News for today's 2018

SYRIAN CONFLICT AND CYPRUS’S STRATEGIC ROLE IN TIMES OF TENSIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

1:21 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRSoo9FEv8wnWp3FQdkYTZgPybXJAQKy3RrRgdr6QJTxmOoQ20f8Tx-hdwNLvZC9DRahyphenhyphen6K3VeeZ3SVylpCzavqfJjPcM07m105tBB3p95d3NBTioujhSXi090OdGOSQtdjdmoG_5gfa5/s1600/5-6-2013-9-21-44-AM-2375695.gif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRSoo9FEv8wnWp3FQdkYTZgPybXJAQKy3RrRgdr6QJTxmOoQ20f8Tx-hdwNLvZC9DRahyphenhyphen6K3VeeZ3SVylpCzavqfJjPcM07m105tBB3p95d3NBTioujhSXi090OdGOSQtdjdmoG_5gfa5/s400/5-6-2013-9-21-44-AM-2375695.gif.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CYPRUS: NATURAL “AIRCRAFT CARRIER” IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Just as was the case during the two GULF wars, the civil, 1982 and 2006 wars in LEBANON and last but not least, LIBYA , CYPRUS has always played a key role as a forward logistic and operational base for NATO (RAF base Akrotiri WSBA) and US forces to launch their reconnaissance, tactical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>logistic operations from the island. But not only has the military utilized CYPRUS as a forward base during periods of conflicts in the MIDDLE EAST, but also the international press core usually operates out of CYPRUS. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">During the civil, 1982 and 2006 war in LEBANON and the two GULF wars, CYPRUS was host to all major International News Networks and media outlets. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The BRITISH maintain two Sovereign base areas on CYPRUS, one being the WSBA (Western Sovereign Base Area) which accommodates the RAF- NATO airbase Akrotiri and BRITISH Forces CYPRUS Headquarters in Episkopi. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCj72pfmP7qdTDIcffOuMunF3OGtZyO7HBXDKccVJkxI3SBcYJG0-HcbhgC7g6z3K89OWFZ5PWqsgcziSeF2-MxiOmnsAtYQFD_m3Gni8L_igkljHUVJXhIZSTQ54hzxbBkS8T-TeJ4ndT/s1600/325px-cyprus_sbasinred-300x153.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCj72pfmP7qdTDIcffOuMunF3OGtZyO7HBXDKccVJkxI3SBcYJG0-HcbhgC7g6z3K89OWFZ5PWqsgcziSeF2-MxiOmnsAtYQFD_m3Gni8L_igkljHUVJXhIZSTQ54hzxbBkS8T-TeJ4ndT/s400/325px-cyprus_sbasinred-300x153.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Two British Sovereign B</b>ase<b> Areas in Cyprus</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">BRITISH SIGNALS OUTPOST </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The second being the ESBA (Easter Sovereign Base Area) in the East of CYPRUS with Dekehlia being the ESBA Garrison HQ for a logistic Battalion, a BRITISH Army Air Corps Unit as well as the</span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Royal Signals Regiment located further east in Ayios Nikolaos, which houses top of the art radio, satellite and cyber communication listening and observation devices which are able to monitor SYRIA, LEBANON and even penetrated as far as IRAQ, JORDAN and KUWAIT. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0vczsnZfsJ1TayvcFbZQvxpGskWw4byJo96zHNBAbdWVAxeDDUj5IOmbrJokPkTPDtPzndeXrXhyL6h-xyPjpFCxOqJusiR3BbVwjFUi69_OEvyq5rMg1D9y7QhqrvClYfJPA523SMMD/s1600/220px-Dhekelia-CIA_WFB_Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0vczsnZfsJ1TayvcFbZQvxpGskWw4byJo96zHNBAbdWVAxeDDUj5IOmbrJokPkTPDtPzndeXrXhyL6h-xyPjpFCxOqJusiR3BbVwjFUi69_OEvyq5rMg1D9y7QhqrvClYfJPA523SMMD/s320/220px-Dhekelia-CIA_WFB_Map.png" width="298" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ESBA Cyprus</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">BRITAIN also operates a high tech Radar station on top of Mount Olympus, (</span></i><span class="st"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1,952 m)</span></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> the highest peak of the Trodos mountain range in CYPRUS. Last but not least the tiny island of CYPRUS houses 8 airports, two of which are defacto NATO airbases, RAF Akrotiri in the South and Gonyeli AB in TURKISH occupied north of the Island, showcasing the strategic significance of the Eastern Mediterranean Island.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The entire list of airports  in CYPRUS are:</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Larnaka International Airport</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ercan International Airport located in TURKISH occupied northern Cyprus</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Paphos International Airport and GREEK and National Guard Air force base, recently also used by the IDF</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Akrotiri WSBA (Western Sovereign Base Area) Royal Air force and NATO Air Base</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Kingsfield ESBA BRITISH Military (BRITISH ARMY AIR CORPS Base)</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lakatamia Nicosia National Guard Air Base</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Gonyeli TURKISH Air Force Air Base in Northern Nicosia</span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Nicosia International airport abandoned in UN Buffer Zone but can be reactivated</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4r_oARs13Fx27_djK3K0PU-Kj2MrCIfdIX_AzsdqmumUxJTphxPTu7JCxFH6078CdkwR9tVhrPD8ubfHgiIVU-5tiqpu1K2xbbaaWUUGdhJTZQsDHK6PBDpuXbHapBSGRBdWtjG1ci1D/s1600/250px-Map_of_Akrotiri-en.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4r_oARs13Fx27_djK3K0PU-Kj2MrCIfdIX_AzsdqmumUxJTphxPTu7JCxFH6078CdkwR9tVhrPD8ubfHgiIVU-5tiqpu1K2xbbaaWUUGdhJTZQsDHK6PBDpuXbHapBSGRBdWtjG1ci1D/s320/250px-Map_of_Akrotiri-en.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WSBA Cyprus with RAF AB Akrotiri</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Read comlete article: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">CYPRUS AT ODDS WITH BRITAIN OVER SOVEREIGN BASE AREAS AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPACT FOR THE REGION. At:</span></b></span><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><a href="http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.co.at/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html">http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.co.at/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html</a></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizHI5mQpR5r7OcMcTYnddT86XnqmKmQ3aiauR8hXRnquecnGD1gjbCGgQf4FiAfr_OdWfdpKCmYWnqtobjb9viaR2ITf413DWIlg-m117CRumPFHbBnwuSkcyLyo2OsrA-IagRGgyUgAl/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizHI5mQpR5r7OcMcTYnddT86XnqmKmQ3aiauR8hXRnquecnGD1gjbCGgQf4FiAfr_OdWfdpKCmYWnqtobjb9viaR2ITf413DWIlg-m117CRumPFHbBnwuSkcyLyo2OsrA-IagRGgyUgAl/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Signals Regiment communication outpost in <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Ayios Nikolaos</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BRITISH GCHQ’S CYPRUS LISTENING POST TO PLAY KEY INTELLIGENCE ROLE AHEAD OF ANY US –LED SYRIA INTERVENTION  </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/GCHQ-s-Cyprus-base-play-key-intelligence-role/story-19736937-detail/story.html" target="_blank"><b>Source: GCHUK</b></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">GCHQ facilities in CYPRUS are expected to play a key role in collecting intelligence which will inform any military strike against SYRIA despite Parliament last week voting against the UK joining in with any potential attack.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Cheltenham-based listening post has a presence on the island which is used to intercept messages from across the Middle East.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1jffwEzf_3Fj6JCPdDceqUK_-d_sgn6GVPPGYPZ7CE-6kFkRjmdqlPLeu3ry65lJCs8iN-ECU4ITvMWmf5nLv8a7Q4x1fmcXTooadW8QSg3EU9toSgzB5iAdzN9E1yz1ZoSPw7ibjjwN/s1600/2945929159_f640981dc5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1jffwEzf_3Fj6JCPdDceqUK_-d_sgn6GVPPGYPZ7CE-6kFkRjmdqlPLeu3ry65lJCs8iN-ECU4ITvMWmf5nLv8a7Q4x1fmcXTooadW8QSg3EU9toSgzB5iAdzN9E1yz1ZoSPw7ibjjwN/s320/2945929159_f640981dc5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UK radar facility on Mount Olympus, Cyprus</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The information gathered by the island facility, which is just 100 miles off the coast of SYRIA, is likely to be handed over to the US military ahead of any missile strike against President Bashar al-Assad.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whitehall sources have said that the MP vote last week only covered direct military intervention and did not cover sharing intelligence which will continue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The US government contributes to the island post’s costs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The news comes as Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrat MP, Martin Horwood, writes in his Echo column he “regrets” the way the Parliament vote went.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Parliament was drawn into party political divisions over a grave issue and allowed the spectres of Tony Blair and IRAQ to paralyse its response to a monstrous atrocity,” he writes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He goes on to state that “dictators worldwide will feel slightly freer to get away with murder” as a result of the vote.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mr Horwood also hits out at Ed Milliband writing that “the chance to damage the coalition mattered more” to the leader of the Labour Party than the issue at stake.</span></div>

