Opening statements in Zimmerman trial

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? After almost two weeks of picking a jury, prosecutors and defense attorneys will make opening statements Monday in the trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager.

Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, says he shot the 17-year-old Martin in self-defense. Prosecutors say Zimmerman racially profiled Martin as he walked through a gated community where Zimmerman lived and often patrolled. Martin was returning from a convenience store on a rainy night in February 2012, wearing a dark hooded shirt. The two eventually got into a fight and Zimmerman shot Martin.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled last week prosecutors will be able to use the word "profiled" in their opening statements, as long as their description isn't limited to racial profiling. Prosecutors will be able to describe Zimmerman as a "wannabe cop" and "vigilante" and will be able to say Zimmerman confronted Martin.

"We don't intend to say he was profiled solely because of race," prosecutor John Guy said last week.

Defense attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West will argue the case is simply self-defense, free of the racial overtones that have overshadowed it. The initial decision not to charge Zimmerman led to public outrage and demonstrations around the nation. Civil rights leaders and others accused the police in the central Florida city of Sanford of failing to thoroughly investigate the shooting because Martin was black teen from Miami. Martin was visiting his father in Sanford when he was shot.

"We're trying so hard in this case not to make it what everybody outside the courthouse wants it to be," O'Mara said.

On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman spotted Martin, whom he did not recognize, walking in the townhome community where Zimmerman and the fiancee of Martin's father lived. There had been a rash of recent break-ins and Zimmerman was wary of strangers walking through the complex.

The two eventually got into a struggle and Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest with his 9mm handgun. He was charged 44 days after the shooting, only after a special prosecutor was appointed to review the case and after protests.

Two police dispatch phone calls will be important evidence for both sides' cases.

The first is a call Zimmerman made to a nonemergency police dispatcher as he followed Martin walking through his gated community. At one point, the dispatcher tells Zimmerman he doesn't need to be following Martin.

The second 911 call captures screams from the confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin. Martin's parents said the screams are from their son while Zimmerman's father contends they belong to his son.

Nelson ruled last weekend that audio experts for the prosecution won't be able to testify that the screams belong to Martin, saying the methods the experts used were unreliable.

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Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KHightower

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/opening-statements-zimmerman-trial-081311389.html

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All The World's Plant Life, Visualized

This picture might look like an incomplete map of the world, but it is in fact the highest resolution view ever of all the world's plant life, mapped out by NASA's Suomi NPP satellite.

Using its Visible and Infrared Imaging and Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the satellite's capable of measuring the amount of visible and near-infrared light reflected from the surface of the planet. Because vegetation absorbs visible light to drive photosynthesis but reflects near-infrared light, it's possible to map where vegetation lies by looking at the ratio of the two.

Each pixel on the satellite image corresponds to 500 meters, which means that the satellite ended up acquiring 330MB of data every minute for a whole week to create the map. It's not just for beauty's sake, though; comparing data like this week-on-week or year-on-year helps scientists predict all kinds of things, from drought and wildfire, to outbreaks of malaria. [New Scientist]

Image by NOAA

Source: http://gizmodo.com/all-the-worlds-plant-life-visualized-554518111

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Jon Stewart appears on Egypt's 'Daily Show'

9 hours ago

CAIRO - Jon Stewart took his politically engaged American satire to Cairo on Friday, appearing on a show hosted by the man known as "Egypt's Jon Stewart," who has faced investigation for insulting the president and Islam.

Among barbs aimed at Egypt's ruling Islamists and others, Stewart praised host Bassem Youssef for taking risks to poke fun. "If your regime is not strong enough to handle a joke," he said, "then you don't have a regime."

Youssef is a cardiologist whose online comedy clips inspired by Stewart's "Daily Show" won him wild popularity and a prime-time TV show after the 2011 revolution that ended military rule. He paid tribute to his guest as a personal inspiration as the pair traded gags over Stewart's impressions of a visit to Cairo.

Stewart in turn played down any difficulties his wit created for him in the United States, telling Youssef: "I tell you this, it doesn't get me into the kind of trouble it gets you into. I get in trouble, but nowhere near what happens to you."

With Egypt still in ferment and elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi facing off against liberals who fear he plans to smother personal freedoms, Youssef was released on bail after being questioned in March over alleged insults to Mursi and the channel he appears on was threatened with losing its licence.

Criticising such moves, which have also drawn reproaches for Egypt from the U.S. government, Stewart said: "A joke has never shot tear gas at a group of people in a park. It's just talk.

"What Bassem is doing ... is showing that satire can still be relevant, that it can carve out space in a country for people to express themselves. Because that's all democracy is."

He took aim at Mursi's controversial decision this week to name a member of a hardline Islamist movement blamed for a massacre of tourists at Luxor in the 1990s as governor of that city. Having been brought into the studio hooded and presented as a "spy," he spoke a few words in Arabic before saying Egypt's president had honoured him: "I am now the mayor of Luxor."

Stewart also appeared to take a gentle dig at the opposition, who hope demonstrations planned for June 30 can force Mursi from power after just a year in office. It took Americans 100 years before a president was impeached for the first time, Stewart said: "For you guys to do it in one year, it's very impressive."

