The Obama administration proposed on Friday new ? and more costly ? regulations of the refining industry to produce cleaner gasoline and clearer skies.
If the new rules are implemented as scheduled in 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, they will spare thousands of people from premature death and prevent respiratory problems in tens of thousands of children. The cost: on average less than a penny gallon.
Not so, says the oil industry, which has been battling the EPA over the proposed rules. The new rules will add as much as nine cents a gallon to the cost of making fuel and will produce ?ambiguous? results, says The American Petroleum Institute. API, the industry?s lobbying arm in Washington, refers to the proposed new rules as part of a ?tsunami of regulations? the industry faces this year that could add as much as 65 cents to the cost of producing a gallon of fuel in the future.
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about gas prices? Take our quiz!
Gasoline prices are politically sensitive. Consumers often know how much they have paid for a gallon of gasoline compared with their prior fill-up. When pump prices are rising, consumers grumble and, if prices get high enough, cut back on other discretionary purchases. As a result, economists refer to rising fuel prices as a tax on the economy.
But will Americans pay more for fuel and smile about if they believe it will result in cleaner air?
?Some will, but the majority won?t,? answers Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at GasBuddy.com. ?There is a sense among a lot of people that we are entitled to cheaper fuel prices than the rest of the world.?
The proposed changes would make US standards the same as most of Europe, Japan, and South Korea, Mr. Kloza says. ?We would be joining 45 other countries with tougher fuel standards,? he says.
Republicans quickly attacked the proposed regulation. ?The Obama Administration is modeling our regulations after California, which has the worst economy in the nation, and today?s announcement is essentially a guaranteed energy tax hike and unfortunately is just one of many radical policies coming out of this Administration that will deal a heavy blow to middle-class families and small businesses,? said Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, in a statement.
In January, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, often associated with Democratic issues, conducted what it termed a ?bipartisan survey? of 800 registered voters for the American Lung Association on whether Americans favored tougher fuel regulations and improved antipollution laws. It found 62 percent of voters supported new gasoline and vehicle standards, and 32 percent opposed them.
If the new rules are implemented as proposed, the EPA says, the new standards would cut smog-producing chemicals by 80 percent, cut down on particulate matter by 70 percent, and reduce vapor emissions to near zero.
In the case of sulfur, one culprit in producing smog, the new standard would cut the emission to 10 parts per million in 2017 compared with the current standard of 30 parts per million. Only eight years ago the standard was 300 parts per million.
Implementing the new standards will, by 2030, avoid 2,400 premature deaths per year, 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, 3,200 hospital admissions, and 1.8 million lost school days, work days, and days when activities would be restricted due to air pollution, the EPA estimates. Total health-related benefits in 2030 would be between $8 billion and $23 billion annually, according to the agency.
One proponent of the new standard is the auto industry, which is under pressure to boost fuel mileage to meet tougher government regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy. In a background press release on Friday, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a lobbying group, called the EPA announcement ?a big step forward.?
According to the alliance, cleaner fuel immediately reduces emissions from vehicles of any age. Sulfur damages catalytic converters over time, so the new regulation would be especially helpful in older vehicles.
?And, cleaner fuel allows for new energy-efficient technologies like lean-burn engines that are going to be necessary to comply with the challenging 2017-2025 greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards,? said the alliance in its release.
The auto industry would also like to see the EPA?s proposed new standards implemented because they would then be closer to those used in California. This would allow the auto companies to sell the same cars in all 50 states, says the EPA.
In fact, the EPA in its release mainly talked about the benefit to the auto industry, which the US government rescued during the height of the Great Recession.
?The Obama Administration has taken a series of steps to reinvigorate the auto industry and ensure that the cars of tomorrow are cleaner, more efficient and saving drivers money at the pump and these common-sense cleaner fuels and cars standards are another example of how we can protect the environment and public health in an affordable and practical way,? said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, in a statement.
The proposed rules come at a time when refinery profit margins are relatively high, says GasBuddy.com's Kloza.
?Let?s just say the environment for refining is prosperous,? he says, noting that the cost of natural gas used to make gasoline is low, and that the price of oil produced in the US is lower than oil produced in other parts of the world. This gives the refineries a cost advantage.
However, he says, the industry can see a turnaround in a hurry. ?We know refining can go from a renaissance to the dark ages in a heartbeat,? he says.
The API says it is sees nothing but rising costs ahead because of proposed federal regulations. If the EPA adds an additional mandate to lower vapor pressure, that will cost an extra 25 cents a gallon to make gasoline, the API calculates. Moreover, the API says, gasoline costs during manufacturing will rise another 30 percent if federal mandates to use more ethanol by 2015 are not relaxed. The API also worries that the EPA will propose new ozone reduction standards at the end of the year.
?That?s why we call it a tsunami of regulations,? says Carlton Carroll, a spokesman for the API in Washington.
The EPA will take public comments on the new regulations before finalizing them, possibly by year's end.
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about gas prices? Take our quiz!
The threats to the U.S. are becoming more strident as North Korea's leader, Kim Jung Un, says his rockets are ready to strike America at any time. But experts do not believe Pyongyang has the capabilities it claims.
By Courtney Kube and Ian Johnston, NBC News
North Korea put its rocket units on standby Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after repeated threats and one day after two American stealth bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula in a military exercise.
A U.S. official warned that the isolated communist state is ?not a paper tiger? and its reaction should not be dismissed as ?pure bluster.?
According to the North Korea's official KCNA news agency, the country's leader Kim Jong Un ?judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation? at a midnight meeting of top generals, Reuters reported.
The latest threat comes one day after?two nuclear-capable stealth bombers flew from Missouri?to drop inert munitions on a range in South Korea as part of a major military exercise.