SYRIAN CONFLICT AND CYPRUS’S STRATEGIC ROLE IN TIMES OF TENSIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

CYPRUS: NATURAL “AIRCRAFT CARRIER” IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA Just as was the case during the two GULF wars, the civil, 1982 and 2006...

Android 4.4 KitKat: Latest Version’s Name Declared

1:10 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now Kitkat is not just name of Chocolate but now it is name of latest version of Android. Android’s next version Android 4.4 will known as Android 4.4 KitKat. A Surprising move from Google. One billion devices are already running on Androids version and it was 900 million in earlier in this year. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJPzyfXNx_M/UibpLnayohI/AAAAAAAAASk/V_xv8GlTPN8/s1600/599x400xAndroid-KitKat-599x400_jpg_pagespeed_ic_4x9ZC_bWCx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJPzyfXNx_M/UibpLnayohI/AAAAAAAAASk/V_xv8GlTPN8/s1600/599x400xAndroid-KitKat-599x400_jpg_pagespeed_ic_4x9ZC_bWCx.jpg" title="android 4.4 kitkat" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h3><span style="font-family: inherit;">Previous versions of Android OS:</span></h3></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 1.5: Cupcake</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 1.6: Donut</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 2.0, 2.1: Eclair</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 2.2: Froyo</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 2.3: Gingerbread</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 3.0: Honeycomb</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 4.1, 4.2, 4.3: <a href="http://pc-gadgetworld.blogspot.in/2013/08/improve-security-of-smartphone-with-new.html" target="_blank">Jelly Bean</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Android 4.4: KitKat</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK-0mD7E3Sg/UibpS-KU-KI/AAAAAAAAASs/XfPDzauppwA/s1600/605x406xandroid-kitkat_png_pagespeed_ic_hQdE9W_hE8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK-0mD7E3Sg/UibpS-KU-KI/AAAAAAAAASs/XfPDzauppwA/s1600/605x406xandroid-kitkat_png_pagespeed_ic_hQdE9W_hE8.jpg" title="Android 4.4 kitkat" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Google's SVP Sundar Pichai wrote on his Google+ “All this Android innovation is driving tremendous ecosystem momentum and I’m excited to share that together we’ve now passed 1 Billion Android device activations. Huge thanks to the entire Android community from the hardware manufacturers, chip makers and carriers to the developers and content creators to all of you – our Android users around the world – for making this possible,”.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Google has done a deal with Nestle for use of name ‘KitKat’ and deal is not over here Nestle plans to distribute 50 million chocolate bars labled the new Android mascot in 19 markets counting India ,UK, US, Brazil, Japan and Russia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Image source: engadget.com</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/100638775997274345522" rel="author">Anil Swami</a></div></div>

android 4.4 KitKat chocolate google+ Android 4.4 KitKat: Latest Version’s Name Declared

Now Kitkat is not just name of Chocolate but now it is name of latest version of Android. Android’s next version Android 4.4 will known as A...

Nokia Sells Handset Business to Microsoft for $ 5 Billions!

12:36 AM Tukiyooo 0

Microsoft nokia deal Nokia Nokia Sells Handset Business to Microsoft for $ 5 Billions!

Nokia has finally siphoned off its handset business to Microsoft for $5 Billions. In a $ 7.2 bn deal Microsoft gets Nokia's handset busi...

The Laguna Pirate Speaks For Me

12:24 AM Tukiyooo 0

Go read See Sea's latest post.<br />I can only say that I agree completely with what he says about the Supreme Court and the Supreme Law of the land.<br /><br />Here is just a taste.<br /><br /><blockquote>We have “laws” today in endless volume which violate the Supreme Law of the Land, the United States Constitution. In particular, most of these “laws” violate the Bill of Rights extensively. Now, seeing as how the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are the Supreme Law of the Land, that would make these lesser “laws” unconstitutional, immoral, and therefore illegal.<br /></blockquote><br /><br /><a href="https://lagunamadrepirate.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/black-robes-and-booby-traps/">Black Robes And Booby Traps.</a><br /><br /><br /> I hoisted the colors a long time ago.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXmwQJlwt4hpr9urVgf0RNDabanRX8xZSUjc3kq_-pQUhalIr7bKv-6Cj1w0FaQn3JYeAOAPxsW0i8Y_0cL4TkE9G2xjtFh_xCU0-kiNwEzzOHbglPeWAjLfMrlN3iUigYozJC0mmQueC/s1600/0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXmwQJlwt4hpr9urVgf0RNDabanRX8xZSUjc3kq_-pQUhalIr7bKv-6Cj1w0FaQn3JYeAOAPxsW0i8Y_0cL4TkE9G2xjtFh_xCU0-kiNwEzzOHbglPeWAjLfMrlN3iUigYozJC0mmQueC/s640/0001.jpg" /></a>

The Laguna Pirate Speaks For Me

Go read See Sea's latest post. I can only say that I agree completely with what he says about the Supreme Court and the Supreme Law of t...

