Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Shell fends off Total to become UAE's sour gas partner

By Daniel Fineren

DUBAI (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has beaten France's Total to a multi-billion-dollar project to develop a tricky gas field with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC).

The choice of Shell ahead of rival bidder Total offers the Anglo-Dutch energy giant a chance to prove the effectiveness of its latest sour gas treatment technology in a project on the Bab field that has been valued at around $10 billion (6 billion pounds).

"Today's deal, the largest secured by a British company in the UAE in recent years, is a fantastic outcome for Shell and highlights the UK's world class energy sector," UK Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement at the start of a visit by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.

The 30-year venture to treat the potentially deadly gases in Bab also puts Europe's largest energy company in a strong position to renew its role in the UAE's largest onshore oil concession, on which the Bab field stands, when that contract comes up for renewal early next year.

"We value our long and successful partnership with ADNOC, and look forward to continuing to play a role in helping the United Arab Emirates meet its energy needs," Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser said in a statement.

Shell had been widely expected to win the contract to develop Abu Dhabi's Shah gas field in 2011, but lost out to Occidental Petroleum.

UAE state news agency WAM said that ADNOC would own 60 percent of the Bab joint venture's equity and Shell would hold the rest.

Total was overlooked for the Bab project despite a French charm offensive which included a visit to the UAE by French President Francois Hollande in January.

Bab, and the almost as technically challenging Shah sour gas project, are vital to limit the UAE's growing gas imports over the next decade.

Shah, which was developed first because it is seen as less difficult than Bab to develop, is on track for completion by the end of 2014.

Because Bab sits in one of the fields that make up the UAE's onshore oil concession, some industry observers believe the selection of Shell is likely to support its efforts to continue operating the oil fields for decades.

The UAE oil concession system allows international energy companies to acquire equity in the OPEC member country's hydrocarbon resources.

Big western oil companies including Shell are long-standing partners with ADNOC in the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations but face rival bids to run the fields, which produce about 1.5 million barrels per day from Asian companies.

Bids from international oil companies hoping to operate the onshore fields beyond 2014 are due by the start of October.

(Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy, editing by William Hardy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shell-fends-off-total-become-uaes-sour-gas-125328934.html

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NASA extends contract with Russians for ISS crew transportation, doesn't see domestic flights until 2017

NASA has been relying on the Russians to get astronauts to the International Space Station since the shuttle program was retired in 2011, and it looks like it will be doing so for at least a few years longer. The space agency confirmed today that it's been forced to extend its contract for crew transportation services with Rocosmos until June of 2017, a move that comes at a cost of some $424 million. In announcing the news, NASA also reiterated that it is "committed to launching U.S. astronauts aboard domestic spacecraft as soon as possible," and says that it should be able to do so by 2017 provided it receives all of the funding outlined in the Obama administration's 2014 budget. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden further adds that he's "pleased with the progress our commercial crew providers are making," and remains confident that (again, funding-provided) they will be helping it carry astronaute into space "in just a few short years."

[Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls]

Comments

Source: NASA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/nasa-iss-crew-transportation-russians/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Monday, April 29, 2013

EARTH: Why US energy security is increasing

EARTH: Why US energy security is increasing [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA To what extent is the United States energy independent? In recent years, Americans have heard a lot about the need to be unconstrained from foreign energy sources, but what do the numbers really tell us about our current state of independence?

Historically, the United States has relied on a diverse energy mix. From our founding through the final years of World War II, the country was nearly 100 percent energy independent: relying on coal- and oil-fired power plants, as well as a series of massive hydroelectric dams. By the second half of the 20th century, our growing demand for electricity resulted in a nationwide electric grid fed not only by domestic coal and hydropower, but also nuclear energy and natural gas. By then, we were also importing petroleum to fuel our burgeoning transportation system. In 2005, 31 percent of the total energy consumed in the U.S. was from imports. However, due to recent advances in natural gas drilling and recovery technology, in 2011 U.S. dependence on imports for total energy consumption had decreased to 19 percent.

Is the United States poised to regain energy independence? What would the implications be for national security and international relations going forward?

Read the full article online at http://bit.ly/11QeZNz.

Check out all of the interesting articles in the May issue of EARTH Magazine! Learn how some metals grow on trees; travel to Moab, Utah; and dig up rare earth elements in Jamaican red mud all in this month's issue of EARTH.

###

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


EARTH: Why US energy security is increasing [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA To what extent is the United States energy independent? In recent years, Americans have heard a lot about the need to be unconstrained from foreign energy sources, but what do the numbers really tell us about our current state of independence?

Historically, the United States has relied on a diverse energy mix. From our founding through the final years of World War II, the country was nearly 100 percent energy independent: relying on coal- and oil-fired power plants, as well as a series of massive hydroelectric dams. By the second half of the 20th century, our growing demand for electricity resulted in a nationwide electric grid fed not only by domestic coal and hydropower, but also nuclear energy and natural gas. By then, we were also importing petroleum to fuel our burgeoning transportation system. In 2005, 31 percent of the total energy consumed in the U.S. was from imports. However, due to recent advances in natural gas drilling and recovery technology, in 2011 U.S. dependence on imports for total energy consumption had decreased to 19 percent.

Is the United States poised to regain energy independence? What would the implications be for national security and international relations going forward?

Read the full article online at http://bit.ly/11QeZNz.

Check out all of the interesting articles in the May issue of EARTH Magazine! Learn how some metals grow on trees; travel to Moab, Utah; and dig up rare earth elements in Jamaican red mud all in this month's issue of EARTH.