KCNA via EPA
Kim Jong Un, seen at what was described as an urgent meeting overnight, has ordered his rocket forces to be on standby to strike U.S. and South Korean targets at any time.
The U.S. official emphasized the danger posed by North Korea?s military and the unpredictable nature of its 30-year-old leader.
?North Korea is not a paper tiger so it wouldn't be smart to dismiss its provocative behavior as pure bluster. What's not clear right now is how much risk Kim Jong Un is willing to run to show the world and domestic elites that he's a tough guy,? said the official, who asked not to be named. ?His inexperience is certain -- his wisdom is still very much in question.?
There was a mass demonstration in support of Kim?involving tens of thousands of people?in the main square of North Korean capital Pyongyang Friday, The Associated Press reported.
Placards read "Let's crush the puppet traitor group" and "Let's rip the puppet traitors to death!"
'War for national liberation' The state-controlled KCNA also published an article that said the ?opportunity for peacefully settling the DPRK-U.S. relations is no longer available as the U.S. opted for staking its fate. Consequently, there remains only the settlement of accounts by a physical means.? DPRK stands for Democratic People?s Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
David Guttenfelder / AP
As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.
?A battle to be fought by the DPRK against the U.S. will become a war for national liberation to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country and, at the same time, a revolutionary war to defend the human cause of independence and the justice of the international community,? the article by ?news analyst? Minju Joson said.
South Korea?s Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean military official as saying that there had been ?increased movement of vehicles and forces? at missile launch sites in the North. ?We are closely watching possibilities of missile launches,? the unnamed official said.
North Korea routinely issues hostile statements but analysts have noted recent remarks have become more belligerent. In December, the North carried out a long-range rocket test and then detonated a nuclear bomb in a test earlier this year.
North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un has issued almost daily threats, including the threat of nuclear strikes on Washington, D.C., and Seoul. In addition, Pyongyang has put its troops on combat readiness, warning that war "may break out at any moment." NBC's Ian Williams reports.
At a daily news briefing Friday, China?s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said China was calling for an easing of tensions.
But some fear the situation could be getting out of control.
"It seems that Kim Jong Un is in the driving seat of a train that has been taken on a joyride," Lee Min-yong, an expert on North Korea at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, told Reuters.
Russia, meanwhile, appeared to criticize the U.S. over Thursday's bomber mission.
"We are concerned that alongside the adequate, collective reaction of the U.N. Security Council, unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, according to Reuters.
"The situation could simply get out of control; it is slipping toward the spiral of a vicious cycle," he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
PhotoBlog: North Koreans rally in support of leader's call to arms
Nuclear-capable stealth bombers sent to South Korea amid Kim Jong Un's threats
Despite rhetoric from North, South Koreans carry on
This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:11 AM EDT
Karisma Kapoor, the gorgeous actress who entertained us with her moves, enviable figure and a beautiful face is married and a mother of two today. She still maintains her drop dead gorgeous looks. How? Well, that no more a celebrity secret.
Karisma is highly inspired by Victoria Beckham. This helped her lose post-pregnancy fat in no time. Today, Karisma has maintained a fit body and enviable looks just as Victoria Beckham. She eats really healthy. Her favourite cuisines include Japanese food, lots of fish, and chicken. The actress also believes in including a lot of raw vegetables and fruits in her diet.
Karisma believes in maintaining a healthy diet regime and does not starve herself. Today, she keeps a very slim physique. She does this by eating right, exercising occasionally, and running around after her two children.
Karisma Kapoor Diet Chart
Breakfast
? 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with some vegetables
Lunch
? Mango/fruit salad
Snack
? Grilled Sandwich
Or
? Dhokla
Or
Prawns
Supper
? Soup
Dinner
? Chicken breast (no skin, no sauces) and roasted veggies
Karisma believes in eating healthy. She brings variety in her food by introducing vegetable curry and brown rice or steamed fish and chicken in her regular diet chart. The actress also includes 2-3 egg whites in the day to ensure adequate protein intake.
Karisma Kapoor?s Exercise Regimen
Karisma Kapoor has always maintained a fit body. She used to swim a lot during her school days. Today, she maintains the same regime by swimming with her kids during their holidays.
Karisma also likes to practise yoga. She takes long walks the natural way. Karisma prefers to walk in the building and even take the stairs whenever possible.
The actress is not a fan of gyms. In fact, her gym routines are just to maintain a toned body. She has appointed a personal trainer who would help her workout at least 3-4 times in a week.
Today, the actress keeps her children in her priority. However, she believes that her own health and fitness is equally important and works hard for it. She makes it a point to take care of her health, hair, and skin.
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, House Budget Committee member Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. "We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Campbell, who must go cross-country to visit his southern California district (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, House Budget Committee member Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. "We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Campbell, who must go cross-country to visit his southern California district (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
FILE - In this March 7, 2103 file photo, a seagull flies as the sun breaks through dark clouds at dawn over Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this May 4, 2010 file photo, then-Indiana Congressional candidate Luke Messer arriving at a polling place in Carmel, Ind. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester". (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2011 file photo, House Administration Committee Chair Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich. speaks on Mackinac Island, Mich. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. Miller has promoted a bill to slash the budgets of House committee by 11 percent. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month.
There probably won't be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no danger of being furloughed or laid off, at least until the next election. Still, there has been an effort, especially in the Republican-led House, to show that no one should be exempt from sacrifice.
"As those who are charged with the care of taxpayers' dollars, we need to lead by example," Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who chairs the House Administration Committee, said last week in promoting a bill to slash the budgets of House committees by 11 percent.
Earlier in March ? after Congress and the White House failed to come up with an alternative to across-the-board cuts in most federal programs ? the House imposed an 8.2 percent reduction in lawmakers' personal office budgets. That came on top of 11 percent cuts to members' office budgets during 2011-2012.