CSR LAUNCHED KEYBOARD WITH TAG OF “WORLD’S SLIMMEST KEYBOARD”

11:14 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The slimmest keyboard launched by CSR, a leading company in wireless technology. The thickness of keyboard is only 0.5 mm and device has ability to turn any area in to touch surface.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>                                              <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--KbR1IQK5Dw/UibLfxIrPYI/AAAAAAAAASA/Uw4wHzuIAtI/s1600/cbb0f0f9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--KbR1IQK5Dw/UibLfxIrPYI/AAAAAAAAASA/Uw4wHzuIAtI/s1600/cbb0f0f9.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The keyboard has available the facility Bluetooth 4.0, Inkjet Technology and incorporates a printed circuitry. The keyboard is based on wireless technology and connect with your PC with using CSR 1010 chip.  The paper thin surface can also connect with your iPhone, smartphones and tablets. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTV-oKCNPYY/UibNuhGQqgI/AAAAAAAAASM/BzjOc-Lw-3k/s1600/nfmwm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTV-oKCNPYY/UibNuhGQqgI/AAAAAAAAASM/BzjOc-Lw-3k/s1600/nfmwm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Microsoft’s lightweight touch cover is 3.55 mm which is 6.5 times thicker than CSR’s keyboard. Company said the keyboard can be used underneath a piece of paper, with a stylus-type pen to be familiar with handwriting.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Na95C_b-0cY/UibN-SB_xBI/AAAAAAAAASU/mAg-ihPTWX4/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Na95C_b-0cY/UibN-SB_xBI/AAAAAAAAASU/mAg-ihPTWX4/s1600/th.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Paul Williamson Director CSR products “This is a working prototype and a glimpse forward rather than something people will be buying this year. We might see lots of shapes and sizes, some as small as iPad Mini or a larger, more rigid form for a desktop PC, which could be curved, in any color way, transparent or fitted with a leather folio."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CSR hasn't provided any information on battery life and charging mode of battery. The keyboard will take time of one year to make entry in market. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Image source: geek.com<br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/100638775997274345522" rel="author">Anil Swami</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/100638775997274345522" rel="author"><br /></a></div></div>

Bluetooth 4.0 size touch surface CSR LAUNCHED KEYBOARD WITH TAG OF “WORLD’S SLIMMEST KEYBOARD”

The slimmest keyboard launched by CSR, a leading company in wireless technology. The thickness of keyboard is only 0.5 mm and device has abi...

