected, and the number of power-ups you gained. If you die, you will be given a random tip on the screen that lets you start over.

The controls for Sonic Jump are very simple -- tilt your iPhone or iPad from side to side to move left and right and tap the screen to do a double-jump. I will admit that playing Sonic Jump is a little awkward on an iPad because of it's size, but I'm sure the iPad mini will be a great device for playing Sonic Jump.

Each level will feature various obstacles including enemies, moving platforms, breakable ledges, spikes, and more. To defeat an enemy, you must attack it from underneath (which is a bit counterintuitive when the enemy is a bee). If you make contact with something that causes damage, like spikes or an enemy by falling on it, then you will lose all your rings. If you don't have any rings to lose, then you die. You also die if you fall off the screen, as once your field of view goes up, there's no coming back down.

Other items you will encounter in Sonic Jump are chests that release a special power. These abilities include magnetism to help gather more rings, a protective bubble, a special ring that turns any enemy you get close to into rings, and more. If you jump on a safe, it'll deposit all your rings so that you can be sure that you won't lose them.

As you play the Sonic Jump, you are given various missions to complete that help you "level up". These missions are similar to those found in the popular arcade game Jetpack Joyride [Free - App Store link]. For example, a few of the available missions include wrapping around the screen 8 times in a Story Act, jumping on one platform 10 times, making 180 jumps, and collecting 500 rings. Some of the missions require skill, and some are just silly. At levels 17 and 20, you will be able to play as Tail and Knuckles, respectively.

As with nearly every arcade game these days, there is a store included with Sonic Jump. From here you can buy power-ups with rings that you've collected, or if you want to purchase rings with real money, you can do that too.

The good

• Fun and addicting
• Includes Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles (Tails and Knuckles get unlocked at levels 17 and 20)
• Arcade and Story modes
• 36 levels in Story mode
• Boss levels against Dr. Eggman
• Unlock power ups and more with rings
• Purchase more rings as in-app purchases
• Universal for iPhone and iPad

The bad

• Progress does not sync between devices

The bottom line

If you're a fan of Doodle Jump and of Sonic the Hedgehog, then you'll enjoy Sonic Jump. It's fun, addicting, challenging, and a bit nostalgic.

$1.99 - Download Now

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/CMXZqURT2mU/story01.htm

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Lutfi testifies Britney shaved her head to avoid drug testing

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britney Spears shaved her head in 2007 because she was afraid her hair could be tested for drugs and used against her in a child custody battle against her ex-husband, the singer's former friend and confidante testified on Tuesday.

Sam Lutfi, who claims he was Spears' manager and is suing her for a chunk of her earnings from 2007 and 2008, told a Los Angeles jury during a civil trial against Spears and her parents that he met the superstar in a nightclub in the middle of her 2007/2008 personal and career meltdown.

Lutfi said he took steps to control aggressive paparazzi photographers who were hounding her day and night. "She was dealing with a lot of anxiety, with the way they followed her everywhere," he told the jury.

He said Spears told him of the infamous February 2007 incident in which she had her long blonde hair shaved in a Los Angeles beauty salon. "Britney was involved in a wicked child custody battle. She told me someone had told her that they can scientifically test her hair for a history of drug use so she shaved it off," Lutfi testified.

The trial has torn the veil off Spears' struggles during her meltdown when she was twice hospitalized, lost custody of her children, and photographs of her shaving her head and swinging an umbrella made international headlines.

Lutfi testified on Tuesday that he met Spears at a nightclub in spring 2007. She asked if she could have his hat and, self-conscious about his balding head, he refused. "She told me she doesn't get told no often, so it was refreshing to get told no for once," Lutfi said. "We talked for a while and hit it off."

They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and soon became friends, he testified, adding that Spears told him about her divorce from Kevin Federline and her drug problems.

Lutfi is suing Spears' mother, alleging she libeled him in her 2008 book, "Through the Storm", in which she claimed Lutfi destroyed Britney Spears' telephone lines, may have drugged her food and tried to cut off the singer from her family. He is suing Spears' father for assault

Lutfi became a member of Spears' inner circle and moved into her Los Angeles home in 2007. Spears' attorneys argue that he was never her manager.