"We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Republican Rep. John Campbell, who must cross the country to visit his southern California district. He said he tends to stay in Washington on two-day weekends rather than return home. "I'm more productive here when I'm not rushing to get home," he added.
Campbell said other "little things" he is doing to economize include reducing the office phone bill, cutting off magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and using email rather than letters to communicate with voters.
Rep. Luke Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester"? Washington-speak for the automatic spending cuts.
So far, congressional staffers appear to have escaped the furloughs that are likely to send thousands of public servants home without pay for several workdays over the next six months and disrupt some government services. "I hope to avoid that," said Rep Jared Polis, D-Colo., "but we will take any steps to ensure we don't exceed our budget." Under House rules, a lawmaker must pay for excess spending out of his or her own pocket.
The fiscal pressures are less strong in the Senate, where senators have staff budgets about double the amount of the $1.3 million average in the House and where the office cuts ordered because of the sequester were limited to 5 percent.
While staffers still have their jobs, they may have a harder time getting to them. Security officials have cut costs by closing 10 entrances and several side streets around the Capitol complex, creating long lines to get through screening stations. People "have started to adjust to those changes at the entrances," although it is still a challenge on busy days, said U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer.
Gainer, who oversees nearly 1,000 security and administrative employees, said he hopes to abide by the 5 percent sequester cut without layoffs by enlisting 70 or 80 people for a voluntary retirement program.
Some House members also are feeling the pinch during the two-week Easter break, a prime time for foreign "fact-finding" tours. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced last month that members must book commercial flights rather than make use of more convenient but more expensive military aircraft.
Some Democrats have complained the GOP enthusiasm for frugality has come at too high a cost.
"At a time when most members of this body are representing newly formed congressional districts with a need to open new offices or move to new locations, we find ourselves with an 8.2 percent decrease in the very operating budgets that support constituent services," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
Wasserman Schultz, who also is the Democratic Party's chairwoman, criticized House Republicans for cutting budgets while spending some $3 million for the legal defense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
"We are past the point of cutting what we want, and we are now into cutting what we need ? our ability to attract and retain expert staff," said Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House Administration Committee.
Brad Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve congressional operations, said it's still possible that House members will have to resort to furloughs or layoffs. So far, he said, they have been able to cope with the cuts of the past three years with less-drastic steps, such as reducing the size of their staffs through attrition, making more use of interns and using email rather than mass mailings.
At the end of 2011, Fitch's group recommended 46 possible ways for members to cut $90,000 from their 2012 budgets, ranging from pay freezes, holding more town hall meetings by telephone, delaying purchases of new computers, eliminating Washington staffers' visits to district offices, closing district offices, eliminating bottled water from offices and reviewing spending on food and beverages for constituents.
LITHOSPHERE covers Canada, California, the Alps, and the Scandinavian CaledonidesPublic release date: 29-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
Boulder, Colo., USA - The April 2013 issue of Lithosphere is now available. Four classic research papers cover the Saint Elias Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia, Canada; the Nacimiento fault near San Simeon, California, USA; the western Alps; and the Caledonides in Scandinavia. An invited review relays the significance of dynamic topography to long-term sea level change. This month's research focus article, which is open access online, discusses the revolution in remote sensing-LiDAR-laser altimetry swath mapping.
Abstracts are online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/current. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary copies of LITHOSPHERE articles by contacting Kea Giles at the address above.
Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to LITHOSPHERE in articles published. Contact Kea Giles for additional information or assistance.
Non-media requests for articles may be directed to GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Detrital zircon Hf isotopic compositions indicate a northern Caledonian connection for the Alexander terrane
L. Beranek et al., Stockholm University, Geological Sciences, Svante Arrhenius vg 8, Stockholm, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L255.1.
Earth's plate tectonic history during the Silurian and Devonian periods, approx. 400 million years ago, was dominated by the closure of the Iapetus Ocean and subsequent continent-continent collision between Laurentia (ancestral North America) and Baltica (ancestral northern Europe). This collision led to the rise of the Appalachian-Caledonian Mountains and the assembly of supercontinent Laurussia. To test ancient stratigraphic connections between the northern Caledonian mountains of Laurussia and crustal fragments now located in the North American Cordillera, Luke Beranek and colleagues acquired new analytical data from Silurian and Devonian sedimentary rocks of the Alexander terrane in the Saint Elias Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia, Canada. Their datasets indicate that terrestrial and shallow-marine rocks of the Alexander terrane, including distinctive red-bed sandstones, were sourced from northern Caledonian granitoids and are analogous to sedimentary units of the Old Red Sandstone in the present-day North Atlantic region. These data have major ramifications not only for the paleogeography and displacement history of the Alexander terrane, but also the proposed Caledonian affinities of other terranes in the North American Cordillera that underlie much of Alaska, British Columbia, and western United States.
Kinematic analysis of mlange fabrics in the Franciscan Complex near San Simeon, California: Evidence for sinistral slip on the Nacimiento fault zone?
J. Singleton, Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA; and M. Cloos, Dept. of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 USA. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L259.1.
A controversial topic in California geology is the tectonic significance of the Nacimiento fault, a major structure that was active approximately 75 to 60 million years ago during subduction of oceanic crust beneath California. This fault juxtaposes granitic rocks similar to the Sierra Nevada batholith on the northeast side of the fault (the Salinian block) against rocks that formed within a subduction zone on the southwest side of the fault (the Franciscan Complex). Most previous studies have interpreted the Nacimiento fault either as (a) a left-lateral strike-slip fault along which the Salinian block granitic rocks moved 500-600 km northwestward with respect to the Franciscan Complex rocks; or (b) a thrust fault along which the Salinian block rocks were displaced more than 100 km southwestward over the Franciscan rocks. This study by John Singleton and Mark Cloos presents new structural data from Franciscan Complex rocks exposed along beach cliffs near San Simeon, California. These rocks have undergone left-lateral shearing parallel to the Nacimiento fault. Singleton and Cloos suggest this shearing was related to movement on the Nacimiento fault, supporting the tectonic interpretation of the Nacimiento fault as a major left-lateral structure.