Perhaps the biggest laugh in the studio, though, was for a simple crack at Egypt's perennial traffic chaos: "I know this is an ancient civilisation," he said. "Have you thought about traffic lights?"

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/cairo-egypts-jon-stewart-hosts-daily-shows-jon-stewart-6C10418946

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Sun emits a solstice CME

June 22, 2013 ? On June 20, 2013, at 11:24 p.m., the sun erupted with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection or CME, a solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of particles into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. These particles cannot travel through the atmosphere to harm humans on Earth, but they can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground.

Experimental NASA research models, based on observations from NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and ESA/NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory show that the CME left the sun at speeds of around 1350 miles per second, which is a fast speed for CMEs.

Earth-directed CMEs can cause a space weather phenomenon called a geomagnetic storm, which occurs when they funnel energy into Earth's magnetic envelope, the magnetosphere, for an extended period of time. The CME's magnetic fields peel back the outermost layers of Earth's fields changing their very shape. Magnetic storms can degrade communication signals and cause unexpected electrical surges in power grids. They also can cause aurora. Storms are rare during solar minimum, but as the sun's activity ramps up every 11 years toward solar maximum -- currently expected in late 2013 -- large storms occur several times per year.

In the past, geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of this strength and direction have usually been mild.

In addition, the CME may pass by additional spacecraft: Messenger, STEREO B, Spitzer, and their mission operators have been notified. If warranted, operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from the solar material.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/IpwnFNziCYY/130622154606.htm

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Gunmen kill 11 foreign climbers in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Police say gunmen have killed 11 foreigners who were climbing one of the highest mountains in the world in northern Pakistan.

Local police chief Barkat Ali says the climbers from Russia, China and the Ukraine were killed before dawn Sunday as they set off to climb Nanga Parbat in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest mountain in the world and is notoriously difficult to climb.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-23-AS-Pakistan/id-a9fa40a453fa4cad8da2a83a3e2ec5ef

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5 Exercise Excuses And How To Beat Them! | Lucille Roberts Health ...

It?s a new day and you start out with all intentions of hitting the gym and getting in your daily exercise. But somewhere along the way thoughts like, ?I?m too busy? or ?I don?t have the energy? stop you from working out. Sound familiar?

Put and end to your exercise excuses with these helpful tips and tricks!

1. ?I don?t have the time?

Most people who use this excuse make time for things like vegging out in front of the TV, or constantly scrolling through their Instagram feed. The truth is, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends that the average adult get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week ? that?s only ?about 30 minutes daily!

We would suggest getting in a full 30 minutes of working out every day, but if you really are pressed for time here are some tips.

• Break up the time into 10 minute exercise segments throughout the course of the day
• Do squats, lunges, pushups etc. during the commercial breaks of your favorite show.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Take a brisk walk during your lunch break at work.

2. ?I?m too tired?

Okay, this might sound a little crazy but, exercising actually makes you feel energized! When you exercise your body releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins and your circulation increases making you feel more awake.

I know after a long day of work, the last thing you want to do is hit the gym. In this case, exercising in the morning might be the best option for you. If you still struggle to get up and get moving, use a trick that?s worked for me many times before. Tell yourself, ?I?m going to exercise for just 15 minutes?. More often than not, after that first 15 minutes are over I?m in the workout-zone and ready to do a complete workout!

3. ?It?s boring?

The key to exercising and building a workout routine that you can stick to is doing things that you truly enjoy. If you don?t like to dance, then taking a Zumba class probably isn?t the best exercise option for you.

Tailor your workouts to suit your needs and wants. Whether it be running, playing a sport, taking group classes, or at-home workout DVD?s, try out different forms of exercise to find what you love to do ? while also breaking a sweat!

4. ?I don?t know what to do at the gym?

If you?re a newbie at the gym, it can be an intimidating place. Always remember that at some point or another your fellow gym-goers were new to this as well! If you?re unsure of what to do at the gym, enlist in the help of a fit friend. She?ll be able to help you get started and motivate you to workout.

If you?re taking a group fitness class, arrive early or stay later to speak with the instructor about any questions you may have. Their job is to help you get in tip-top shape, so don?t be shy about approaching them!

Having a personal trainer is another great way to learn the ropes of the gym. A trainer will teach you all the basic exercise moves, show you how to use equipment, etc. Perfect for someone that likes one-on-one demonstrations and training!

5. ?My kids get in the way of my exercise routine?

Having children is certainly a blessing, but trying to fit in a workout around not only your schedule but theirs as well can be a challenge. When possible, try to exercise before your kids wake up or after they?ve gone to bed. It may sound like a pain, but many parents admit that it is the only time that they are able to squeeze in an uninterrupted workout session.

Another option is to exercise with your kids! Whether it?s helping them practice for a sport or playing a game of tag ? get moving together. Exercising with your children is a great bonding experience that will also teach them the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle.

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Source: http://www.lucilleroberts.com/blog/http%3A/www.lucilleroberts.com/blog/5-exercise-excuses-and-how-to-beat-them/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-exercise-excuses-and-how-to-beat-them

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Taylor Swift T-Shirt Pulled By Abercrombie & Fitch Amid Fan Outcry

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/taylor-swift-t-shirt-pulled-by-abercrombie-and-fitch-amid-fan-ou/

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