###

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/agi-ewu042913.php

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Key figures on Superstorm Sandy, 6 months later

Flags decorate a fence Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Brick, N.J., around the burned remains of more than 60 small bungalows at Camp Osborn which were destroyed last October during Superstorm Sandy. Six months after Sandy devastated the Jersey shore and New York City and pounded coastal areas of New England, the region is dealing with a slow and frustrating, yet often hopeful, recovery. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Flags decorate a fence Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Brick, N.J., around the burned remains of more than 60 small bungalows at Camp Osborn which were destroyed last October during Superstorm Sandy. Six months after Sandy devastated the Jersey shore and New York City and pounded coastal areas of New England, the region is dealing with a slow and frustrating, yet often hopeful, recovery. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The Jet Star roller coaster rests in the ocean Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Seaside Heights, N.J., near the rebuilding of the boardwalk. Six months after Superstorm Sandy, the roller coaster that plunged off a pier in Seaside Heights is still in the ocean, although demolition plans are finally moving forward. The region is dealing with a slow and frustrating, yet often hopeful, recovery. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Yuri Pismennyi unloads 36 poles to be used as pilings to rebuild the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, N.J., Thursday, April 25, 2013. Six months after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Jersey shore and New York City and pounded coastal areas of New England, the region is dealing with a slow and frustrating, yet often hopeful, recovery. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2012 file photo, Ray Marten poses with the street number sign he recovered from the ashes of his fire-destroyed home in the Belle Harbor section of the Queens borough of New York. Six months after Superstorm Sandy passed through, Marten says, ?If you go up my block now, all the houses have been demolished and removed, they're pretty much just holes in the ground. Sand pits.? (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, Marge Gatti stands in front of her home, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, in the Midland Beach section of the Staten Island borough of New York. Six months after the storm, Gatti, the matriarch of her family, said ?The whole family's separated, and it's terrible, you know?? The flood-soaked place was demolished months ago, and they're waiting for a government buyout. Now the family is scattered across New Jersey, New York and Texas. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Superstorm Sandy, a hybrid of a hurricane and two cold-weather systems, struck six months ago on Oct. 29, concentrating most of its fury on New Jersey, New York and Connecticut and becoming one of the most expensive storms in history. Six months later, the region is still recovering and the scope of the storm has come into sharper focus. Figures are as of Friday.

___

DEATHS

The National Hurricane Center attributes 72 deaths in the United States directly to Sandy and 87 more indirectly, from causes such as hypothermia due to power outages, carbon monoxide poisoning and accidents during cleanup efforts, for a total of 159.

___

DAMAGE

The Hurricane Center estimated Sandy's damage at $50 billion, second only to the $108 billion caused by Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states in 2005. Congress approved more than $60 billion in storm aid for Sandy victims and their communities.

___

HOUSING AID: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid out $959 million for housing assistance and $848 million to communities and nonprofit groups in New York state, and $387.4 million in housing grants and $263 million to communities and nonprofit groups in New Jersey.

___

DISASTER LOANS: The Small Business Administration has made $1.4 billion in disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses in New York, and $731 million in New Jersey.

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FLOOD INSURANCE: The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.4 billion in claims in New York and another $3.3 billion in New Jersey.

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UTILITIES: Jersey Central Power & Light says 1.3 million customers lost power in New Jersey. It cut 65,000 trees to help restore power, fixed 34,000 downed wires and put up 6,700 new utility poles. In New York, Consolidated Edison has strung 60 miles of new electrical cable after the storm and eventually restored power to more than 1 million customers.

___

Sources: National Hurricane Center, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Jersey Central Power & Light, Con Ed

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-29-Superstorm-Glance/id-7b5a184c0c174d3faf5f2c070223afda

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Syrian rebels, troops clash at military air bases

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad fought intense battles with his troops on Sunday at two military air bases in northern Syria, activists said.

The fighting raged inside the sprawling Abu Zuhour air base in northwestern Idlib province and the Kweiras military air base in northern Aleppo province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least seven fighters were killed in the fighting in Abu Zuhour, in addition to an unknown number of soldiers. The group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said the Syrian air force conducted an airstrike on Abu Zuhour village during the fighting to ease pressure on government troops inside the air base.

Rebels control much of Idlib and Aleppo provinces, which border Turkey, although government troops still hold some areas including the provincial capital of Idlib province and parts of the city of Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center.

The fighters entered the two air bases on Saturday. Both have been under siege for months.

Syria's conflict started with largely peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011 but eventually turned into a civil war. More than 70,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.

The Obama administration said Thursday that intelligence indicates that government forces likely used chemical agents against rebels in two attacks.

Washington's declaration was its strongest on the topic so far, although the administration said it was still working to pin down definitive proof of the use of chemical weapons. It held back from saying Damascus had crossed what President Barack Obama has said would be a "red line" prompting tougher action in Syria.

Both sides of the civil war accuse each other of using the chemical weapons.

The deadliest such alleged attack was in the Khan al-Assal village in the Aleppo province in March. The Syrian government called for the United Nations to investigate alleged chemical weapons use by rebels in the attack that killed 31 people.

Syria, however, has not allowed a team of experts into the country because it wants the investigation limited to the single Khan al-Assal incident, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged "immediate and unfettered access" for an expanded investigation.

The state-run al-Thawra newspaper on Sunday accused the U.N. secretary general of being a "tool" for the United States and accused him of "bowing to American and European pressures."