Short-lived fast erosional exhumation of the internal Western Alps during the late Early Oligocene: constraints from geo-thermochronology of pro- and retro-side foreland basin sediments S. Jourdan et al., ISTerre, Grenoble, 38110, France. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 25 Feb. 2013; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L243.1.
The Oligocene is a key period in the evolution of the western Alps during which the mountain belt evolved from an accretionary wedge (Late Cretaceous to Eocene) to a relatively high-elevation mountain belt, similar to the central Alps today. Studying the sediments and sedimentary rocks deposited in basins adjacent to this mountain belt helps in reconstructing the orogenic evolution. During this period, relatively fast erosion is seen as a result of rapid surface uplift coupled with increasing orographic precipitation during this phase of orogenesis. Surface uplift may have been caused and sustained by different plate-tectonic processes such as a change in convergence direction, intermediate-depth slab breakoff, and emplacement of the Ivrea body during continental collision. The occurrence of contemporaneous volcanic activity on the pro-side of the western Alps on the subducting European plate between 36 and 30 million years ago is seen in connection with slab rollback of the Apennine slab and upwelling of hot mantle material beneath the western Alps.
Subduction along and within the Baltoscandian margin during the closing of the Iapetus Ocean and Baltica-Laurentia collision D. Gee et al., Uppsala University, Earth Sciences, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L220.1.
There are few places in the world where it is possible to trace a hot allochthon for 200 km across a continental margin, demonstrate its lateral displacement to have been more than twice this distance, infer that it was generated in an outer-margin subduction system during the final stages of ocean closure, and show that emplacement onto the platform occurred during subsequent continent collision. As a result of good exposure in the Scandian mountain belt and erosion to middle-crustal levels, the Caledonides in Scandinavia provide one of the best opportunities on the planet to study these aspects of mountain building.
INVITED REVIEW ARTICLE A review of observations and models of dynamic topography N. Flament et al., The University of Sydney, School of Geoscience, Madsen Building F09, Room 416, Eastern Avenue, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 4 Feb. 2013; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L245.1.
It has been known since the early 1960s that moving tectonic plates shape the Earth's surface, forming mountain belts and rift valleys. In addition to this tectonic topography, the more subtle deformation of the Earth's surface due to mantle flow in the Earth's interior, called dynamic topography, has been an active research topic since the mid-1980s. Dynamic topography has received increased interest over the last few years because it challenged the well-established view that long-term sea level change can be deduced from the rock record of "stable" continental shelves. In this review article, Nicolas Flament and colleagues show that there is good agreement between long-wavelength (greater than 5,000 km) observations and models of dynamic topography. Their work confirms the significance of dynamic topography to long-term sea level change and reinforces that comparing the predictions of mantle flow models to the geological record constrains the physical properties of the mantle. Larger data sets and increasing computing power will enable progress in this field in the coming years.
RESEARCH FOCUS ARTICLE Active tectonics and LiDAR revolution A. Meigs, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, 104 CEOAS Administration Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. Issue: April 2013; free access at http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/RF.L004.1.
A revolution in remote sensing, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser altimetry swath mapping, reveals the details of topographic features at such high resolution that they have transformed our understanding of tectonic forcing of the shape of the Earth's surface. Meter-scale DEMs (digital elevation models) capture fault offsets, fault zone structure, off-fault deformation, and landscape properties at microgeomorphic scale, highlighting that the surface faithfully records the complexity and sensitivity of deformation in detail.
###
http://www.geosociety.org
[ | 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.
LITHOSPHERE covers Canada, California, the Alps, and the Scandinavian CaledonidesPublic release date: 29-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
Boulder, Colo., USA - The April 2013 issue of Lithosphere is now available. Four classic research papers cover the Saint Elias Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia, Canada; the Nacimiento fault near San Simeon, California, USA; the western Alps; and the Caledonides in Scandinavia. An invited review relays the significance of dynamic topography to long-term sea level change. This month's research focus article, which is open access online, discusses the revolution in remote sensing-LiDAR-laser altimetry swath mapping.
Abstracts are online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/current. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary copies of LITHOSPHERE articles by contacting Kea Giles at the address above.
Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to LITHOSPHERE in articles published. Contact Kea Giles for additional information or assistance.
Non-media requests for articles may be directed to GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Detrital zircon Hf isotopic compositions indicate a northern Caledonian connection for the Alexander terrane
L. Beranek et al., Stockholm University, Geological Sciences, Svante Arrhenius vg 8, Stockholm, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L255.1.
Earth's plate tectonic history during the Silurian and Devonian periods, approx. 400 million years ago, was dominated by the closure of the Iapetus Ocean and subsequent continent-continent collision between Laurentia (ancestral North America) and Baltica (ancestral northern Europe). This collision led to the rise of the Appalachian-Caledonian Mountains and the assembly of supercontinent Laurussia. To test ancient stratigraphic connections between the northern Caledonian mountains of Laurussia and crustal fragments now located in the North American Cordillera, Luke Beranek and colleagues acquired new analytical data from Silurian and Devonian sedimentary rocks of the Alexander terrane in the Saint Elias Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia, Canada. Their datasets indicate that terrestrial and shallow-marine rocks of the Alexander terrane, including distinctive red-bed sandstones, were sourced from northern Caledonian granitoids and are analogous to sedimentary units of the Old Red Sandstone in the present-day North Atlantic region. These data have major ramifications not only for the paleogeography and displacement history of the Alexander terrane, but also the proposed Caledonian affinities of other terranes in the North American Cordillera that underlie much of Alaska, British Columbia, and western United States.
