Bombs in Iraq kill 15 at checkpoint and funeral

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Bombs in Iraq targeting a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen and a Shiite tribal leader's funeral killed at least 15 people on Friday, in the latest strikes by militants seeking to destabilize the country.

Iraq is in the midst of its deadliest and most sustained wave of violence since 2008, raising fears the nation is returning to the widespread sectarian-charged bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April.

The deadliest attack, which killed at least 11, struck the militia checkpoint shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, according to police.

The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with U.S. troops to fight al-Qaida during the Iraq War. They remain on the Shiite-led central government's payroll for security forces, making them an occasional target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.

One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second detonated as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first explosion, police said.

In the town of Dujail, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a tent set up to welcome mourners at the funeral of a local Shiite tribal leader.

Dujail mayor Naif al-Khazraji and Ali al-Haidari, a senior security official in the town, said the blast killed at least four and wounded four others. Al-Khazraji said those killed included a police captain who tried to shoot the bomber before he detonated his explosives.

Dujail is a predominantly Shiite town surrounded by mostly Sunni communities.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al-Qaida in Iraq frequently deploys car bombs and coordinated explosives, and often targets Shiites and security forces, including Sahwa members.

Police and hospital officials said 22 people also were wounded the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Earlier Friday, Iraqi officials raised the death toll from a series of bombings late Thursday that targeted soccer fans watching the Confederations Cup semifinal between Spain and Italy in cafes in and around Baghdad. They put the number of those killed at 36.

The deadliest attack, which killed 20 people, took place at a large cafe in the city of Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. The assailants staggered the blasts, apparently so that the second one ? a car bomb ? would kill people rushing to help those hurt in the initial explosion. Rescue teams found several bodies only on Friday morning, police said.

Other attacks late Thursday struck cafes in Baghdad and the Shiite town of Jbala south of the capital.

___

Associated Press writers Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bombs-iraq-kill-15-checkpoint-funeral-170721443.html

the perfect storm mickelson how to tie a tie sweet potato recipes the sound of music celebration church new york auto show 2012

Cox flareWatch beta brings IPTV with 60 HD channels, cloud DVR for $35 monthly

While everyone tries to figure out what the future of TV looks like, Variety reports Cox Cable has crossed over to offering internet TV service to customers in Orange County. flareWatch beta testers can buy a Fanhattan Fan TV set-top box for $99 (up to three per household) and sign up for a TV package that features 90 live TV channels (60 in HD) and includes the usual favorites like ESPN / ESPN2, AMC, CNN, Nickelodeon and TNT, with video on-demand coming soon. DVR recordings take place in the cloud, with 30 hours of storage available for each subscriber.

There is one notable limitation however, as with cable company provided TiVo DVRs, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix are not available. Cox already cloud based storage under the MyFlare brand name, and Variety also mentions the company plans to expand it with music and game services. Other providers have hinted at offering IPTV options and Comcast launched an IPTV test at MIT, but this is the first one publicly available from a major company. If you live in the area, demonstrations are available at several locations, check out the site at the link below and a preview video after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Source: Variety, watchFlare

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/X9eu_AR7nBo/

cesar chavez Wichita State hbo Buckwild Steve Alford Phil Spector Phil Ramone

Pendulum swings back on 350-year-old mathematical mystery

June 10, 2013 ? A 350-year-old mathematical mystery could lead toward a better understanding of medical conditions like epilepsy or even the behavior of predator-prey systems in the wild, University of Pittsburgh researchers report.

The mystery dates back to 1665, when Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, first observed that two pendulum clocks mounted together could swing in opposite directions. The cause was tiny vibrations in the beam caused by both clocks, affecting their motions.

The effect, now referred to by scientists as "indirect coupling," was not mathematically analyzed until nearly 350 years later, and deriving a formula that explains it remains a challenge to mathematicians still. Now, Pitt professors apply this principle to measure the interaction of "units" -- such as neurons, for example -- that turn "off" and "on" repeatedly. Their findings are highlighted in the latest issue of Physical Review Letters.

"We have developed a mathematical approach to better understanding the 'ingredients' in a system that affect synchrony in a number of medical and ecological conditions," said Jonathan E. Rubin, coauthor of the study and professor in Pitt's Department of Mathematics within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. "Researchers can use our ideas to generate predictions that can be tested through experiments."

More specifically, the researchers believe the formula could lead toward a better understanding of conditions like epilepsy, in which neurons become overly active and fail to turn off, ultimately leading to seizures. Likewise, it could have applications in other areas of biology, such as understanding how bacteria use external cues to synchronize growth.

Together with G. Bard Ermentrout, University Professor of Computational Biology and professor in Pitt's Department of Mathematics, and Jonathan J. Rubin, an undergraduate mathematics major, Jonathan E. Rubin examined these forms of indirect communication that are not typically included in most mathematical studies owing to their complicated elements. In addition to studying neurons, the Pitt researchers applied their methods to a model of artificial gene networks in bacteria, which are used by experimentalists to better understand how genes function.

"In the model we studied, the genes turn off and on rhythmically. While on, they lead to production of proteins and a substance called an autoinducer, which promotes the genes turning on," said Jonathan E. Rubin. "Past research claimed that this rhythm would occur simultaneously in all the cells. But we show that, depending on the speed of communication, the cells will either go together or become completely out of synch with each another."

To apply their formula to an epilepsy model, the team assumed that neurons oscillate, or turn off and on in a regular fashion. Ermentrout compares this to Southeast Asian fireflies that flash rhythmically, encouraging synchronization.

"For neurons, we have shown that the slow nature of these interactions encouraged 'asynchrony,' or firing at different parts of the cycle," Ermentrout said. "In these seizure-like states, the slow dynamics that couple the neurons together are such that they encourage the neurons to fire all out of phase with each other."

The Pitt researchers believe this approach may extend beyond medical applications into ecology -- for example, a situation in which two independent animal groups in a common environment communicate indirectly. Jonathan E. Rubin illustrates the idea by using a predator-prey system, such as rabbits and foxes.

"With an increase in rabbits will come an increase in foxes, as they'll have plenty of prey," said Jonathan E. Rubin. "More rabbits will get eaten, but eventually the foxes won't have enough to eat and will die off, allowing the rabbit numbers to surge again. Voila, it's an oscillation. So, if we have a fox-rabbit oscillation and a wolf-sheep oscillation in the same field, the two oscillations could affect each other indirectly because now rabbits and sheep are both competing for the same grass to eat."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/gmpwlWnYOc4/130610133127.htm

olivier martinez ny lottery Ohio Lottery Colorado Lottery Pa Lottery Ebates lotto

Redbox Instant, Flixster to join Sony's own live event streaming service on PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita

Sony's own PlayStation 3 just happens to be the most used Netflix-streaming device in the word, but that doesn't mean the outfit isn't offering a diverse array of streaming options. Today at its E3 press event, the company announced that the all three of its consoles -- PS3, PS4 and Vita -- will support a Sony live viewer service, Redbox Instant and Flixter, as well. Sony didn't say when support for these services would arrive, but made sure to mention that its own Music and Video Unlimited apps would be available on the PlayStation 4 at launch. Hit up our ongoing liveblog for additional coverage.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/10/redbox-instant-flixster-to-join-sonys-own-live-event-streaming/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

lottery winner lottery numbers mega millions lottery jackpot winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing olbermann