In neighoring Lebanon, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported that Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met Saturday night with the pro-Syrian militant group's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. No details emerged of the late night meeting.

The Shiite Muslim group has been drawn into the fighting in Syria and is known to be backing regime fighters in Shiite villages near the Lebanon border. The Syrian opposition accuses fighters from the group of taking part in the Syrian military crackdown inside the country.

At a Sunday morning at a news conference in Beirut, Bogdanov called for a diplomatic solution to Syria's civil war based on the Geneva Communique of June 2012. The communique is a broad but ambiguous proposal endorsed by Western powers and Russia to provide a basis for negotiations.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-troops-clash-military-air-bases-093439798.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

NATO: 4 service members killed in place crash

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A plane crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing four international service members, NATO said.

Initial reporting indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time, but coalition personnel secured the site and the cause of the crash was being investigated, NATO said.

The brief statement did not identify the nationalities of the victims, or say where the plane went down.

However, Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed Saturday afternoon in Shah Joy district. He said the site had been surrounded by international forces.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-4-members-killed-place-crash-165245206.html

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Google Drive


What started as a free online alternative to Microsoft Office has quickly become one of the most impressive services for creating, editing, saving, syncing, and collaborating on documents. Google Drive (freemium) has long impressed me in just how far it goes toward helping groups of people work together on files simultaneously. Some new features rolling out in a recent update add even more support for teamwork.

It hasn't been long since Google Docs rebranded itself as Google Drive, so allow me to briefly recap: Google Docs took on the new name after it added local file syncing to its service. In other words, Google Docs?ahem, Drive?now works more like Dropbox , SugarSync, or any other file-syncing service you care to name, while still retaining the core office productivity apps. In that sense, its closest competitor may well be Microsoft SkyDrive, which also has online document creation tools.

With Google Drive, you can upload files to your Google account, convert them to Google's file format to edit them online, create new docs in the Web interface, collaborate with other users in real time, and export the finished products to more standard file formats, such as .doc, .rtf, .pdf, and so on. The latest round of changes makes working with others in real time even more intuitive, because you can see their profile pictures on the screen, where formerly you only saw a line of text at the top and a color code indicating who else was looking at or editing the file.

Because of these wide-ranging capabilities and its dedication to collaborative document editing, Google Drive remains a PCMag Editors' Choice. We have no hesitation recommending Google Drive?although it is important to understand how one of the new features works. The feature in question could potentially reveal your identity to others, but managing it is simple when you know how it works. And as much as Google Drive is an excellent platform and service, that doesn't mean it's the only file-syncing service you should use either.

What's New in Drive?
The newest change in Google Drive, which will roll out to users slowly, is that Google+ profile pictures of collaborators now appear at the top of the file when they're viewing or editing a document. Formerly, when collaborators opened a document, you would see a line of text reading "2 other viewers" at the top right, which opened to reveal their names or email addresses and a color code for each person. For example, if I invited Maria to edit a spreadsheet with me, I would see her name appear next to a pink square at the top of the spreadsheet any time she opened it. As she moved through cells, they would appear highlighted in pink.

The new feature adds Maria's profile picture at the top of the document and would let me add her to my Google+ circles. There's also now an integrated group chat feature that lets multiple collaborators hold discussions via text while they're working.

Another fairly big addition is offline access to all your Drive materials if you're using Google Chrome OS. To enable this setting, go to your Google Drive page and look under the "More" button the left for the offline access setting. Turning on this feature lets you read and edit your files offline; changes will sync to the cloud the next time you connect.

Privacy
The toughest criticism Google Drive has faced amount to concerns over privacy and IP ownership. The new collaboration features could put your face in front of strangers if you're not careful, but it's very easy to manage this potential problem with an ounce of care.

Some Google Drive owners keep their documents open to the public, and if you're signed into your Google account when you view these files, other users will be able to see your picture and name. When looking at public files, it's a better idea to log out of Google, or use a different browser, and maybe also turn on incognito features if your browser has them to keep yourself anonymous. Anonymous users are assigned random profile pictures of animals instead, such as a dolphin, dinosaur, or beaver.

My feeling on the matter of privacy in Google Drive is this: If you are comfortable using Gmail, you should be comfortable with Drive. If you are skeptical of Google's user agreements, don't use Google products. For more in-depth analysis, see "Google Drive's Terms of Use: Lazy People Should Worry."

Main Features of Drive
The gist of Google Drive, and the main attraction to it, is it can store your files in the cloud where they are accessible to you and your collaborators, and become highly searchable.

One feature related to "search" stands out: Google's ability to scan a photo and "read" it using optical character recognition, or identify it using its own technology. The only other app of this kind that uses built-in OCR nearly as well is Evernote , although you have to have a paid Premium account to use it.

Google also claims Drive allows videos to be uploaded, but we encountered some issues with that part of the service.

Like many other general file-syncing services, Google Drive works better for document files than multimedia. It's not ideally meant to be a music and video streaming service?for that kind of product, you'll likely need a paid service and device, such as the Verbatim Mediashare Mini, although SugarSync does offer some neat capabilities and support for streaming iTunes music. Amazon Cloud also offers some special support for music and movies. However, within the Google universe you can use Google Play in tandem with Drive (more on that in a bit).

Carryover Features from Google Docs
The core services and functionality that were in Google Docs, namely, a free online office suite where files are also hosted, remain intact in Drive. Google Docs is one of the best known free alternative to Microsoft Office, although it's entirely Web-based?there's no software to install to use it (the only downloadable part is the app for local syncing with Drive).