Kinematic analysis of mlange fabrics in the Franciscan Complex near San Simeon, California: Evidence for sinistral slip on the Nacimiento fault zone?
J. Singleton, Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA; and M. Cloos, Dept. of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 USA. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L259.1.
A controversial topic in California geology is the tectonic significance of the Nacimiento fault, a major structure that was active approximately 75 to 60 million years ago during subduction of oceanic crust beneath California. This fault juxtaposes granitic rocks similar to the Sierra Nevada batholith on the northeast side of the fault (the Salinian block) against rocks that formed within a subduction zone on the southwest side of the fault (the Franciscan Complex). Most previous studies have interpreted the Nacimiento fault either as (a) a left-lateral strike-slip fault along which the Salinian block granitic rocks moved 500-600 km northwestward with respect to the Franciscan Complex rocks; or (b) a thrust fault along which the Salinian block rocks were displaced more than 100 km southwestward over the Franciscan rocks. This study by John Singleton and Mark Cloos presents new structural data from Franciscan Complex rocks exposed along beach cliffs near San Simeon, California. These rocks have undergone left-lateral shearing parallel to the Nacimiento fault. Singleton and Cloos suggest this shearing was related to movement on the Nacimiento fault, supporting the tectonic interpretation of the Nacimiento fault as a major left-lateral structure.
Short-lived fast erosional exhumation of the internal Western Alps during the late Early Oligocene: constraints from geo-thermochronology of pro- and retro-side foreland basin sediments S. Jourdan et al., ISTerre, Grenoble, 38110, France. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 25 Feb. 2013; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L243.1.
The Oligocene is a key period in the evolution of the western Alps during which the mountain belt evolved from an accretionary wedge (Late Cretaceous to Eocene) to a relatively high-elevation mountain belt, similar to the central Alps today. Studying the sediments and sedimentary rocks deposited in basins adjacent to this mountain belt helps in reconstructing the orogenic evolution. During this period, relatively fast erosion is seen as a result of rapid surface uplift coupled with increasing orographic precipitation during this phase of orogenesis. Surface uplift may have been caused and sustained by different plate-tectonic processes such as a change in convergence direction, intermediate-depth slab breakoff, and emplacement of the Ivrea body during continental collision. The occurrence of contemporaneous volcanic activity on the pro-side of the western Alps on the subducting European plate between 36 and 30 million years ago is seen in connection with slab rollback of the Apennine slab and upwelling of hot mantle material beneath the western Alps.
Subduction along and within the Baltoscandian margin during the closing of the Iapetus Ocean and Baltica-Laurentia collision D. Gee et al., Uppsala University, Earth Sciences, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 19 Dec. 2012; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L220.1.
There are few places in the world where it is possible to trace a hot allochthon for 200 km across a continental margin, demonstrate its lateral displacement to have been more than twice this distance, infer that it was generated in an outer-margin subduction system during the final stages of ocean closure, and show that emplacement onto the platform occurred during subsequent continent collision. As a result of good exposure in the Scandian mountain belt and erosion to middle-crustal levels, the Caledonides in Scandinavia provide one of the best opportunities on the planet to study these aspects of mountain building.
INVITED REVIEW ARTICLE A review of observations and models of dynamic topography N. Flament et al., The University of Sydney, School of Geoscience, Madsen Building F09, Room 416, Eastern Avenue, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Issue: April 2013. Originally posted online 4 Feb. 2013; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/L245.1.
It has been known since the early 1960s that moving tectonic plates shape the Earth's surface, forming mountain belts and rift valleys. In addition to this tectonic topography, the more subtle deformation of the Earth's surface due to mantle flow in the Earth's interior, called dynamic topography, has been an active research topic since the mid-1980s. Dynamic topography has received increased interest over the last few years because it challenged the well-established view that long-term sea level change can be deduced from the rock record of "stable" continental shelves. In this review article, Nicolas Flament and colleagues show that there is good agreement between long-wavelength (greater than 5,000 km) observations and models of dynamic topography. Their work confirms the significance of dynamic topography to long-term sea level change and reinforces that comparing the predictions of mantle flow models to the geological record constrains the physical properties of the mantle. Larger data sets and increasing computing power will enable progress in this field in the coming years.
RESEARCH FOCUS ARTICLE Active tectonics and LiDAR revolution A. Meigs, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, 104 CEOAS Administration Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. Issue: April 2013; free access at http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/RF.L004.1.
A revolution in remote sensing, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser altimetry swath mapping, reveals the details of topographic features at such high resolution that they have transformed our understanding of tectonic forcing of the shape of the Earth's surface. Meter-scale DEMs (digital elevation models) capture fault offsets, fault zone structure, off-fault deformation, and landscape properties at microgeomorphic scale, highlighting that the surface faithfully records the complexity and sensitivity of deformation in detail.
###
http://www.geosociety.org
[ | 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.
JEDDAH (Reuters) - Down a narrow alleyway deep in the Jeddah slum of Karantina, three women from Sudan have set up stalls under colourful parasols, selling peanuts, hibiscus petals, dried pulses, baskets, frankincense, calabashes and sandalwood.
They laugh and gossip in the sunshine, swathed in bright printed cloth, while a scrawny black cat picks its way between piles of rubbish. But when approached by a stranger, they are cautious.
Jeddah has attracted outsiders for centuries, being the main port of arrival for Muslims making the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. It is this history that gives Karantina its name: older residents can remember when it was "quarantine" for pilgrims.
But the people who now live in this slum in the south of Saudi Arabia's second biggest city were drawn not only by religious devotion but also the top oil exporter's wealth. They live in a legal limbo, sometimes for generations.
"This is the forgotten area," said a bearded Sudanese man in his 40s. "Here are many illegal immigrants who don't have official papers. Government supervision is scarce."