Kate Upton named model of the year, covers Vanity Fair

9:43 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">From: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/">http://www.latimes.com</a><br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vDiUArW5JnY?feature=player_profilepage" width="640"></iframe> <br /><div class="byline" style="color: #292727; float: left; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"><span class="byline" itemprop="author" style="display: block;">By Nardine Saad</span><br /><div class="date" style="color: #930000; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="dateString" style="display: inline;">September 3, 2013</span><span class="dateTimeSeparator" style="border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; color: white; display: inline; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: -1px; margin-left: 6px;">, </span><span class="timeString" style="display: inline; text-transform: lowercase;">2:09 p.m.</span></div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><span class="toolSet" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-right: -50px; margin-top: 6px; width: 345px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br /><div id="story-body-text" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.43; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Kate <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/us/new-york/suffolk-county-%28new-york%29/brookhaven-%28suffolk-new-york%29/upton-PLGEO100100501258891.topic" id="PLGEO100100501258891" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Upton">Upton</a> has been named model of the year and will pick up her pretty prize Wednesday at the 10th annual Style Awards that kick off New York's Mercedes-Benz Fashion week.</div><div class="p402_premium" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Reality-star-turned-fashion designer <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/human-interest/nicole-richie-PECLB001720.topic" id="PECLB001720" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Nicole Richie">Nicole Richie</a> will host the event, which also honors designer<a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/services-shopping/clothing-accessories-shoes/zac-posen-PRDCAS0000692.topic" id="PRDCAS0000692" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Zac Posen">Zac Posen</a>, celeb stylist and designer <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/rachel-zoe-PECLB0000009419.topic" id="PECLB0000009419" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Rachel Zoe">Rachel Zoe</a>, and New York Giants wide receiver (also turned designer) Victor Cruz. The awards will air on CNN on Sept. 14, <a href="http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2013/09/as-if-we-couldnt-get-enough-ka.html" style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">according to</a> Glamour.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Upton, the curvaceous, self-promoting honoree, got her start in Florida at age 12, but really catalyzed her career by landing the highly coveted <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/sports-illustrated-01026001767.topic" id="01026001767" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Sports Illustrated">Sports Illustrated</a> Swimsuit cover spot (twice), having her Dougie YouTube video go viral and embracing the millennial age by becoming an Internet personality.</div><div class="articlerail" style="clear: both; float: left; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 234px; z-index: 4;"><div id="story-leftrail-ad" style="clear: both; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 234px;"><a href="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=C7Hl-vbgmUqb_KeiekwLeooDwBbC6le8DAAAQASAAUO3tn1tgyb7shsijkBmCARdjYS1wdWItOTU0Nzg4MjA5MTI3MDY4MMgBAuACAKgDAaoE2wFP0FZLl0674ICFIdSAxfX4M0g3nieEVP0JnBXQcDWyAByMngY2ni41-WJONE4FWsRQcRQtOXyIVUKK_mm_qQYizEBukzdeKpP5GFzcAReTSVuclOq2foCqJQGae-zLnytfvS_u8E9SDjqeJVGv7Xqz8vOV9LwWqOSeMccXYY32X-ytPCOmEJkgqAsFAbJUoOMIThdY_xxtgQC8WFBQuiTc1L1wvmhRhuz7mXf3A7ZlNDgAOisum8fYt3fvD0FVEDWcMt2_u5wegZWkXlQki46GKKe_AQYNE5oK3jvgBAGgBhQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_2d5z0Gda5GjxNvvgYoE_AfsHC55A&client=ca-pub-9547882091270680&adurl=http://www.carsbranddriver.com" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="60" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/simgad/7271556988434810666" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; margin-right: 5px; padding-right: 8px;" width="234" /></a></div><div class="articleRelates module" style="border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 10px 10px 0px;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-vogue-curves-20130510,0,6324790.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target=""><img alt="Kate Upton lands Vogue cover, talks famous curves" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-518d421b/turbine/la-et-mg-kate-upton-vogue-curves-20130510/187/187x105" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px; padding-right: 8px;" title="Kate Upton lands Vogue cover, talks famous curves" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-vogue-curves-20130510,0,6324790.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target="">Kate Upton lands Vogue cover, talks famous curves</a></li><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; 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padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-gisele-bundchen-highest-paid-model-miranda-kerr-adriana-lima-20130821,0,39303.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target=""><img alt="Top-earning models: Gisele Bundchen, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima " height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-521554da/turbine/la-et-mg-gisele-bundchen-highest-paid-model-miranda-kerr-adriana-lima-20130821/187/187x105" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px; padding-right: 8px;" title="Top-earning models: Gisele Bundchen, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima " width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-gisele-bundchen-highest-paid-model-miranda-kerr-adriana-lima-20130821,0,39303.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target="">Top-earning models: Gisele Bundchen, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima</a></li><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-elle-20130808,0,382962.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target=""><img alt="Kate Upton: I'm not a toy, not a child, not a bachelor present" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-52041878/turbine/la-et-mg-kate-upton-elle-20130808-thumbnail/187/187x105" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px; padding-right: 8px;" title="Kate Upton: I'm not a toy, not a child, not a bachelor present" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-elle-20130808,0,382962.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target="">Kate Upton: I'm not a toy, not a child, not a bachelor present</a></li><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-furious-victorias-secret-catalog-photos-20130529,0,4954194.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target=""><img alt="Kate Upton furious Victoria's Secret used her photos for catalog" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-51a64307/turbine/la-et-mg-kate-upton-furious-victorias-secret-catalog-photos-20130529-thumbnail/187/187x105" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px; padding-right: 8px;" title="Kate Upton furious Victoria's Secret used her photos for catalog" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-furious-victorias-secret-catalog-photos-20130529,0,4954194.story" style="clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; display: block; text-decoration: none; width: 212px;" target="">Kate Upton furious Victoria's Secret used her photos for catalog</a></li></ul></div></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #2262cc; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="line-height: 1.43;"><br />"It's just me sharing my life," she </span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-vogue-curves-20130510,0,6324790.story" style="color: #2262cc; line-height: 1.43; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">explained to</a><span style="line-height: 1.43;"> Vogue about tweeting. "I like it if it's authentic and in the moment and happening.... I didn't buy the magazines [growing up] that had models on the covers, because I didn't know them. So I think this kind of gives me, as a model, a personality that people can connect with."</span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-pictures-photos,0,1563003.photogallery" style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">PHOTOS: Kate Upton: Cover girl to glamour girl</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">But the 21-year-old has been turning heads in the high-fashion realm too, since she's graced the cover of American Vogue and international versions of the sartorial codex, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-upton-elle-20130808,0,382962.story" style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Elle</a>and now Vanity Fair's 100th anniversary issue, on which she's seen carrying the magazine's celebratory cake.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">"I'm not going to name names, but one agency told me, 'You're too American, and everybody knows American women are <em>lazy</em>,'" she said in Vanity Fair. "I was so offended! I've never been so offended! I was like, 'You know that you're in America, right?' And it wasn't 'American<em>models</em>' — it was 'American <em>women </em>are lazy,' period! I feel like a lot of women would disagree with that. A lot!"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/sns-50-most-beautiful-celebs-pictures,0,7225497.photogallery" style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700;">PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The girl with a signature mole has also become the face of jeweler David Yurman and already has her sights set on Hollywood: She'll star alongside <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/movies/cameron-diaz-PECLB001398.topic" id="PECLB001398" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Cameron Diaz">Cameron Diaz</a>, <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/leslie-mann-PECLB003110.topic" id="PECLB003110" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Leslie Mann">Leslie Mann</a>and <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/music/nicki-minaj-PECLB00000014093.topic" id="PECLB00000014093" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" title="Nicki Minaj">Nicki Minaj</a> in "The Other Woman," to be released in 2014.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">In Vanity Fair, Upton is photographed by Annie Leibovitz and is styled in the epitome of old Hollywood glamor, complete with pinup-girl locks and a vintage bathing suit. She even <a href="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000404054920/5a2c5e9cec6a9c5b2520cc161f2f1641.jpeg" style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">made the cover her Twitter avatar</a> for her more than 1 million followers to see.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Inside the special issue, she mimics the magazine's original cover from Oct. 1, 1913, that showed an illustration of a woman lounging on the moon.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The October issue of Vanity Fair hits New York and L.A. newsstands on Sept. 5, and its e-version will be available Sept. 10.<br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rVvHmDjv2LA" width="640"></iframe></div>

hot Kate Upton Model Sexy Kate Upton named model of the year, covers Vanity Fair

From: http://www.latimes.com By Nardine Saad September 3, 2013 , 2:09 p.m. Kate Upton has been named model of the year and will pick up...