As with Microsoft Office, Google Drive lets you create word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentation documents, forms, vector drawings, and now in beta, tables. Google hosts your files, too, so when you log in, all your files are there. You can sort them into customizable folders, which appear along a left pane, or just search for what you need, using a standard search bar in the Web app.

When you create a document in Google Drive, the file format used is Google's own. However, the system couldn't be more flexible. You can export Google documents to more standardized files formats, like .doc, .rtf, .ppt, .pdf, and more; and you can import practically any document with the option of keeping it in its native format (which may limit your ability to edit it) or translating it into a Google doc file, which makes it editable in the online service. I've certainly had my share of moments when I was stuck on a computer that didn't have Microsoft Office at the very moment someone emailed me an important file that required my feedback pronto. Google Drive saved the day. I could open the file in GoogleDrive, edit it, and export the revised file back out to its original form. Occasionally some formatting will go haywire during this process, but it gets the job done.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/hpQ0vAJfEIY/0,2817,2403546,00.asp

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Watching Someone Make Daguerreotypes Is Totally Mesmerizing

To be honest, it's pretty clear why daguerreotypes got passed over for more flexible photographic processes. You put a crap ton of work, not to mention seriously dangerous chemicals, into an image that then can't be duplicated. But that doesn't mean they aren't amazing looking. More »
    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kpU8dnuGtYw/watching-someone-make-daguerreotypes-is-totally-mesmerizing

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Weight loss programs via virtual reality

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Weight loss is a topic of concern for nearly 36% of Americans who are considered obese. There are many barriers that can interfere with weight loss. For those attending face-to-face weight loss programs, barriers can include travel, conflict with work and home, need for childcare, and loss of anonymity.

In a new study released in the May/June 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, investigators from The University of Kansas Medical Center continue to explore alternative weight management delivery methods to eliminate some of these barriers. The solution they are investigating -- virtual reality for weight loss and weight maintenance.

Looking at the results from twenty overweight and obese individuals after 3 months of a weight loss program at a weekly clinic delivered via face-to-face or virtual reality and then 6 months of weight maintenance delivered via virtual reality, the investigators found virtual reality compares favorably with face-to-face for weight loss and may facilitate greater weight maintenance. Debra Sullivan, lead investigator, adds, "Although we found weight loss was significantly greater for face-to-face compared to virtual reality, weight maintenance was significantly better for virtual reality."

The virtual reality weight maintenance program was conducted using Second Life, a Web-based virtual reality environment available to the public. Participants in Second Life create virtual representations of themselves, called ''avatars,'' which can interact with other avatars and navigate through the virtual world of Second Life. Voice communication is accomplished via headset, which allows for person-to-person and group interaction. Education and training takes place on an ''island,'' which is purchased from Second Life and provides restricted group access to the nutrition education/training area.

To further explain how Second Life can be used in this capacity, Dr. Sullivan explains, "Individuals who want to participate in real-life scenarios without real-life repercussions can use virtual reality. For example, participants can practice meal planning, grocery shopping, and dietary control when eating at restaurants and holiday parties to a much greater extent with Second Life compared with the time-limited clinic meeting. Virtual reality may even be able to serve as a more feasible option to monitor individuals after completing a weight loss program."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier Health Sciences.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Debra K. Sullivan et al. Improving Weight Maintenance Using Virtual Reality (Second Life). Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, May/June 2013

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/bogh1gGK3B8/130426115628.htm

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Apps of the Week: Scam School, Sixaxis Controller, House of the Dead Overkill and more!

Apps of the Week

Your weekly look at the apps we're using from day to day

You probably know it by this point, but every week we take just a little time for each of the Android Central writers to show off one of the apps they've been using on their own device in the previous week. They may not be the most popular or well-known, but they work for us, and we think that merits letting the readers know about them as well.

Another great random assortment of apps awaits you after the break, so stick around and see how we did with our picks this week.

read more

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ZQJe5ZwJTzg/story01.htm

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

How much does a trip to India cost? | Live Free Die Travelling

So you have a dream to travel to India and you need an answer to the simple question? ?How much does it cost to travel to and in India??
Well that really depends upon a number of factors; some which apply to all travellers, some which are consequent upon your itinerary and others which are very specifically determined by the comfort and style of travelling that only you can select.

6 weeks in India

Taj_Mahal_India129My partner and I have just returned from a 6 week tour of India when we made every effort to realise her childhood dreams of visiting some of the most significant ancient places in India including the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

Quit our jobs

Having resigned our positions in fairly stressful occupations and been going through a precarious house sale we decided our first incursion into the madness of India should be into the less frenetic Kerala State in the south for a relaxing recuperation on the beach. After that we moved throughout India in an attempt to capture as much as possible but certainly not wishing it to be a pure ?Tick in the Box? lightning tour.Amritsar_India109

What do I need to know?

I will attempt to highlight all the considerations needed to plan your tour of India and begin to understand the cost implications of each decision. Based upon our financial situation we decided, even though we might easily have afforded more, to average no more than ?65 daily but in this cost was the amortised cost of our flights which were paid for up front.

?65 daily budget for all costs including flights

For the backpacker this will shock because this is a huge amount on a backpacker budget but for us as house owners and ex professionals in our 50s, having become accustomed to good standard hotels, food, travel etc, this was sometimes a challenge but generally speaking quite fun to keep stock of on the trip. After all we no longer had jobs to support us!!