He is seeking 15 percent of Spears' earnings over several months in 2007 and 2008. She made $800,000 to $1 million per month during that period, attorneys have said.

Spears, who has not attended the trial, was placed under her father's conservatorship in 2008, giving him control of her health and finances. Now 30, she has made a comeback with world tours, hit albums and a new job as a judge on TV talent show "The X Factor."

(Reporting By Brandon Lowrey, editing by Jill Serjeant)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lutfi-testifies-britney-shaved-her-head-avoid-drug-212217559.html

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Refurbishing Factory-Built One at a Time | Daily Business News

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> News Item > Refurbishing Factory-Built One at a Time

TheTimesNews tells MHProNews a Burlington, North Carolina man has been rebuilding manufactured homes in the neighborhood where his family has a business, which is contributing to the rebuild. Bill Mitchell established his roofing business in the 1960?s. His son, Jeff Mitchell, took over in the 1990?s and convinced the Burlington City Council to rezone lots in the neighborhood allowing him to bring in the factory-built homes to restore. He rebuilt one manufactured home at a cost of $20,000 and now rents it for $650 a month. A modular home destined for the dump by owner Lorillard Tobacco received a $90,000 makeover, and a family will occupy it next week. Another manufactured home is nearing completion. Jeff Mitchell says, ?It?s good, quality housing and it?s affordable. You couldn?t build a house here and charge enough in rent to pay for it.? Mitchell Roofing Co. partner Steve Wilkerson says the work is good for the local economy, and the homes are rebuilt with strength and energy efficiency in mind. Plans are to refurbish as many factory-built homes as opportunity presents.

(Photo credit: thetimesnews)

Source: http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/blogs/daily-business-news/refurbishing-factory-built-one-at-a-time/

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EastBayRI.com ? Bottom fishing great for beginning anglers,

East Providence anglers Kevin Bettencourt (left) and his father, Albert, have been catching striped bass this fall in the Warren River drifting eels.

Bottom fishing for fluke (summer flounder), black sea bass, scup and tautog this time of year can be fun for the entire family.

This type of fishing is not stressful, learning how to set the hook can be learned in minutes and it doesn?t take a lot of skill to catch a fish. Bottom fishing is great for beginners, particularly children.

The best part, however, is that the down time between bites serves as a great opportunity for family members and friends to socialize and converse. I once took my friend Tom and his son fishing. ?The best part of the day was that I actually got a chance to talk with my son about his future plans,? said Tom.

Quite often, fishing isn?t all about the fish. It?s about the time we spend together with family and friends that really counts. That is why I love to take families fishing; the bonding and communication that takes place is remarkable.

You can learn how to bottom fish by consulting bait shop owners or you can go out on a charter or party boat. Most all of the charter boats that belong to the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association (www.rifishing.com) are more than willing to take families fishing and teach them how to fish the bottom.

Next week you can take advantage of a bottom fishing seminar being offered by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA). The seminar will include panel-like presentations from three top local anglers: Larry Norin, Rick Sustello and Tom Wood.

The seminar will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29,? at the West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St., West Warwick. Non-members are requested to make a $10 donation to the RISAA Marine Fisheries College Scholarship Fund. The West Valley Inn offers two different dinner entr?e options from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $6.95.

Stakeholder workshops on windmills

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a workshop on windmills and their impact on fishing and will seek input for recreational and commercial fishermen from 4-7:45 p.m. Friday Nov. 16. The workshop will take placer in the Coastal Hazard Room in the Coastal Institute Building at the URI Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett.

This input meeting and others being held on the East Coast will address future potential conflicts between fishing and wind projects within the Ocean Continental Shelf (OCS). BOEM is seeking input from commercial and recreational fishing industries, as well as fisheries management agencies and scientists, relative to proposed offshore wind energy development.

For more information contact Elizabeth Castle at ecastle@ene.com.

DEM stocks ponds, rivers

The Department of Environmental Management?s (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife has stocked approximately 6,000 rainbow trout in several locations throughout the state this month for the fall freshwater fishing season.