Synagogue Taking Rosh Hashanah Service To Elizabeth Park

9:35 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h2 style="color: #757575; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 16px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 5px;">Outdoor Service Inspired By Annual Baltimore 'Under The Stars' Event</h2><div><div class="byline" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="byline bordered" style="display: block; font-weight: bold;">By BERNARD T. DAVIDOW,<a href="mailto:bdavidow@courant.com" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">bdavidow@courant.com</a></span><span class="titleline" style="display: block; font-weight: bold;">The Hartford Courant</span><br /><div class="date" style="color: #757575; font-family: 'Helevetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 2px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span class="timeString" style="display: inline;">5:01 p.m. EDT</span><span class="dateTimeSeparator" style="display: inline;">, </span><span class="dateString" style="display: inline;">September 3, 2013</span></div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><span class="toolSet" style="background-color: white; color: #292727; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: -50px; width: 345px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292727; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br /><div id="story-body-text" style="background-color: white; color: #292727; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Congregation Beth Israel, a reform synagogue in <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.courant.com/topic/us/connecticut/hartford-county/west-hartford-PLGEO100100202260000.topic" id="PLGEO100100202260000" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" title="West Hartford">West Hartford</a>, is breaking with tradition this year by beginning its celebration of <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.courant.com/topic/religion-belief/judaism/rosh-hashanah-EVFES00001574163.topic" id="EVFES00001574163" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" title="Rosh Hashanah">Rosh Hashanah</a> with an unusual outdoor service Wednesday at 6 p.m. by the Rose Garden in Elizabeth Park.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, begins at sundown Wednesday.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">"The goal is just to make it open to the public," said Senior Rabbi Michael Pincus. "We've reached out to individuals who live in this area who don't belong to a synagogue. … It's for anyone in our community."</div><div class="articlerail" style="clear: both; float: right; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 10px 30px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px; z-index: 4;"><div class="articleRelates module" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="relatedTitle" style="border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; clear: both; color: #757575; float: none; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.3; list-style: none outside none; margin: 5px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">Related</li><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; color: #757575; list-style: none outside none; margin: 5px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-high-holy-days-0901-20130829,0,3253721.story" style="clear: both; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'Helevetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 200px;" target=""><img alt="Rabbi, Minister Forge Unusual Accord For Jewish High Holy Days" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-5220e500/turbine/hc-high-holy-days-0901-20130829/187/187x105" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px;" title="Rabbi, Minister Forge Unusual Accord For Jewish High Holy Days" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-high-holy-days-0901-20130829,0,3253721.story" style="clear: both; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'Helevetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 200px;" target=""><span style="font-size: 16px !important; text-transform: uppercase;"></span>Rabbi, Minister Forge Unusual Accord For Jewish High Holy Days</a></li><li class="newRelatedItem" style="clear: both; color: #757575; list-style: none outside none; margin: 5px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.courant.com/features/la-fo-rosh-hashanah-pictures,0,7217467.photogallery" style="clear: both; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'Helevetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 200px;" target=""><img alt="Rosh Hashana: Recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen" height="105" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2010-08/49174709-30201701.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 5px;" title="Rosh Hashana: Recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.courant.com/features/la-fo-rosh-hashanah-pictures,0,7217467.photogallery" style="clear: both; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'Helevetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 200px;" target=""><span style="font-size: 16px !important; text-transform: uppercase;"></span>Rosh Hashana: Recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen</a></li></ul></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The congregation hung a banner in West Hartford Center to promote the service.</div><div class="left" id="article-promo" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><hr class="hr-promo" /><br /><br /><hr class="hr-promo" /></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">"Rosh Hashanah is about celebrating the world," said Pincus, in his third year as senior rabbi. "There's something very powerful about being able to celebrate the world outdoors, in such a beautiful place as Elizabeth Park."</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">Pincus said he was inspired by a colleague, Elissa Sachs-Kohen, who began an annual outdoor Rosh Hashanah service in Baltimore a half-dozen years ago. Sachs-Kohen used to be an assistant rabbi at Beth Israel. The Baltimore service, called "Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars," now draws thousands of people, Pincus said.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">He has more modest expectations for Elizabeth Park: "If I get 100 people, I'd be happy."</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The hour-long service will include guitars and drums. "We're tying to make it a little more modern," Pincus said. "And we'll be blowing the shofar [ram's horn] at the service, which is not customary for the eve of Rosh Hashanah." But he didn't want people who go to this Rosh Hashanah service, and no other, to miss out on this ceremonial call announcing the new year.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The service Wednesday will be casual, Pincus said, and people attending should bring their own chairs and blankets. The forecast is for ideal weather, but in the unlikely event of rain, the service would be moved to the social hall at the synagogue at 701 Farmington Ave. in West Hartford.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">The temple will have a second Wednesday evening service, at 7:30 p.m., at the synagogue, and additional services Thursday.</div></div>From: <a href="http://www.courant.com/">http://www.courant.com</a></div><div><br /></div></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Rosh Hashanah Synagogue Taking Rosh Hashanah Service To Elizabeth Park

Outdoor Service Inspired By Annual Baltimore 'Under The Stars' Event By BERNARD T. DAVIDOW, bdavidow@courant.com The Hartford Couran...

Can the Nokia deal save Microsoft?

9:32 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">From <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/">http://www.cbsnews.com</a><br /><br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YGXYJCQOGaQ?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(CBS News) LOS ANGELES -- One day after Verizon and Vodafone announced their break-up,<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162-57601028/microsoft-buying-nokias-devices-services-unit-for-$7.2b/" style="border: 0px; color: #931f1f; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Microsoft said it's buying Nokia's line of mobile phones</a> in a deal worth more than $7 billion.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There are now more than 1 billion smartphones in the world, but just a fraction of them are made by Microsoft and Nokia -- once the world's largest cell phone maker.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-CBSNEWS_GRANDE float-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 10px 8px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 244px;"><img alt="Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer describes his hopes for his company's acquisition of Nokia's phone business at a press conference in Espoo, Finland." class="cnet-image" height="183" src="http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/03/20130903_Steve_Ballmer_Msft_CEO_244x183.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="244" /><br /><div class="image-caption" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 2px 0px 1px; vertical-align: baseline;">Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer describes his hopes for his company's acquisition of Nokia's phone business at a press conference in Espoo, Finland.</div> <span class="greySplitter" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Today's announcement is a bold step into the future," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505124_162-57599851/ballmer-to-retire-can-microsoft-change/" style="border: 0px; color: #931f1f; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ballmer to retire: Can Microsoft change?</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microsoft is buying Nokia's <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505124_162-57601043/microsoft-rolls-big-buys-nokias-phone-biz/" style="border: 0px; color: #931f1f; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">entire line of phones and its patents</a>. The plan is to help Microsoft attempt to catch up with its smartphone rivals.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Windows phone has grown over 78 percent in the last year and is now clearly the number three offering in the marketplace," Ballmer said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But it is a very distant third in a market dominated by Apple and Android devices.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Android phones now make up 51 percent of U.S. smartphone sales. The iPhone makes up 43.4 percent of sales. Microsoft's Windows-based phone: just 3.5 percent, according to a July 2013 report by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-CBSNEWS_GRANDE float-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 10px 8px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 244px;"><img alt="Brian Cooley of CNET" class="cnet-image" height="183" src="http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/03/brian-cooley_244x183.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="244" /><br /><div class="image-caption" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 2px 0px 1px; vertical-align: baseline;">Brian Cooley of CNET</div> <span class="greySplitter" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span> <span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CBS News</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Microsoft had to get more serious about mobiles," said Brian Cooley, editor-at-large for technology website CNET. "They can't check out and say we're just not going to compete in that business fully. That's not an option anymore."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"We are right now in a place in the mobile electronics world where we are questioning: Are there two chairs at the table, or three?" he added. "There may not be a third. Microsoft needs to make the chair, and then sit in it. It's twice the work."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microsoft's fortune was built on its desktop software. But desktop computer sales have dropped 16 percent since the end of last year, in large part due to the explosion of smartphones and tablet computers.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Last summer, the company launched a tablet called Surface. It hasn't clicked with consumers, selling about 1.7 million units in the same time Apple sold 57 million iPads.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The deal between Microsoft and Nokia shows how far and fast Nokia has fallen. In 2007, Nokia had 48 percent of the cell phone market and was worth $10 billion more than Apple. Just five years later, Nokia's market share had dropped to about 3.5 percent.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-LARGE2 float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="458" src="http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/03/163123084_610x458.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><br /><div class="image-caption" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 2px 0px 1px; vertical-align: baseline;">A stand host holds up a Nokia Lumia 920 Windows enabled smartphone at the Microsoft stand at the 2013 CeBIT technology trade fair on March 5, 2013 in Hanover, Germany.</div> <span class="greySplitter" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span> <span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; color: #717171; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean Gallup/Getty Images</span></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Microsoft Nokia Can the Nokia deal save Microsoft?