Saudi Arabia's hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are not counted among the millions of expatriates who reside legally in the Arab kingdom, working as everything from maids to finance executives.
Instead they live on the margins, ineligible for government services and outside of the law, but often unofficially tolerated because of the expense and administrative obstacles in the way of expelling them.
In recent months, however, their status has caught the attention of Saudi media, who have been calling them "infiltrators" and warning readers of their supposed links to crime, disease and militancy.
"The infiltrators will carry with them all their social ills including security threats, criminal behavior and ethical issues," wrote commentator Hamoud Abu Talib in an opinion piece in Okaz daily this month.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Mansour al-Turki, said the media has exaggerated the number of crimes committed by illegal immigrants and added that Saudi citizens themselves contributed to the problem by using them for cheap labor.
Many illegal immigrants have now lived in Saudi Arabia for decades, having children and grandchildren who now live without nationality or residence papers, and prompting government officials to speak of a "humanitarian crisis".
Some risked a perilous journey through volatile Somalia and Yemen, others overstayed work visas or came to perform the annual haj and never went home.
In 2008 Saudi officials told American diplomats that around 10 percent of pilgrims overstayed their visas each year, a U.S. embassy cable released by WikiLeaks revealed. Last year more than 2 million people came on haj from overseas.
Last week local media reported police in Asir Province bordering Yemen as saying 1,470 illegal immigrants had been arrested in just two days.
"Dealing with these problems is not easy once they're in the country ... Sometimes you can't prove their nationality," Turki told Reuters. "You cannot send them back to Yemen. They will not take them."
Turki was not able to estimate the number of illegal immigrants in the country.
FORGOTTEN AREA
In Karantina, people sit out on doorsteps or high metal benches covered with strips of loose carpet, chatting with neighbors. Old sofas and armchairs sit propped against houses.
Rubbish carpets both sides of the road, and abandoned, broken-down cars and trucks gather dust, sinking onto flat tires.
In a large open space near a highway where trucks park, old cars lie in deep puddles of water and mud, some submerged up to their axles, while wading birds strut between them on long legs.
One 15-year-old girl, speaking to Reuters as she watched a television soap opera in a room choked with wood smoke, said her family came from Chad before she was born.
The girl's family - mother, brother, father, his three other wives and their children - are among the luckier residents of Karantina, giving out food as charity to those in need.
"I'm happy. There is nothing more that I can ask for. My father provides me with everything. I have a television," she said.
Like the other residents approached by Reuters, the family members declined to give their names for fear of attracting the attention of the authorities and having to leave the country.
Immigrants who do not have a residency permit, known as an iqama, face restricted access to medical care and other services. Residents of Karantina said they have to pay more for treatment, which by law should only be provided to people who can show valid identification papers.
A small private school in Karantina teaches the Koran to local children, but it is unregulated. Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of Mecca Province, which includes Jeddah, said last year there were around 1 million illegal residents in the province's slums.
For the government, the presence of so many undocumented people has a big impact on its efforts to strengthen labor laws. The country is trying to encourage firms to hire more Saudi citizens, who now make up only about a tenth of private-sector employees.
This month the Labour Ministry said it would fine companies found employing illegal immigrants. It also offered incentives to firms that employed Palestinian and Burmese refugees with legitimate residency papers.
On Sunday, Prince Khaled said the government would give legal residency to 250,000 Burmese Muslims already living as refugees in Saudi Arabia.
As holders of the iqama they will be able to access government services more easily and work, drive and rent accommodation legally, in common with millions of other foreigners living in Saudi Arabia.
Even for those with residency, however, life as an immigrant in the kingdom can be tough.
"I never thought of returning to Burkina Faso. All my children were born here. Thank God, we live with the help of charitable people," said Sadiq Basheer al-Sadiq, who came to Saudi Arabia on haj by sea in 1970 and is now the patriarch of a family 60 strong.
He said he and all his family members, including 15 children by four wives, had legal residency.
They live in a small plot of land in the Ruweis district of central Jeddah, their open-air rooms covered by aluminum roofs and divided by wooden beams and cement bricks.
Sadiq, now 85, has retired after working as a construction worker in Mecca, and is now dependent on his children.
His son, Ibrahim, was born in Saudi Arabia but has no hopes of ever qualifying for citizenship of a country where local passport holders qualify for substantial state benefits.
TOTOWA, N.J. (AP) ? State troopers in northern New Jersey didn't have to go far to make a pot bust. They didn't even have to get in their cruisers.
Police say they caught three men lighting up in a car in the parking lot of the barracks in Totowa (TOH'-toh-wah).
What gave the men away? Police say a trooper setting out for night patrol caught a whiff of marijuana.
The three men were charged with drug possession. Police say they were waiting for another man who was inside the station picking up paperwork for an impounded car. He was also charged with drug possession.
Authorities say for some reason, the men didn't expect to see a trooper in the parking lot of the state police barracks.
Staging your house can drastically increase your chances of a fast sale and may also give you a nice boost in your selling price. It takes some effort upfront but its well worth the effort. In this article, we will go over the basics of staging your home. In just a few minutes, you will know exactly how to stage your home for the fastest and most profitable sale.
Step #1 ? Clean Out Your House The first and often most difficult step is cleaning out your house. All your personal belongings apart from furniture that you?re using to stage your house must go. If you have not moved in to your new house yet, a great strategy is to rent a storage unit. A storage unit is usually very cheap and you can store all your belongings until you?re ready to move.
Step #2 ? Arrange Your Furniture Arrange your furniture in a way that really showcases the house. When in doubt, an empty room is better than furniture that does not look good. Make sure that there?s enough light coming into the rooms. Pull back your curtains and bring in lights if the lighting is dim. One thing that?s often neglected with home staging is the smell or scent in the rooms. Make sure your house smells nice. Candles or air refreshers can make a big difference.? However, it is important to be sure you do not use any scent that is overpowering.