DEM Fish & Wildlife staff finished stocking the hatchery-raised rainbow trout this week in Stafford Pond in Tiverton; Silver Spring Pond in North Kingstown; Beaver River in Richmond; Wyoming Pond in Richmond and Hopkinton; Wood River in Exeter, Hopkinton and Richmond; Upper Pawtuxet River in Coventry; Blackstone River in Cumberland and Lincoln; and Round Top Ponds in Burrillville. Earlier this month, trout were stocked in Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond, Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, Spring Grove Pond in Gloucester and Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods.

A 2012 freshwater fishing license and trout conservation stamp is required for anglers 15 years of age and older. Visit your town/city hall, authorized agents such as bait/tackle shops and Benny?s to get a license and stamp.

Tautog regulation change

As of Oct. 20, and until Dec. 31, the tautog bag limit has been enhanced for recreational anglers from three fish per day to six fish per day. The minimum size is still 16 inches.

In addition, there is a 10 fish/boat maximum per day. The 10-fish maximum does not apply to charter or party boats.

Where?s the bite?

Tautog ? ?Customers have been doing good at Washington?s Ledge off shore in the Newport-Jamestown areas, weather permitting,? said Craig Castro of Erickson?s Bait & Tackle.

John Littlefield of Archie?s Bait in East Providence said customers are catching tautog at Conimicut Light with a lot of shorts (15 to one ratio). Tautog up to 23 inches have been landed at India Point Park, said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle in Providence.

Last week I caught a 23-inch fish at General Rock and two other keepers with a ratio of eight shorts for every one keeper, with about 10 small black sea bass. Tautog are also being caught at Point Judith Light in 25 to 45 feet of water, according to Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina in South Kingstown.

Striped bass ???It is either lock and load or no bite at all in the Southwest Ledge area of Block Island,? said Mr. Conti.

According to Mr. Littlefield, ?Customers are taking school bass with plugs in the upper bay at the mouth of the rivers.?

Kevin and Albert Bettencourt caught 11 bass in the 15- to-20-pound range drifting eels in the Warren River down to the Blount Seafood area, said Mr. Littlefield. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, ?Striped bass and bluefish are being caught on pogies and eels in the Providence and Seekonk rivers and the Cape Cod Canal has been offering up bass as large as 50 pounds. Customers Francesco DiGiovanni and Cecine Curi have taken bass on eels, plugs, top-water poppers, divers and Sebile Swim baits.?

Freshwater fishing this fall has been slow. With improved weather and recent pond and river stocking with rainbow trout by DEM, things are expected to pick up.

Offshore fishing has been slow due to bad weather last week.

Capt. Dave Monti has been fishing and shellfishing on Narragansett Bay for more than 40 years. He holds a captain?s master license and a charter fishing license. Your fishing photos in jpeg form, stories, comments and questions are welcome. Visit Capt. Dave?s No Fluke website at www.noflukefishing.com or e-mail him at dmontifish@verizon.net.

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Source: http://www.eastbayri.com/opinion/columns/bottom-fishing-great-for-beginning-anglers/

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SPLA kills 6 Sudanese troops

The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) announced killing six Sudanese military troops in South Kordofan on Monday, 22 October, the group's spokesman, Arno Ngutolo Lodi, told Radio Dabanga.

Lodi said that SPLA forces attacked a convoy belonging to the Sudanese army northwest of Dilling, adding the army suffered heavy material losses.

According to the spokesman, the family of Sudanese soldier Mutasim Abd al-Rahman was also captured. He added that the movement also seized weapons and ammunition from the vehicles.

Radio Dabanga could not reach the Sudanese army for comments.

Three children injured

On the other hand, three children got injured as a result of aerial bombings in the village of Taylo, in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan, last Thursday, 18 October, Lodi told Radio Dabanga.

He said the an Antonov airplane carried out the bombings that injured the siblings Yasser, Maysoon and Mayzool Tayyar Khamees.

The spokesman said the following villages were also targeted: El-Lebo, Tabolo, El-Hibail Al-Atmor and Umm Sirdiba, and the city of Boram, in Umm Doreen locality.

Lodi said intensive air raids between Thursday and Sunday took place in the region and that more than 20 bombs were dropped during that period. He pointed out that mostly plantations and central points in villages were affected.

Source: http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/37342

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Scientists convicted for not predicting quake

Maurizio Degl'innocenti / EPA, file

More than 300 people died after a quake in L'Aquila, Italy on April 6, 2009. The city was strewn with rubble and thousands left homeless.