From http://www.cbsnews.com (CBS News) LOS ANGELES -- One day after Verizon and Vodafone announced their break-up, Microsoft said it's ...

Katie Couric is engaged!

9:20 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Katie Couric" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2de0b9855c2076b021368020bc48d3fe6dfd95c3/c=0-150-2671-2160&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/09/03/1378211386000-katiemolner.jpg" /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">From: <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/" style="background-color: transparent;">http://www.usatoday.com</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Katie Couric, 56, has finally found love again.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The talk show host and mother of two, who lost husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer in 1998, got engaged to financier John Molner, 50, over the Labor Day weekend.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"Katie's calling it her labor of love," said <i>People</i>editor Larry Hackett on <i>Good Morning Americ</i>a announcing the news.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Molner, head of mergers and acquisitions at Brown Brothers Harriman, popped the question with a diamond ring at sunset on the beach in East Hampton, N.Y., reports<a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20730776,00.html" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20730776,00.html">People.com</a>.</div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Katie told <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/05/09/katie-couric-goes-public-with-banker-boyfriend/2143675/" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/05/09/katie-couric-goes-public-with-banker-boyfriend/2143675/">me</a> in May she and Molnar were "having a great time. He's really funny and very successful in his own right. In a different line of work. A little more age appropriate."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">How old is he? "He's six younger than I am," said Couric, who has dated younger men in the past including trumpeter Chris Botti (5 years younger) and entrepreneur Brooks Perlin (17 years her junior). "But hey, I've got a lot of energy, you know. I need someone who can keep up with me!"</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Maybe since daughter Ellie, 22, just graduated from college and daughter Carrie, 17, is a senior in high school, the timing seems right at home. In the February issue of<i><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/katie-couric-i-thought-id-get-remarried-after-husband-jay-monahans-death-in-1998-2013221" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/katie-couric-i-thought-id-get-remarried-after-husband-jay-monahans-death-in-1998-2013221">More</a></i> magazine, Katie admitted, "It's actually surprising to me that it has been almost 15 years and I haven't remarried. I think life is more fun when you have someone in your life."</div></div><script type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Katie Couric Katie Couric is engaged!

From: http://www.usatoday.com Katie Couric, 56, has finally found love again. The talk show host and mother of two, who lost husband Jay Mo...

James Turrell Inside the Guggenheim

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

A couple weeks ago I finally made it to the Guggenheim to see the <a href="http://www.guggenheim.org/turrell">James Turrell exhibition</a>, which runs until September 25—only three more weeks. Missing the press preview on the summer solstice turned out to be fortuitous, for I could absorb some of the reviews and tailor my experience to the exhibition. One thing I learned was that Turrell's other works on display pale in comparison to <i>Aten Reign</i>, the site-specific work that takes over Frank Lloyd Wright's rotunda. This is not to say the other installations are necessarily bad; they just can't hold up to the awesomeness of <i>Aten Reign</i>. This taught me to check out the other pieces first and end up back downstairs at the base of the rotunda—easier said than done, given that all museum-goers must walk through <i>Aten Reign</i> before venturing anywhere else in the museum.<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjDfAeeHFPcPWwjBYFuOhKz0kqcwnyQXCY7upTq9TU6XwlXUcEbw9hb4wtbqEtSLC1Y8PNdXVs-T0dRgFmt4tYqcPusQHuIb1quN94lvFnOZSJbFb_25HuscJt-2li17dKVtv09kMzszK/s1600/turrell-hill-dumbphone.jpg" /><br />[James Turrell, <i>Aten Reign</i>, 2013 | Photo by John Hill: Photos are not allowed in the exhibition, but it's impossible for the Guggenheim to monitor all of the cameraphones clicking away in the rotunda, such as the one shot I took.]<br /><br />So eyes glued to floor—catching the subtle shift in colors reflected in the polished surface but not looking up—I walked toward the elevator to head up to the fifth floor, joining the line for Turrell's <i>Iltar</i> from 1976. Groups of about a dozen waited on two benches outside two black portals cut into white walls. Once inside, visitors were confronted with a rectangular surface in the distance. Those familiar with Turrell will know it is an opening to another room, though the dimensions of that room are hard to ascertain. Unfortunately the guards would not let people get very close to the opening, something that would actually be more helpful in grasping the relationship between perception and reality.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/guggenheim_museum/9089135316/" title="Installation Views: James Turrell by Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, on Flickr"><img alt="Installation Views: James Turrell" height="419" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5331/9089135316_e9f323c486_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />[James Turrell, <i>Prado (White)</i>, 1967 | Photo by David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York]<br /><br />Downstairs were a couple small projections: the familiar corner piece <i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/guggenheim_museum/9086916859/">Afrum I (White)</a> </i>and <i>Prado (White)</i>, both from the same year. In particular the latter hints at the later room-size installations like <i>Iltar</i>, in the way the sharply defined rectangle appears to be an opening to another space. <i>Prado (White)</i> is almost an invitation to crawl from one gallery to another.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/anamarialeon/9640504316/" title="guggenheim with turrell in the void by Ana María León, on Flickr"><img alt="guggenheim with turrell in the void" height="800" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/9640504316_115a45c474_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />[James Turrell, <i>Aten Reign</i>, 2013 | Photo by Flickr user Ana María León]<br /><br />On descending the ramp from the fifth floor to the second-floor galleries, and <i>Ronin</i> (below) in the High Gallery below those, I passed alongside the outer layer of <i>Aten Reign</i> (above). A bowed scrim extended from atop the concrete guardrail to the underside of the slab above. This surface didn't really convey what is happening within the rotunda, since the colors of the installation and sounds of the people downstairs didn't spill out. This seemed like a missed opportunity—to either activate the otherwise empty perimeter galleries with color, or to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151753116698501.1073741891.7640348500&type=3">reveal the structure</a> supporting <i>Aten Reign</i>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/guggenheim_museum/9086916915/" title="Installation Views: James Turrell by Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, on Flickr"><img alt="Installation Views: James Turrell" height="437" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/9086916915_e36268bed4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />[James Turrell, <i>Ronin</i>, 1968 | Photo by David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York]<br /><br />Yet such thoughts about the perimeter scrim were forgotten when reaching the bottom to look up at the five ascending layers of <i>Aten Reign</i>. The power of the installation was undeniable—it was visceral, emotional, exhilarating, yet also calming. Reactions depended on the color cascading up the newly formed space of the rotunda—red coating every surface like the blood flowing from the elevator doors in <i>The Shining</i>, or white highlighting and saturating the outfits of the other people (see photo at bottom), for example.<br /><br />A warning: Prepare for many other people (see photo at bottom, again). There will probably be a wait to sit or lie down comfortably but, like other Turrell pieces, it's worth it. And experiencing a Turrell with a craned and uncomfortable neck is hardly ideal, since <i>Aten Reign</i> rewards time and the patience to let the colors wash over one's eyes and imagination.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/guggenheim_museum/9089135634/" title="Installation Views: James Turrell by Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, on Flickr"><img alt="Installation Views: James Turrell" height="800" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/9089135634_58d60bc7c6_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br />[James Turrell, <i>Aten Reign</i>, 2013 | Photo by David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York]<br /><br />For most people the main question regarding the shape of <i>Aten Reign</i> is probably, "why not a circle?" After all, Wright's rotunda is a series of concentric circles that grow larger as they ramp up. Turrell's piece sets itself apart from this container through its elliptical shape, thereby making a new space—a space that narrows as it ascends, another mark of difference. The ellipses also shift relative to one another with even the slightest movement of the head. It's an interesting effect that, given Turrell's level of control, is most likely intentional. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16353290@N00/9337855873/" title="IMG_1875 by JessyeAnne, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1875" height="800" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/9337855873_25ef89b47f_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />[James Turrell, <i>Aten Reign</i>, 2013 | Photo by Flickr user Jessica Sheridan]<br /><br />Another interesting effect is how the space appears to be shallow. This happens from the gradient of light (from dark at the base to light at the top), but also the horizontal scrim(s) that reach(es) across the space (I'm not sure if there is more than one scrim). The ever-so-subtle surface texture can be distracting at times, but it must play a role in flattening the space—at no time does it feel like the apex is 85 feet overhead.<br /><br />With only three more weeks to experience this site-specific work, a visit to the Guggenheim is a must. His other installations (like <i>Rodin</i>, <i>Iltar,</i> and <i>Prado (White)</i>) can be replicated elsewhere, but there will never be another <i>Aten Reign</i>.