The factors to be considered (in no specific order of importance)

  • Getting to India
  • Accommodation in India
  • Travel throughout India
  • Activities in India
  • Tourist Attractions in India
  • Food and Drink
  • Currency Exchange Rate
  • On line banking
  • Insurance
  • Health
  • Passport validity dates and Indian Visas
  • Religious, Spiritual or Self Development ambitions
  • Luggage
  • Onward travel

Now- In more depth

Getting to India

Bangalore_India40

    • Where are you coming from?
    • Is this a separate stage in a longer Asian tour
    • Do you wish to fly or perhaps cruise on a liner
    • Cost of flights
    • Our flight costs from London Gatwick to Cochin International via Dubai were ?530 rtn and identified using Skyscanner a very convenient to use travel comparison site.
    • Do you wish to break up your long haul flight with a stopover
    • Do you wish to fly Economy, 1st Class or Business Class
    • Do you have frequent flyer miles you could utilise
    • Do you have a favourite airline and if so does it fly to India
    • Which airport in India do you wish to land in and then where to leave from (we flew into Cochin and departed from Delhi to avoid having to return all the way to Cochin)?
    • How will you get to the airport in your country (to avoid heavy parking charges for a 6 week period we hired a ?one way? car rental with drop off at Gatwick Airport)?cost about ?35
    • Could you make this a ?Round the World? experience and take advantage of some offers on multi stop tickets whilst at the same time possibly visiting other countries you have always had on your ?bucket list?
    • If you think there is a likelihood that you may wish to change dates on your flight/flights then consider buying a flexi ticket for a small premium giving you additional flexibility. I did this on my return ticket to allow me to extend my trip and achieved this through STA Travel who provided and excellent service.

Accommodation

  • This comes in all forms from Former Raj Palaces, Colonial Mansions, small guest houses (homestays), budget, backpacker, 5*, houseboats and all manner in between
  • To capture the true essence of India and to stimulate our passion for variety we sought to use as many different accommodations as possible within our budget.
  • What is your tolerance to ?unusual? standards and could you adjust?otherwise you may have to consider quite expensive options to meet your standards?this is India the place you want to experience and it would not be India if everything was as you would expect back home.
  • We would recommend booking your first night in any new location via the internet to ensure you reduce the stress related with searching in a new environment?often in the early hours of the morning.
  • We usually booked a basic double room with en suite facilities and paid between Rs700 and Rs1400 but on the special occasion of my birthday, whilst visiting the Taj Mahal, we spent Rs2500 on the room.?
  • The 24 hour Houseboat experience cost Rs9000 for two of us and this gave us our own room on board with and evening meal and breakfast served to us. The boat was ours exclusively and the slow meandering around the backwaters of Kerala is very much recommended.
  • By stark contrast, and to gain an extra experience and a relaxing chill out we booked the Uppal Hotel in Delhi close to the airport so that we could do nothing other than relax by the pool before heading home?a sort of airlock/recalibration experience. This 5* luxury cost ?45 with the meals on top pretty much doubling that. Trust me though, whilst this piece of luxury may have been welcome after 6 weeks on the road and rail it was nothing other than what you would expect from a quality hotel ANYWHERE in the world?.this had nothing Indian about it other than some misinterpretations in the language.

Travel internal to India

Flights?

Trains

Now?you simply have to experience at least one train trip whilst in India otherwise you will never be able to tell the folks back home you REALLY experienced India.
Trains are extremely cheap, really cheap, cheap or very reasonable dependent upon the class of carriage you opt for. India has the largest rail network in the world and there is an excellent article outlining everything you need to know about trains in India here.

But in summary you have 3rd class, 2nd class, sleeper class and first class with variables dependent upon whether you go for the A/C (air conditioning) options which are not always available on certain routes. The express train is an oxymoron compared to European or American high speed services but will still get you there marginally before the non-express train.

Costs for our train journeys varied from Rs300 to Rs1600 (exchange rate at time ?1=Rs80) and these were all significant distances and usually overnight with varying sleeper classes experienced (we NEVER went cattle class because despite it costing only a few Rupees? this was just not worth it?packed, dirty and uncomfortable as opposed to packed, fairly dirty and less uncomfortable!)

Booking rail tickets has its own complications and is one of the areas which DOES require a little bit of prior planning. Do take additional photocopies of your passport with you along with additional passport type photographs?India is not quite up to speed with paperless processes so it is good to be prepared. These precautions could help you gain access to the emergency tourist quota of tickets available on most trains at a slight premium.

Bus

Like the trains in India there is a massive network which is the mainstay transport for the majority. It does mean there are varying standards however; in general, any routes servicing the needs of the tourist have a variety of buses and standards.
The bus is cheap. Munnar to Bangalore was about Rs1600 for two on a ?Volvo deluxe sleeper? and was about 11 hours journey?.at least two hours of which was equivalent to the scariest ride in Disneyland!!
There are standard tourist class buses similar to the UK National Express (old version of course) or the American Greyhound services and then there are the buses catering for overnight journeys which can be semi sleeper or full sleeper and we tried both of these. Usually you will need to take the bus from remote places like Daramsala, Periyar, Munnar etc because the rail link does not reach here and you only other option would be to hire a taxi (driver and car as opposed to a metered ride)