By Peter Jeary, NBC News

A court in the Italian city of L?Aquila on Monday convicted six scientists and one government official of manslaughter for failing to give sufficient warning of a fatal earthquake that hit in 2009.

The judge sentenced each man to six years in jail and ordered them to pay compensation and legal fees.

---

The prosecution case had centered on a meeting the seven defendants, members of a commission on natural disasters, held in L?Aquila on March 31 2009, in which they told residents there was no cause for concern after a series of minor shocks had rocked the city in the preceding six months.

Less than a week later, in the early hours of April 6, a 6.3-magnitude quake?reduced much of the medieval city to rubble, leaving 309 people dead and more than 60,000 homeless, according to news reports at the time.

In a? memo issued after the March 31 meeting, the experts concluded that it was "improbable" that there would be a major quake, although they stopped short of entirely excluding the possibility.

The public prosecutor, Fabio Picuti, had accused the defendants of giving "inexact, incomplete and contradictory information" about whether the smaller tremors should have constituted grounds for an official quake warning.

Picuti acknowledged that predicting where, when and with what force a quake would strike is scientifically impossible, but said the risk of a big temblor was not taken seriously enough. He argued the commission?s discussions were too generic and completely failed to address the risk at hand.

?The key word in this trial is the word analysis. How do you proceed with an analysis of risk, or an analysis of seismic risk? Do you proceed in a manner that the defendants have shown us???Picuti said in comments to the court on Monday.?

Defense lawyer Franco Coppi told the court it would indeed be a problem if the risk had been foreseen and inevitable.

?But if an event cannot be foreseen, and more importantly if it is unavoidable,? Coppi said. ?It is impossible to speak about how a risk has not been foreseen."

Italy's long earthquake history hidden in ancient records

The decision to prosecute the seven, who are among leading figures in Italian seismology, had caused alarm among the scientific community.

In a report commissioned by the Italian government in the immediate aftermath of the L?Aquila disaster, the International Commission of Earthquake Forecasting for Civil Protection (ICEF) highlighted the many difficulties of making accurate time-sensitive predictions, within timescales usually calculated in decades, not weeks or months.?

But the ICEF report?s findings also called for better public communication, not just of day-to-day temblor hazards but also by setting alert levels that take into account the advantage of being psychologically prepared for when a quake hits.

Scientists on trial for failing to predict Italian quake

An open letter to Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, signed by more than 5,000 members of the international scientific community, criticized the proceedings.

In a separate letter?to the Italian president, the American Association for the Advancement of Science called the charges "unfair and na?ve," saying, "There is no accepted scientific method for earthquake prediction that can be reliably used to warn citizens of an impending disaster."

Despite the protests, the trial opened in September 2011.

The seven convicted of manslaughter were:

Enzo Boschi, then-president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Rome;

Franco Barberi, at the University of 'Rome Tre';

Mauro Dolce, head of the seismic-risk office at the national Department of Civil Protection in Rome;

Claudio Eva, from the University of Genova;

Giulio Selvaggi, director of the INGV?s National Earthquake Centre in Rome;

Gian Michele Calvi, president of the European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering in Pavia;

and a government official, Bernardo De Bernardinis, then vice director of the Department of Civil Protection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/22/14611225-scientists-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-for-failing-to-predict-italy-quake?lite

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Vienna platform launches opera live stream

VIENNA (AP) ? Vienna's opera scene is going live on the web for the first time with the launch of the first Internet-based platform for streaming classical productions from the Austrian capital.

The venture kicks off Sunday with the premiere of Gioachino Rossini's "La cambiale di matrimonio" ? "The marriage contract" ? at Vienna's Kammeroper.

The production stars an international cast of singers, including Lithuanian bass-baritone Igor Bakan, American tenor Andrew Owens, Australian baritone Ben Connor, and soprano Anna Maria Sarra and mezzosoprano Gaia Petrone, both of Italy. The production is conducted by Konstantin Chudovsky and directed by Jacopo Spirei.

Bakan, in the role of Tobia Mill, says he hopes "both avid fans and newcomers" will tune in online at www.sonostream.tv.