Step #3 ? Have Your House Critiqued Have your real estate agent look over your staging and give you a good critique. A good real estate agent will know exactly what to look for in staging a house. Once you?ve had your real estate agent look over your house, make the changes that he or she recommended. This review process can often take a bit of time, so get started as early as you can.
One key part of the Martell Realty difference is access to a home stager.? We will bring our home stager through your property at no cost to you ? saving hundreds of dollars in consultaion fees.? Because our professionally trained home stager is paid by us and not the client, they do not make outlandish requests to justify their fee.? We would be happy to extend our offer of our stager to any of our Martell Realty clients.
Finding a real estate agent in Moncton NB that you know you can trust can be a challenge. If you have not found an agent that works for you yet, feel free to give me a call for a free consultation. You can reach me at (506)-962-7926 or ryan@martellrealty.ca. You can also learn more about me at www.martellrealty.ca.
Y Combinator was tougher to get into than ever this season, and the quality showed on stage. 33 startups presented on the record at the incubator's Winter 2013 Demo Day today. Picking the most promising ones was no easy task. But after a team huddle and taking input from VCs and founders, TechCrunch chose seven startups that could disrupt big businesses and make the world a better place to live.
Android: Evernote updated its Android app today bringing in a new camera mode, a shortcuts menu, and support for the Evernote Smart Notebook.
The new camera feature includes the ability to take multiple shots and import them into a notebook automatically, as well as support for the Evernote Smart Notebook. The new shortcuts menu is accessed by a swipe from the right of the screen. Here you can set it up so you get instant access to any note, notebook, or tag you want. You can set shortcuts by tapping and holding on a note and selecting "Add Shortcut" from the options. Premium users also get a new document search, and the app gets a minor facelift to the notes section as well.
Evernote (free) | Google Play via The Evernote Blog
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said it fired into Syria on Sunday and destroyed a machinegun position in the Golan Heights from where shots had been fired at Israeli soldiers in a further spillover of the Syrian civil war along a tense front.
It was not immediately clear whether Israel held Syrian troops or rebels responsible for what a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said had been a deliberate attack on Israeli patrols in the occupied territory.
Israeli forces "destroyed a Syrian machine gun nest that fired twice in the last 24 hours on Israeli patrols operating to safeguard the border," the spokesman, Ofir Gendelman, said on his Twitter page.
Shells have fallen several times inside Israeli-controlled territory during Syria's civil war. Some of the incidents have drawn Israeli return fire.
Syria's southern provinces bordering Jordan and Israel have become an increasingly significant battleground as the capital Damascus - in Syria's south - comes into play and President Bashar al-Assad's forces fight hard to prevent rebel advances.
The Israeli military said one of its vehicles was hit late on Saturday by shooting from across the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line on the Golan Heights, but no one was hurt.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, said, "Our understanding is that it wasn't stray fire."
After a second incident on Sunday, Israeli soldiers "responded with accurate fire toward the Syrian post from which they were fired on", the military said.
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement that Israel viewed shooting from Syria "with severity" and would not allow "the Syrian army or any other element to violate Israeli sovereignty by firing at our territory".
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the strategic plateau in 1981 in a move that has not won international recognition.
"Any ... fire from the Syrian side will be answered immediately by silencing the sources of fire when we identify them," Yaalon said.
Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defence Ministry official, said battles between Syrian government forces and Syrian rebels sometimes take place just a short distance from Israeli lines.
"At times, shells or bullets are fired at Israel. Usually the shooting (from Syria) is not deliberate, but it doesn't matter," he told Army Radio.
"Israel should not be the target of any attack, whether intentional or unintentional - because after all, if you accept something that was unintentional, that could lead to something intentional in the end," Gilad said.
Israel has said for months that it expects Assad's government to fall and has voiced concern that its chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and al Qaeda.
Israeli President Shimon Peres has called for Assad to step down.
(Reporting by Dan Williams and Jeffrey Heller Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Afterdawn.comWASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Microsoft Corp did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility when it made its popular Xbox, an administrative law judge at the International Trade Commission said in a preliminary decision issued on Friday.Trade Commission Judge Rules Microsoft Did Not Violate Google PatentForbesMicrosoft didn't infringe Google patent, ITC judge saysAfterdawn.comITC Rules in Favor of Microsoft in Patent Case by MotorolaThe Next WebEngadget?-Bloomberg?-The West Australianall 39 news articles?? ?
laptop forensics qualified description. Laptop forensic authorities give their professional services within the third party total capacity.vitamix blender model 1709. Pc forensic researchers often commence their opportunities around police officers firms or perhaps personal computer safety. The laptop forensic experts should establish its certification. Certificates packages will be short-courses associated with study needing under five training.By using rising cases of computer fraud, pc ?forensics? visiting has become any profitable job. Since that time their particular invention, computers and also networked computers have discovered like using the authorities plus the normal individual likewise. Computer forensic inspections normally go through regular digital forensic course of action (order, evaluation plus credit reporting).nautilus r514 recumbent bike best price. Quite a few procedures are being used throughout computer system forensics brought on such as cross-drive evaluation, investigation connected with removed documents etc. The examination of pcs from the inside a computer using custom ?forensics? or current sysadmin resources to create data. A typical procedure found in computer ?forensics? will be the healing of removed data files. Pc ?forensics? possesses very similar test stages with other forensic disciplines in addition to confronts identical troubles.The following information covers personal computer forensics coming from a natural mindset.? There tend to be couple of elements of criminal offenses or contest wherever computer ?forensics? can?t be employed. Theory A pair of above may perhaps add to the concern: With what situation could adjustments to a suspect?s laptop by a pc forensic examiner possibly be important? Usually, laptop forensic examiner can make a duplicate (as well as receive) details originating from a product that?s put off.