James Turrell Inside the Guggenheim

A couple weeks ago I finally made it to the Guggenheim to see the James Turrell exhibition , which runs until September 25—only three more w...

Lockn' Music Festival ... Woodstock in the Blue Ridge?

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqDU-RJi-ZrWNW4t1zQohxj6fJHgP3mkAGgNhB9C7ygQ1GnHm5BpKmp2lk9y-bqiIQcpwKRhzp9O0BES1csx6G1smGKHVqySqx3UM7CCtSSP745xIKSlZRHlqlZ394TpZCq2Gkbwy213v/s1600/Lockn'+Festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqDU-RJi-ZrWNW4t1zQohxj6fJHgP3mkAGgNhB9C7ygQ1GnHm5BpKmp2lk9y-bqiIQcpwKRhzp9O0BES1csx6G1smGKHVqySqx3UM7CCtSSP745xIKSlZRHlqlZ394TpZCq2Gkbwy213v/s400/Lockn'+Festival.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Lockn' Festival photo</i></div><br />The hills will echo this week with music, dancing, camping, and joyous celebrations as the huge <a href="http://www.locknfestival.com/">Lockn' Music Festival</a> takes place Thursday through Sunday in Nelson County, Virginia. Last-minute preparations are underway as organizers brace for thousands who have already bought tickets for this event that could turn into a Woodstock in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a whole new generation.<br /><br />But don't take my word for it. Read what was in Ohio's <a href="http://www.toledocitypaper.com/August-Issue-2-2013/Lockn-Festival/">Toledo City Paper</a>:<br /><blockquote>The innaugural Lockn' festival is a jam-band fan's mecca—the  penultimate  gathering of the best improvisational bands from every  corner of the  country. You have <i>Furthur</i> representing the West Coast, <i> String Cheese  Incident</i> bringing their Colorado style, <i>Widespread Panic</i>  from south of  the Mason-Dixie line, and <i>Trey Anastasio</i> traveling from  the northern  East Coast. <br /><br />In TCP's opinion, this 'interlocking music  festival' is  shaping up to be the best party of the summer—the musical  highlight of  an already epic year. <br />...<br />Nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lock'n is an 8 hour drive from Toledo, but it is a beautiful drive through one of the most scenic parts of the country. Festival organizers Dave Frey and Pete Shapiro shopped for locations around the U.S.—New York, California, North Carolina—before deciding on Virginia because of its 'intimate setting'. The festival's two stages stand side by side and will have interlocking performances all weekend—as soon as one band stops, the band on the opposite stage will begin. </blockquote>For those of us in the central Shenandoah Valley, this four-day event is in our back yard, and only two hours from Richmond. Taking place from September 5-8, 2013, at the 5,000-acre Oak Ridge Farm, officials are expecting 25,000-30,000 people. Oak Ridge Farm is located off Rt. 29 halfway between Charlottesville and Lynchburg and, with the number of vehicles expected, <a href="http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/oak-ridge-being-transformed-for-this-week-s-lockn-music/article_4c40a022-1430-11e3-a11e-0019bb30f31a.html">exhaustive traffic plans</a> have been made to avoid backups on Rt. 29, along with security and safety preparations.<br /><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.locknfestival.com/schedule">full lineup of musicians</a> includes Zac Brown, the Black Crowes, and a number of other groups set to perform under the central Virginia sky.<br /><br />The Lockn' <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153127867970012&set=a.10150248855585012.531700.316349645011&type=1&theater">Facebook page announced a pre-festival music party</a> for Wednesday night, September 4, at the Jefferson Theater in  Charlottesville.<br /><br />To keep up with the latest details, follow Lockn' on <a href="https://twitter.com/locknfestival">Twitter</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.locknfestival.com/attractions">Local vendors</a> including food and craft beer will be available on-site. Nelson County is, after all, home of the famous <a href="http://nelson151.com/">Rt. 151 corridor</a> featuring some of the finest and best-known vineyards, craft breweries, and food establishments in Virginia.<br /><br />It will be an experience not forgotten anytime soon, if ever. If anyone takes photos and would like to share, I would love to post them on SWAC Girl. Send to swac.girl@gmail.com. Stay legal, safe, and have fun!

Lockn' Music Festival ... Woodstock in the Blue Ridge?