Taxi

We discovered whilst in Kerala that the best way to get to some of our destinations was by hiring a driver and car (taxi) at a negotiated fixed rate dependent upon the distance covered and the terrain. We used drivers on numerous occasions and this did give us flexibility and saved worrying about directions, catching buses, changing buses, toilets etc?all covered and accommodated by having your own man. For backpackers this appears expensive but if you have a few people going the same way then it provides and economy of scale with no hassle.
A driver and A/C car will cost between ?25 and ?40 per day and the trip can be up to 5 hours driving into the hills, it sounds perhaps a little expensive but when you consider the time and distance this is pretty good value. A friend of ours from Wales, UK, hired a driver for 2 weeks and directed him to find good clean budget accommodation each evening as part of his duties and the cost was about ?400 for the 2 weeks?and the experienced chauffeur took them to places they could never have expected to reach by public transport?.and they did not have to worry about the accommodation (cost of accommodation was separate but the driver was directed to find it within the budget set by our friend)

Auto Rickshaw

Everywhere in India has its own auto rickshaws or tuk tuks?.you will simply have no option but to use them but after the first time when you will probably be frightened for your life you will come to enjoy the freedom to see around and simultaneously be mesmerised by the driving antics all around you.

These modes of transport afford you the best, quickest and most reliable form of short distance travel?enjoy.

The price is another element of course and you simply must agree the price prior to getting in the tuk tuk. The driver will ALWAYS request a higher fare so the easiest and best way to negotiate a price/barter if you are not familiar with the ?going rate? is to cut the drivers price in half and then when he gasps just insist it is your last offer?he will come back with different and then you can decide to be fair and add about 10-20% on top of your final offer. The process is fun and let?s face it the costs are ridiculously low compared to a cab in our country?a good friendly driver is worth holding on to and they will undoubtedly offer you their extended services. Rides cost from Rs10 to Rs250 on long journeys.

Where to visit

India is a massive country and the question of where to go is probably the biggest set of decisions to be made in the planning of your trip.
Agra_India299173That said, our trip was largely spontaneous so we planned nothing other than our first port of call and then ?winged it? from then on; but this was OUR conscious decision because we wished for the flexibility this afforded us you may well need to organise things differently. In the whole of this marvellous country we had only two key places which were ?must sees? and the journeys between were easy to fill with unique experiences in this land of plenty.
Arriving in a city is one thing; the ?attractions? in that city are another; so you need to be prepared for the number and scale of what there is to see in each location. Travel guides and websites like this one have a wealth of useful information to help make your choices.

Attractions & Things to Do

All attractions will have an associated cost whether it be in getting there or entrance fees once you do get there. Because they are common places of worship, most of the temples are cost free other than your cost to get there, the exceptions being the ?Muslim Mosques where you will often incur a cost. As an Indian citizen the entrance cost for most attractions is a mere RS20 when to the tourist the costs range from Rs100 to Rs750 at the Taj Mahal (but worth it for sure).

Wildlife reserves and the official and unofficial safaris or tours come at a price and in most cases these are actually set by the Government which means that most tour operator offer almost EXACTLY the same tour dressed up slightly differently.

A worthwhile visit to a Spice Garden in Periyar was Rs100 and worth every Rupee whilst the entrance fee to the Tea Museum & Factory was about Rs500 and didn?t match the garden for value. The facts are that you WILL pay??out so just budget for it.

My estimate would be to factor in Rs300 per attraction and the cost should average out nicely

?Places of Interest

  • Temples?
  • Mosques
  • Wildlife reserves
  • State Monuments
  • People Places
  • Shopping opportunities
  • Adventure opportunities
  • Food, Drink and Culture
  • Museums
  • Formal Gardens
  • Botanic Gardens
  • Zoos
  • Galleries
  • Theatres
  • Parades
  • Festivals
  • Rituals
  • Villages

Insurance

  • A good comprehensive insurance is a must when heading to foreign countries and perhaps more so when heading to India with the omnipresent potential for ailments due to the completely different culture.
  • Insurance is often best purchased on a long term basis so that it covers for more than one trip but you do need to be conscious of length of trips.
  • Age plays a factor in your insurance?.my son bought yearly backpacker insurance for a pittance ?but the same company would not cover me because I was over 55. I eventually gained insurance for 4 months for about ?120.

Food and Drink

Food

One of the reason for travelling to India must surely be to sample the fantastic aromatic and spicy dishes on offer around the country. As for the budget then the news is fairly good depending upon where you eat.

You can experience great food from many of the kerbside stalls, experience equally great food from the many shady looking cafes and restaurants, experience equally wonderful food in better surroundings and trappings in a more expensive place. Generally speaking though, regardless of how diligent you are at?hygiene, there is every chance you might get the dreaded Delhi belly at some point and the guarantee is you will have no clue which part of the Indian culture brought it on!

Sensible precautions are obviously recommended but even this may do nothing other than perhaps spoil an experience of a lifetime by not trying some of the local food.

?2 for breakfast ?4 for lunch and ?4 for evening meal

As for the cost?.meals in middle of the road restaurants will cost between ?1 and ?4 for most main courses?often for the whole meal including drinks. Budget for about ?2 for breakfast ?4 for lunch and ?4 for evening meal if you can stomach it. We probably did not come near this though and the portions of food in general are enormous. Sadly this was no help to me because my partner is vegetarian and I aint?.she wins in India!!!

Drink

Drink though is much more of an issue. Unless you are staying 5* and prepared to pay a sizeable amount for a bottle of wine?forget wine on the trip. The local wine we sampled was the only drink?almost in my whole life?that I refused to drink and sent back.

All?alcohol?in many parts of India is restricted to say the least but when available and on offer, beer will cost between Rs150 and Rs350 per 650ml bottle.

In Rishikesh for example there was no beer ANYWHERE and no meat either?despite this we actually stayed here the longest period during our trip.