To the purpose of this information the pc forensic test course of action has become separated into half a dozen stages. Inside industrial laptop ?forensics? it may possibly contain teaching customers regarding process ability; such as, forensic assessments will provide more powerful facts in case your machine and also pc?s built-in audit as well as visiting programs are generally fired up. streamlight tlr-2 green laser. You can find myriad methods obtainable for computer forensics analysis. Examiners must evaluate which the important as well as code could be saved elsewhere on your computer or even for another pc that the imagine has experienced entry to. Anti-forensics would be the training when you attempt for you to forestall pc forensic analysis. Legal reasons may perhaps befuddle and also draw attention away from the laptop or computer examiner?s results.
Tags: streamlight tlr-2 green laser
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 at 5:46 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
Earlier this week Sony announced the Xperia SP and Xperia L -- new mid-range and entry-level phones for the European market. Today we're starting to see the first UK pricing information for these two devices from some prominent online retailers.
First up, the Xperia SP, Sony's latest mid-ranger is up for pre-order for a little over £300 -- the cheapest price at present is from Handtec, which offers the SP for £314.40 inc. VAT. That gets you a dual-core, 720p-screened device with an aluminum trim and customizable light bar, backed up by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and Sony's UI. There's also an 8MP Exmor RS rear camera, as well as LTE connectivity.
If it's the Xperia L you're after, the lowest price can be had from Clove, at £234 inc. VAT. The Xperia L bears a close resemblance to Sony's Xperia Arc series, and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM and a FWVGA screen. It's also packing the same Exmor RS camera tech as its big brother.
So far none of the major UK networks have announced plans to range either new Xperia handsets, but we'll keep you posted with any future developments. Both devices are due to appear in Q2, with a late April timeframe being specified by Clove.
As I mentioned in last week's installment of the Week in Gaming Apps, I spent the better part of this week moving all of my stuff from one place to another place. I figured the rest of the team might step up Monday through Wednesday, which is why there are only app reviews for Thursday and Friday. I suppose they were all getting ready for PAX East, so they're excused.
Speaking of excuses, this week's gaming apps are all brought to you by the letter Apple. Sorry, my Android friends, but my various Android devices are still in one of the many boxes surrounding me at the moment, so I was forced to spend what little free time I had playing excellent games on my iPad.
Pretty sure some of them are on Android though, or coming to Android. Eventually Android will completely take over and we'll look back on today and laugh.
What did I manage to play this week?
iOS
Alien Hive ? Free [also on Android]
A lovely little sliding puzzle game with a hint of evolution. Create combos to evolve pieces into more advanced pieces, see how far you can get. Rather engrossing.
Solitaire Blitz ? Free
A diabolical timed solitaire game that lets you compete with friends in competitions. It's the devil. Run from it. It will eat your soul.
Nitro ? Free
A colorful little racing game with real0time multiplayer and a lot of charm.
The Wizard of Oz ? Free
It's the social game from Facebook in mobile form. As long as it still has the Munchkin cam (and it does), I'm in.
Unmechanical ? $2.99
Teotl Studios and Talawa Games' wonderfully atmospheric puzzle adventure is a steal on iOS.
Fetch ? $4.99
A truly enchanting adventure game about a boy rescuing his dog from strange robotic dog-oppressors. One of the most charming games on the iPad.
Bobbing ? $.99 [also on Android]
An action-puzzler with a gravity-reversing mechanic AND a color-change mechanical, making it twice as challenging and four times as entertaining.
Mini Golf Match-Up ? Free [also on Android]
It's mini golf with friends, with brightly-colored courses and turn-based multiplayer rounds. Not a big golf fan myself, but I'm really liking this.
App Reviews for the Week of March 16-22
When I Imagine Cyberpunk-Style Hack Battles, This is What I See
Since the early days of the Cyberpunk pen-and-paper role-playing setting, I've been fascinated by the idea of highly-skilled computer hackers roaming the plains of cyberspace looking for a fight; More ?
All the Fun of Quick Time Events, Without Those Pesky Events
Everybody loves quick time events, those timed button presses utilized in today's high-tech interactive entertainment programs to help the user feel a modicum of control over grand cinematic sequences. More ?
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 29-Mar-2013
Share ] 
Y Combinator was tougher to get into than ever this season, and the quality showed on stage. 33 startups presented on the record at the incubator's Winter 2013 Demo Day today. Picking the most promising ones was no easy task. But after a team huddle and taking input from VCs and founders, TechCrunch chose seven startups that could disrupt big businesses and make the world a better place to live.
Android: Evernote updated its Android app today bringing in a new camera mode, a shortcuts menu, and support for the Evernote Smart Notebook. 
Afterdawn.comWASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Microsoft Corp did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility when it made its popular Xbox, an administrative law judge at the International Trade Commission said in a preliminary decision issued on Friday.Trade Commission Judge Rules Microsoft Did Not Violate Google PatentForbesMicrosoft didn't infringe Google patent, ITC judge saysAfterdawn.comITC Rules in Favor of Microsoft in Patent Case by MotorolaThe Next WebEngadget?-Bloomberg?-The West Australianall 39 news articles?? ? 
As I mentioned in last week's installment of the Week in Gaming Apps, I spent the better part of this week moving all of my stuff from one place to another place. I figured the rest of the team might step up Monday through Wednesday, which is why there are only app reviews for Thursday and Friday. I suppose they were all getting ready for PAX East, so they're excused.
Alien Hive ? Free [also on Android]
Solitaire Blitz ? Free
Nitro ? Free
The Wizard of Oz ? Free
Unmechanical ? $2.99
Fetch ? $4.99
Bobbing ? $.99 [also on Android]
Mini Golf Match-Up ? Free [also on Android]