Black Crowes Central Shenandoah Valley central Virginia Charlottesivlle Lockn' Festival Lynchburg music festivals Nelson County Richmond Toledo City Paper Virginia Is For Lovers Lockn' Music Festival ... Woodstock in the Blue Ridge?

Lockn' Festival photo The hills will echo this week with music, dancing, camping, and joyous celebrations as the huge Lockn' Music...

Great music, good times, family

8:06 PM Tukiyooo 0

family friends Great music, good times, family

Listening to my brother-in-law play acoustic guitar with some good-time folk music from Houston. The feet belong to we three sisters, piled ...

The Perfect Nap: Sleeping Is a Mix of Art and Science - WSJ.com

8:04 PM Tukiyooo 0

There's an art to napping.<br /><br><br /><br>Studies have found different benefits—and detriments—to a nap's timing, duration and even effect on different people, depending on one's age and possibly genetics.<br /><br><br /><br>"Naps are actually more complicated than we realize," said David Dinges, a sleep scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. "You have to be deliberative about when you're going to nap, how long you're going to nap and if you're trying to use the nap relative to work or what you have coming up."<br /><br><br /><br>A snooze on the couch on a Sunday afternoon may seem like the perfect way for a responsible adult to unplug. But at a time when roughly one-third of people report not getting enough sleep, more naps, albeit short ones, might make for a more functional workforce, researchers say.<br /><br><br /><br>Sleep experts break sleep down into several stages, which the brain cycles through roughly every 90 to 120 minutes. These stages are broadly characterized into non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM is further broken down into stage one and two, which are considered light and intermediate sleep, followed by slow-wave sleep. Awakening from slow-wave sleep, the deepest kind, results in what doctors call sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness: that groggy feeling that can take awhile to shake off. Finally, there's REM sleep, often associated with dreaming.<br /><br><br /><br>Sara Mednick, an assistant psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, said the most useful nap depends on what the napper needs.<br /><br><br /><br>For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.<br /><br><br /><br>For cognitive memory processing, however, a 60-minute nap may do more good, Dr. Mednick said. Including slow-wave sleep helps with remembering facts, places and faces. The downside: some grogginess upon waking.<br /><br><br /><br>Finally, the 90-minute nap will likely involve a full cycle of sleep, which aids creativity and emotional and procedural memory, such as learning how to ride a bike. Waking up after REM sleep usually means a minimal amount of sleep inertia, Dr. Mednick said.<br /><br><br /><br>Experts say the ideal time to nap is generally between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Napping later in the day could interfere with nighttime sleep.<br /><br><br /><br>The body's circadian rhythms help people to expect to be awake in the morning and early in the night. "So if you take naps when your brain doesn't expect to be sleeping, you feel kind of thrown off," contributing to the sleep inertia effect, said Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Center.<br /><br><br /><br>A telltale sign of being very sleep-deprived, he said, is dreaming during a short nap. "Definitely in a 20-minute nap you should not be dreaming," he said.<br /><br><br /><br>Ilene Rosen, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, said the ideal duration of a nap is still being debated, but generally speaking the "10-to-20-minute nap is really the optimal time in terms of bang for your buck."<br /><br><br /><br>Leon Lack, a psychology professor at Flinders University in Australia, found in a 2006 study in the journal Sleep that among shorter breaks, 10-minute naps packed the most punch.<br /><br><br /><br>The study compared naps ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, testing 24 participants at each of several intervals. After each nap the individuals were tested on a variety of mental-processing tasks. The sharpness of the 10-minute nappers became apparent "right away," Dr. Lack said, and remained apparent for about two to 2 1/2 hours.<br /><br><br /><br>Those who took 20- and 30-minute naps tended to feel groggy immediately after the nap for up to about 30 minutes. From there, they showed mental sharpness similar to what researchers saw from the 10-minute nappers, with that sharpness lasting a bit longer.<br /><br><br /><br>Jonathan Brandl is a Newton, Mass.-based consultant who works from home. Up at 5 a.m. to hit the gym, he finds himself fading around 2 p.m. His solution is a fast snooze in a comfy chair in his den. His trick for waking up: He holds a pen or pencil in his hand, which usually falls about 10 to 15 minutes into his nap, waking him up.<br /><br><br /><br>"After the nap, I feel totally refreshed and then power through the rest of the day," the 56-year-old Mr. Brandl said.<br /><br><br /><br>Though napping at work often remains taboo, experts say growing scientific evidence of its benefits has led select workplaces to accept it.<br /><br><br /><br>Christopher Lindholst, chief executive and co-founder of New York-based MetroNaps, has installed specially designed sleeping pods for Google, Huffington Post, an Iowa construction company and the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. The chairs retail for $8,995 to $12,985.<br /><br><br /><br>The 60-minute nap may not be kosher in most workplaces, but it also has its pluses.<br /><br><br /><br>In a 2012 study in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, researchers split 36 college-aged students into three groups. Each group learned a memory task, pairing words on a screen with a sound. Afterward, one group had 60 minutes to nap, another 10 minutes. The final group didn't sleep.<br /><br><br /><br>Upon retesting, the napping groups fared better, as expected, said Sara Alger, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Notre Dame.<br /><br><br /><br>More interesting, she noted, was that on further testing, including a week later, the 60-minute group performed far better than the 10-minute group, which now performed as poorly as the non-napping group. The researchers concluded that slow-wave sleep—only experienced by the 60-minute nappers—is necessary for memory consolidation.<br /><br><br /><br>Researchers continue to explore why some individuals don't seem to benefit from naps. Dr. Mednick said ongoing studies are looking at potential genetic differences between habitual and nonhabitual nappers.<br /><br><br /><br>Kimberly Cote, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, said individuals who don't normally nap tend to slip into the deep stages of sleep more quickly than those who do. Studies have found through monitoring brain waves that regular nappers are good at maintaining a light sleep when they nap and show better performance improvements than their non-napping counterparts.<br /><br><br /><br>"We're not sure what those individual differences are," she said, "if that's something that they've learned to do over time or if there's something biologically different that allows them to nap like that."<br /><br><br /><br>Another trick to waking up perky after a short nap is to drink a cup of coffee before sleeping. Caffeine won't hurt such a short break and should lessen the effect of sleep inertia.<br /><br><br /><br>Dr. Dinges recommends sleeping partially upright to make it easier to wake up. Studies, he said, have found that not lying totally flat results in avoiding falling into a deeper sleep.<br /><br><br /><br>"A lot of people say, 'I only need four hours of sleep a night.' There's a few of them around but not very many," he said.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323932604579050990895301888.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323932604579050990895301888.html</a>

The Perfect Nap: Sleeping Is a Mix of Art and Science - WSJ.com

There's an art to napping. Studies have found different benefits—and detriments—to a nap's timing, duration and even effect on diffe...