Currency Exchange Rate

Little to say on this one other than to gauge when the right time is to change any currency but the best option is to load up a Cash Currency Card available from a number of places but we got ours from Thomas Cookes in UK. Thisis a safe way to carry currency and saves on cash withdrawal charges.It is just like a debit card really but preloaded.

Online Banking

There is no cost implications here but it is worthwhile notifying your bank so that your card is not stopped. Be aware that you willincur banking charges for each withdrawal?and this can mount up because the maximum I have been able to withdraw per visit has been Rs10000 just over ?100. It is worth taking two bank cards if you have two bank accounts?just belt and braces.

Health

  • Make sure you have any medical and dental check-ups needed before travelling
  • Make sure you have all?inoculations?and jabs?relevant?to where you are visiting; some of these will cost to have updated.
  • If travelling for a longer period ensure you have sufficient medication or contact lenses to last the duration.
  • Purchase what ever Malaria protection your doctors recommend.
  • Medical assistance in India is remarkably good and surprisingly cheap too.

Passport validity dates and Indian Visa

Your passport must have sufficient time left on it otherwise you will need to consider renewing it prior to travel at the relevant cost.

You will certainly require a visa and this varies in cost from country to country. In the UK we paid ?100 but you dohave to send away your passport and allow time for processing so do allow at least 2 weeks.

Religious, Spiritual or Self Development ambitions

If you are intentupon conducting any courses whilst in In India you should factor in the cost of these. There are a plethora of yoga, meditation and slf enlightenment courses on offer virtually everywhere in India and the difficulty will be to determine one that suits and at what cost.

As an example, yoga and meditation courses we attended in and Ashram in Rishikesh cost us Rs100 to Rs150 per session and a course can last pretty much any length of time you wish.

Luggage

All the Samsonite and Gucci designer luggage is going to be wasted in India. There are few places you could use a ?wheelie? case so dont even consider bringing it. Both of us bought rucksacks with front opening capability and are really glad we done so?but it is an extra expense of about ?50 to ?110.

Onward travel

If you have booked return flights then this really doesn?t apply but for me I had decided to head into Nepal and so there is the cost?associated?with this to consider.

My flight from Delhi to Kathmandu cost ?60 and my entry visa another $40.

Summary Cost

The final figure for our trip is now fully realised and we were able to stay within our budget give or take a few quid so the upshot is that doing a long trip like this is possible on ?65 per day.

If you do decide on a shorter trip then obviously the cost of the flights would be more significant when looked at on a daily basis.

I hope this brief article might help you at least to consider certain elements in your planning and if you have questions on any aspect please feel free to post a comment and I will respond fairly sharply?..safe trip and do not be put off by some of my flippant comments?India is a unique and wonderful place to travel to.

cheers ?Gary :)

How much does a trip to India cost?

Need more info, have a question or got some feedback? If so, please use the comments section below and I'll get back to you in a flash! ?:-D

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Source: http://www.livefreedietravelling.com/travel/how-much-does-a-trip-to-india-cost/

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Luis Suarez won't appeal 10-match ban for biting

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:50 a.m. ET April 26, 2013

LONDON (AP) -The English Football Association says Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has not appealed his 10-match ban for biting an opponent during a Premier League game.

Suarez's suspension begins immediately, meaning he will miss the last four games of this season and the first six of the next.

The Uruguay international was handed one of English football's harshest penalties for on-the-field misbehavior for biting Branislav Ivanovic's arm during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

Suarez could have appealed against the decision to add seven games to the regular three for violent conduct, which the FA deemed insufficient.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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PST: One thing Landon Donovan has always been is humble. The U.S. winger proved that again on Thursday when he agreed with comments made about him by Jurgen Klinsmann.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51674565/ns/sports-soccer/

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Paytouch lets your fingerprints make purchases, hopes to expand into Europe and America next year

Paytouch lets your fingerprints make purchases, hopes to expand into Europe and America next year

The business of commerce is alive and well, and while there's far too much noise for anyone to stand on the mobile side, Paytouch is hoping to add a new wrinkle on the conventional end. The Barcelona-based outfit was on hand here at The Next Web Conference, showcasing its biometric payment terminal and setting the stage for what's to come. For those unfamiliar, the Paytouch terminal is currently being used at Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel -- users with a Paytouch account simply link their credit card to their fingerprints, and a two-finger press is all it takes to order another glass of sangria. The benefits are fairly obvious for all parties involved. For the consumer, there's no longer a need to carry a credit card that can be skimmed, lost or stolen; for the retailer, it's able to encourage impulse buying in an entirely new way; for Paytouch, there's a commission paid on each purchase.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/paytouch-fingerprints-purchase-terminal-expansion/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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38 die in psychiatric hospital fire outside Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) ? At least 38 people died in a fire in a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow late Thursday night.

Police said the fire, which broke out at about 2 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Eastern, 2200 GMT) in the one-story hospital in the Ramenskoye settlement, was caused by a short circuit, the RIA Novosti reported on Friday.

Officials from the Russian Investigative Committee later said they are looking at poor fire regulations and short circuit as possible causes.

By early Friday morning, investigators listed 38 people ? 36 patients and two doctors ? as dead. Only three nurses managed to escape. The emergency services also posted a list of the patients indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76.

Health Ministry officials said that hospital housed patients with severe mental disorders. Vadim Belovoshin from the emergency situations ministry official told the Itar-TASS news agency that the windows in the hospital were barred but said there were two fire escapes.