The free performance begins at 1730 GMT.

____

Online: www.sonostream.tv

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-10-21-Austria-Live%20Stream%20Opera/id-6695fdc174024b74819212a5afced558

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North Dakota clay could play role in oilpatch, initial results of study show

ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2012) ? Initial results of clay samples from western North Dakota show varying percentages of alumina content, a finding of interest to the North Dakota Geological Survey that commissioned the study. Scientists in a lab at North Dakota State University?s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), Fargo, are completing analysis of the clay, often referred to as kaolin, which could eventually play a role in proppants used for hydraulic fracturing in North Dakota oil exploration.

As part of a research agreement with the North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS) in Bismarck, N.D., the Materials Characterization and Analysis Laboratory at NDSU CNSE is completing initial analysis of more than 200 clay samples from Stark and Dunn counties in North Dakota to determine their composition and suitability for use as a component in hydraulic fracturing. ?The alumina was above 20 percent for 66 percent of the Bear Den claystone samples and 38 percent of the Rhame Bed samples,? said Ed Murphy, North Dakota state geologist. ?Roughly one third of the sites sampled averaged above 20 percent alumina for the entire exposed bed thickness.?

A final report of the study conducted at NDSU CNSE is expected in late 2012 or early 2013. ?We generated an alumina map of western North Dakota that companies can use to guide clay exploration if they determine that the alumina content is sufficiently high for their needs,? explained Murphy. ?We will publish a final report with the clay mineralogy when that information is available.? https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/Clay map/GI_158.pdf

Murphy said it was extremely useful to have specialized scientific expertise available in North Dakota to conduct the study. ?CNSE utilizes excellent analytical equipment and employs knowledgeable people with valuable experience. We have had a very good working relationship with the NDSU CNSE. We found them to be very dedicated to their work and generating a product that we could have confidence in.?

The clays show early promise for potential use as a key material known as ceramic proppant, used in the fracking process to help keep fractures open, particularly in the Bakken formation in North Dakota. ?It could potentially lead to the establishment of a ceramic proppant manufacturing plant if these claystones are determined to be suitable for this process. The chemistry and bed thickness that we are providing will answer a number of the initial questions from industry,? explained Murphy. ?If companies deem these results to be promising, they could potentially do additional exploration on their own which might ultimately lead to test manufacturing of ceramic proppant using these clays.?

Currently, proppants used in western North Dakota oil development typically come from other states or other countries. Murphy notes that companies will use approximately five million tons of proppants in North Dakota oil development in 2012. In a recent report, the North Dakota Geological Survey estimates about 1.7 billion tons of economically mineable kaolin in western North Dakota.

Researchers at NDSU CNSE use x-ray fluorescence to determine which elements and how much of those elements the samples contain. CNSE scientists also conduct analysis of clay samples using x-ray diffraction to determine the amount of kaolinite, illite, chlorite and other substances in the samples.

?We frequently partner with agencies and industry on projects,? said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research at NDSU. ?CNSE provides specialized instrumentation and scientific expertise to a variety of research partners across a spectrum of industries.?

About NDSU CNSE
NDSU?s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Fargo, North Dakota, USA, conducts multidisciplinary research with partners in government, industry, private and university sectors. CNSE?s scientific capabilities include materials characterization and analysis, flexible electronics and materials, electronics miniaturization, wireless sensors, RFID, bioactive materials, combinatorial science, and coatings technologies. www.ndsu.edu/cnse

About North Dakota State University
NDSU, Fargo, North Dakota, USA, is notably listed among the top 108 U.S. public and private universities in the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education?s category of ?Research Universities/Very High Research Activity.? As a student-focused, land grant, research institution, NDSU is listed in the Top 100 research universities in the U.S. for R&D in computer science, chemistry, and physical sciences, social sciences, and agricultural sciences, based on research expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation. www.ndsu.edu/research

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Jordan says it foils al-Qaida-linked terror plot

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordanian authorities have arrested 11 suspected al-Qaida-linked militants for allegedly planning to attack shopping malls and Western diplomatic missions in the country, the government said Sunday.