Belovoshin also said that it took fire fighters an hour to get to the hospital following an emergency call because a local ferry across the river was closed and the fire fighters had to make a detour.

Deadly fires are common in Russia because of wide-spread violations of fire safety rules.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/38-die-mental-hospital-fire-outside-moscow-051615611.html

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Artist Richard Prince didn't infringe photo copyrights: U.S. court

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a closely watched case in the art world, American artist Richard Prince won a federal appeals court order Thursday holding that he did not infringe the copyrights of a photographer by incorporating his images into 25 paintings and collages.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a lower court's finding that Prince must hand over artwork using the photos to Patrick Cariou, whose pictures of Rastafarians in Jamaica were incorporated into art, exhibited in 2007 and 2008.

"These twenty-five of Prince's artworks manifest an entirely different aesthetic from Cariou's photographs," U.S. Circuit Judge Barrington Parker wrote.

The court battle has been considered a test to what extent the appropriation of artists' works is protected from claims of copyright infringement.

The appeal drew friend-of-the-court briefs from a wide range of parties, from the Whitney Museum of American Art to Google Inc, which warned the lower court's ruling deviated from standard copyright analysis in "dangerous" ways.

The ruling is a "huge win for Richard Prince and an entire genre of modern art," said Anthony Falzone, a lawyer for The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which filed a brief backing Prince.

"It recognizes the broad range of meaning that artists create by incorporating existing images into their work," he said.

Prince is a prominent appropriation artist and photographer whose works have appeared in New York's Guggenheim Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Joshua Schiller, a lawyer for Prince at Boies, Schiller & Flexner, said his client was pleased with Thursday's ruling.

Cariou sued Price and the Gagosian Gallery in December 2008 after learning about a show held at the gallery featuring 22 works from a series Prince titled Canal Zone. Thirty of the pieces Prince created for the series incorporated all or part of photos by Cariou that appeared in a 2000 book, "Yes Rasta."

Some of Prince's works sold for more than $2 million. He sold eight for $10.5 million and traded seven others for works by painter Larry Rivers and sculptor Richard Serra, according to the appeals court decision.

Prince argued that his use of the photographs was protected under the theory of fair use, saying his work was "transformative."

Thursday's ruling reverses an order by U.S. District Court Deborah Batts in Manhattan, who had concluded that Prince was not protected from liability because his paintings did not "comment on" or critically refer back to the original works.

Daniel Brooks, a lawyer for Cariou at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, said he believed the court got the law wrong "in a number of ways," and said he was considering his options.

He said the ruling does not provide any guidance for future cases to figure out if an artist violates copyright laws through appropriation.

"It just seems somewhat subjective," he said.

The appeals court sent the dispute over five of Prince's works back to the trial court to determine whether some alterations were enough to avoid a finding of infringement.

Hollis Gonerka Bart, a lawyer for the Gagosian Gallery and owner Larry Gagosian, said the case will now likely proceed as a trial on the five remaining works. Her client intends to "defend vigorously" itself, she said.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/artist-richard-prince-didnt-infringe-photo-copyrights-u-182257589--sector.html

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thailand bans film about Thai-Cambodian border row

BANGKOK (AP) ? Thailand's film censors have banned a documentary about the country's long-running border dispute with neighboring Cambodia as a threat to national security, the filmmaker said Wednesday.

"Boundary" tells the story of the Thai-Cambodian conflict through accounts of an ex-soldier who lives near the border, as well as villagers from the two countries. It also touches on other conflicts in Thailand, including the 9-year-old insurgency in the south and the political divisiveness that led to a deadly military crackdown on protesters in 2010.

Director Nontawat Numbenchapol said the Culture Ministry's film screening office informed him that the movie's content "is a threat to national security and international relations." He said he will appeal the ban.

The border dispute has its roots in a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple stands in Cambodia. Thailand's government argues that definitive boundaries have never been drawn in the area around the World Heritage-listed site.

The dispute has become a rallying point for many Thai nationalists, who don't recognize the court's ruling and say the area, including the temple, belongs to Thailand and they have pressured politicians to keep pressing the issue.

The Thai and Cambodian armies have repeatedly clashed in the disputed area in recent years, including in April 2011, when 17 soldiers and a civilian were killed and thousands near the temple were displaced.

In 2011, the court in The Hague created a demilitarized zone around the temple but troops were not withdrawn until a year later.

The court is currently hearing testimony from both sides after they asked it to clarify its original ruling.

According to Nontawat, the film and video screening sub-committee said some of the claims in the documentary, including accounts from the Cambodian side, were "groundless."

The censors also said some information presented in the film was still being deliberated by the court and had yet to be formally resolved.

"I made this movie to create the space for people living near the border to speak their mind," Nontawat said, adding that he was stunned by the decision. "Now I have to work harder not only to let people know about the border issue, but also about freedom of expression."

Thailand's censors target a wide range of political and social issues. They blur out cigarettes and alcohol on television and crack down on any perceived criticism of the monarchy.

Last year, the film board banned a Thai adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," saying it has content that causes divisiveness among the people. In 2011, the board also banned a movie, called "Insects in the Backyard," about a transgender father struggling to raise two children, citing scenes they deemed immoral and pornographic.

"In the U.S., a movie like 'Bowling for Columbine,' which boldly criticized the president, can still be shown. It sparked constructive arguments and made the country more developed," Nontawat said. "In Thailand, the more you censor things, the more you make the country more outdated."

"Boundary" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and received financial support from international movie funds.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-bans-film-thai-cambodian-border-row-040350874.html

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