The plot is the first to be unveiled since a triple hotel bombing in Amman almost seven years ago, which killed 60 people. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack, citing its rejection of Jordan's alliance with the United States and its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

Jordanian officials and Arab diplomats have been voicing concern over stability in the kingdom, which lies at a precarious corner in the Middle East, neighboring hot spots Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

The officials and diplomats, insisting on anonymity because they are not allowed to make statements to the press, have warned of possible plots to destabilize the kingdom. They say militants seek to use its territory as they consolidate their foothold in Syria ? which lies on Jordan's northern border.

Announcing the foiled plot, government spokesman Sameeh Maaytah told an impromptu press conference that the suspects are all Jordanian and are in police custody.

"They were plotting deadly terror attacks on vital institutions, shopping centers and diplomatic missions," he said. "They sought to destabilize Jordan," he said. "They plotted against Jordan's national security."

Jordan's state TV broadcast headshots of the suspects ? all in their 20s and 30s with most of them sporting long beards ? identifying them as "militants."

A statement by Jordanian intelligence said an investigation showed that the group "adopts the ideology of al-Qaida" and that it nicknamed its terror plot as "9/11 the second" ? a reference to the Amman hotel blasts, which happened on Nov. 9, 2005.

Since June, the suspects have been surveying targets across the country, bringing in rockets from Syria to use in the alleged plot, the statement said.

The militants sought to carry out their attacks in stages, it added, with initial attacks on shopping centers and foreigners in Jordanian hotels, followed by more deadly strikes with powerful explosives and chemicals on Western diplomatic missions and unspecified "vital national sites."

One attack involved firing rockets at a district in the Jordanian capital that houses the U.S., British and other diplomatic missions as well as housing for expats and Western diplomats.

The statement said al-Qaida "explosive experts" based in Iraq and elsewhere have assisted the suspects with manufacturing home-made explosives.

The statement did not say when the suspects were arrested, but Maaytah ? the government spokesman ? said Jordanian intelligence apprehended them in the past few days.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-21-Jordan-Terror%20Plot/id-418159b556324976ba88caf7d2288585

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Qatar's emir to head to Hamas-ruled Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ? The ruler of Qatar is expected in the Gaza Strip this week, in what would be a major stamp of legitimacy for the territory's Islamic militant Hamas rulers.

Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani would be the first head of state to arrive here since Hamas seized Gaza five years ago, setting a strong signal that the Islamic militants are emerging from international isolation.

The leader of the Gulf emirate is also set to launch $254 million worth of construction projects, including three roads, a hospital and a new town that will bring thousands of jobs to the impoverished territory.

Hamas' Palestinian opponents in the West Bank were watching the emir's plans with some concern. They fear that any gestures that strengthen Hamas' hold on Gaza will make the Islamists less inclined to end the Palestinian political rift.

The emir called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late Sunday and informed him of his plans to visit Gaza and inaugurate construction projects there, said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh. Abbas welcomed Qatar's aid to Gaza, but also called for pressure on Hamas to end the Palestinian political split, the spokesman said.

That rift broke open in 2007, after Hamas seized Gaza from the internationally backed Abbas. Since then, the two camps have run rival governments, Hamas in Gaza and Abbas in parts of the Israeli-controlled West Bank. Abbas hopes to negotiate the terms of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem with Israel, while Hamas believes such efforts are a waste of time and instead is tightening its hold on Gaza.

Repeated reconciliation attempts between Abbas and Hamas have failed, with neither side willing to give up power in their respective territories. Earlier this year, the emir of Qatar brought together Abbas and Hamas' supreme leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, for yet another deal. Under the arrangement signed in Doha, Abbas was to lead an interim unity government to pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories.

However, senior Hamas officials in Gaza accused Mashaal at the time of not consulting with them first and torpedoed the deal, unwilling to give Abbas a renewed foothold in Gaza. Hamas has been holding secret leadership elections since then, and Mashaal announced last month he is no longer seeking another term in the top spot.

The upcoming visit by the Qatari ruler ? a boon to Hamas ? has been shrouded in secrecy. By late Sunday, Qatar had not made a formal announcement, leaving open the possibility that it could be called off at the last minute because of concerns over security or the political ramifications.

However, an Egyptian security official and officials in Gaza involved in arranging the trip said the emir is expected for a four-hour visit Tuesday. He is to be accompanied by some 50 people, including his wife, his prime minister, business leaders, intellectuals and security officials, they said on condition of anonymity because no formal date has been announced.

Qatar expanded its regional influence during the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled dictators in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt last year, lending support to protesters linked to the region wide Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is an offshoot of the Brotherhood, but has adopted a more militant ideology as part of its conflict with Israel.

In anticipation of the emir's visit, Gaza's streets have been decorated with billboards in Arabic and English reading, "Thanks, Qatar, you fulfilled the promise."

Palestinian officials said the emir and his entourage will be met by an honor guard as they cross from Egypt into Gaza through the Rafah passenger terminal there. Gaza's prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, is to greet the emir at Rafah and also host him at his office in Gaza City, the officials said.

The Qatari ruler is also expected to tour the sites of the projects funded by Qatar, including a hospital for the handicapped, a new town and the overhaul of three main roads.

Despite the plans for a high-profile visit, Qatar has tried to temper its growing role in Gaza. Last week, Qatar's ambassador to Gaza, Mohammed al-Emadi, emphasized that the massive investments "are for the people of Gaza, not Hamas." He said Qatar would be involved in the projects until completion and only then hand them to the Gaza government.

Still, the projects could produce another potential benefit by helping Hamas establish a trade route with Egypt.

After the Hamas takeover, Israel and Egypt's former ruler, Hosni Mubarak, enforced a border blockade of Gaza. Israel has since eased some restrictions, but still bars virtually all exports and restricts the imports of key raw materials.

Mubarak's successor, Mohammed Morsi ? who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood ? has been reluctant to open the Gaza-Egypt border to trade, in part because this could inadvertently foster the separation between the West Bank and Gaza, which lie on opposite sides of Israel. Such a move could also further weaken Abbas politically.

Qatari diplomats have asked Egypt to allow raw materials for Qatar's Gaza projects to be sent through the Rafah crossing, Gaza officials said. Haniyeh's office said the Egyptian president approved the arrangement, which could set a precedent for future trade.

Egyptian officials were not immediately available for comment Sunday. However, Morsi has tried to avoid alienating Abbas, who would presumably oppose the idea of a Gaza-Egypt trade without oversight by his Palestinian Authority.

An Abbas aide, Nimr Hamad, appeared to criticize the emir's Gaza plans. During a trip to Egypt, Hamad said he hoped Arab nations would refrain from visits "that give Gaza a semi-independent status," adding that "this is very dangerous for the Palestinian issue."

Another West Bank official, former planning minister Samir Abdullah, said Qatar should use its leverage over Hamas to pressure it to agree to reconciliation.

"Changing the miserable situation in Gaza is something good," Abdullah said. "Nobody would look at it otherwise. But it shouldn't be used to encourage the separation between the West Bank and Gaza, or make reconciliation more difficult."

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed reporting

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/qatars-emir-head-hamas-ruled-gaza-190906984.html

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Facebook, Microsoft Helping U.K. Government Select And Train A ...

Computer science teaching in U.K. schools has been broken for years, having a soft focus on ICT teaching ? i.e. showing kids how to use computer software ? rather than teaching them how to use computers to create software. Earlier this year a U.K. government Minister described IT lessons as ?catastrophically boring?. Those remarks followed some choice words from?Google?s Eric Schmidt?last year when he warned the nation was throwing away its computing heritage?by focusing on arts teaching at the expense of computer science.

Since then, the government has been knocking heads together to try to get a handle on the problem ? last?year it announced plans to develop new ?IT-centric? qualifications, to?teach schoolkids core principles of computer programming, and in January the Education Secretary reiterated their intention to scrap the derided ICT curriculum?and replace it with a new computer science curriculum. It?s currently carrying out a curriculum review to come up with a new program of study for the subject ? with an all-new computer science curriculum due to land in September 2014.

Today the government has revealed another plank in the strategy ? announcing?measures to attract a new generation of computer science teachers that have the skills to teach bona fide?computing, rather than run lessons in how to use Microsoft Word. Slightly ironic, then, that it?s getting help from Microsoft to overhaul IT teaching.?Professor Chris Bishop, Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research, did not note this irony in his supporting statement on the announcement

Microsoft is passionate about improving the way that we teach technology in schools, but also how we use technology to teach. As founding members of the Computing at School working group, we?ve been working to inspire both teachers and young people about the importance of computer science for a number of years.

Scholarships such as those announced today will be vital in ensuring that the UK maintains a healthy pipeline of computer science talent, which can only be a positive thing for this country?s future prosperity.

As well as working with Microsoft, the government is getting help from Facebook, IBM, BT and other companies for the new Computer Science Initial Teacher Training course ? which replaces the current Information and Communications Technology courses (which have now lost their government funding). Facebook, Microsoft et al have also been involved in helping draw up a document?that sets out?minimum requirements for subject knowledge for budding computer science teachers applying to the new training course.

Around 50 scholarships worth ?20,000 each will be available in the first year with the aim of attracting top graduates into IT teaching. The scholarships will be open to applications from any graduate with a 2.1 or first class degree ? again, somewhat ironic, being as the humanities graduates so derided by Schmidt will apparently be able to apply to becoming computer science teachers.?However?applications will also have to demonstrate they have an understanding of a variety of key computer science concepts and processes?in order to be accepted on the training ? such as algorithms and computational models.

A spokesman for the Department for Education told me the reason the government is not stipulating that applicants to the teaching course have a computing degree is to ensure suitable candidates who hold other degrees, such as in mathematics, aren?t excluded.

Facebook and co are also likely to be involved in the selection process of teachers for the scholarship ? helping to interview potential candidates, said the spokesman. ?Facebook?s?Simon Milner, Director of Public Policy for UK & Ireland, noted in a statement: ?It is a positive step to help get high quality computer science teachers in schools, and therefore ensure more young people gain the right skills to join and lead our digital industries.?

Existing ICT teachers are also being targeted for upskilling by another government initiative announced today which will see 500 existing ICT teachers provided with computer science training in the first year of the program. This scheme is being part funded through a ?150,000 government grant.

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April 4, 1974

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Microsoft, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, is a veteran software company, best known for its Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Starting in 1980 Microsoft formed a partnership with IBM allowing Microsoft to sell its software package with the computers IBM manufactured. Microsoft is widely used by professionals worldwide and largely dominates the American corporate market. Additionally, the company has ventured into hardware with consumer products such as the Zune and...

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IBM, acronym for International Business Machines, is a multinational computer technology and consulting corporation. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/19/facebook-microsoft-helping-u-k-government-select-and-train-a-new-generation-of-computer-science-teachers/

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Flexible hours, nice co-workers, seeing the world: Fighters talk about fighting for a living

While it's easy to look at fighters as warriors who get in the cage to get to the highest pinnacle of the sport, it's also a job. Like everyone with a job, fighters have to put in hours at their office, do mundane tasks they wish they didn't have to do, and wish they were paid more.

But what are the best parts of being a full-time fighter? Hear from the fighters.

Let's say you had the physical gifts to be a UFC fighter. Is it still a job you would want? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/flexible-hours-nice-co-workers-seeing-world-fighters-144019424--mma.html

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Finding A Residence Appraisal | Marijuana for MRSA

by: albertolong - October 19th, 2012

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Source: http://cannabismrsacure.letstalkaboutpot.com/finding-a-residence-appraisal/

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Cliff Childs - Lines and Colors

Cliff Childs is a concept artist and illustrator based in Los Angeles. He studied at the Otis College of Art and Design and is, I believe, currently working with Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Childs has an approach to concept environments that stresses atmosphere, both in the sense of atmospheric perspective and in terms of mood. Even in his renderings of daylight scenes, he plays with visual sensations of moisture laden air, giving his designs a palpable feeling of distance and temperature.

He also works his lighting in a theatrical manner, focusing attention with spotlighted effects, controlled passages of color and suggestions of texture.

In addition to his concept work, Childs has done illustrations for the Magic: The Gathering gaming card series.

I didn?t see any of the latter on his blog, but you will find a lot of his concept and personal work, including sketches from life in traditional media.

Childs?s work is on display as one of the artists represented in the Painting in Pixels: An Exhibition of Concept Art currently at the Riverside Art Museum (see my recent post).

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Source: http://www.linesandcolors.com/2012/10/19/cliff-childs/

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