Hurricane center pushes to improve storm surge warnings

MIAMI (Reuters) - Friday marks the end of an Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane season where the greatest devastation was caused by water rather than wind, U.S. National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said.

Accordingly, the center is ramping up efforts to develop new warnings that better convey the threat from the deadly storm surge pushed ashore by monsters like Sandy, which slammed the U.S. Northeast in October.

"We've been working toward a new storm surge warning for a few years now," Knabb told Reuters in an interview at the hurricane center in Miami. "And Debby, Isaac and Sandy show us how much we really need to hit the accelerator on getting that storm surge warning out the door."

Debbie, Isaac and Sandy were three of the four storms that hit the United States during the 2012 season.

Starting with a meeting next week, the forecasters will review their warning systems and speed up development of a separate warning system for storm surge in hopes of having an experimental version ready to test in the next couple of years, Knabb said.

It will include a high-resolution graphic showing how high the surge would grow and how far inland it would reach at various times. Storm surge rarely correlates neatly with wind strength, Knabb said.

"Hurricane-force winds and storm surge doesn't always occur in the same places or at the same times when a storm approaches," he said. "Where the storm surge occurs is very dependent upon details of the coastline and the elevations and all that."

The United States is increasingly at risk from storm surge. Much of its densely populated Atlantic and Gulf coastlines lie less than 10 feet above sea level, and the seas are gradually rising as the Earth warms and ice caps and glaciers melt.

At the same time, the population in the hurricane region is growing rapidly. From 1990-2008, population density increased by 32 percent in Gulf coastal counties, 17 percent in Atlantic coastal counties, and 16 percent in Hawaii, according to the 2010 Census.

Much of the nation's commerce also depends on seaports and the transit systems that link to them.

Improving the storm surge warning system not only could help tailor evacuation orders as a storm approaches, it could help homeowners, business owners and governments know where and how to fortify before the next season comes.

"We can't hope that it doesn't happen again ... because it will. It's just a matter of when, not if," Knabb said.

Superstorm Sandy highlighted the need for more flexible warnings and greater focus on storm surge.

RAMPAGE

After killing 69 people on a rampage through the Caribbean, Sandy hit the densely populated northeastern United States in October, killing at least 131 more people and causing an estimated $71.3 billion of damage in New York and New Jersey.

It leveled entire beach towns, flooded subways and tunnels, paralyzed the nation's financial capital and knocked out power to 8.5 million customers in 21 states.

The behemoth storm was more than 900 miles wide as it churned northward up the Atlantic. It approached New Jersey as a hurricane, a spiraling system that draws energy from warm seas and has its strongest winds around the center.

Just offshore, it morphed into an extra-tropical "Nor'easter," a colder storm that draws energy from the atmosphere and spreads the strongest winds over a broader area. That did not lessen the danger.

"The ocean was churned up over a long period of time by this massive wind field. Tropical or not, we knew the storm surge hazard was going to be significant," said Knabb, who had warned for days that Sandy would push a surge of seawater up to 11 feet high over parts of New York and New Jersey.

"That's what did most of the damage in Sandy," he said. "We had a huge area impacted by storm surge and waves and most of that area did not get hurricane-force winds."

The hurricane center worked closely with local government officials who ordered evacuations in low-lying areas, and waged an intense media campaign to get the warnings out.

But since Sandy was not expected to be a hurricane or tropical storm at landfall, it didn't fit neatly into the hurricane center's standard package of warnings and graphics that focus on wind.

Hurricane watches and warnings, which are issued by local governments on the advice of forecasters, are based on expectations for strong winds within 36 to 48 hours.

The forecasters did not want hurricane warnings issued only to have them taken down when Sandy made its anticipated transition to an extra-tropical storm near the shore. They feared that would create a false impression that the danger was over just when it was greatest.

"It would have really caused a lot of confusion for a lot of people trying to make decisions and evacuate," Knabb said.

Another option - "faking it" and pretending it was still a hurricane when it wasn't - would have been an obvious deception, Knabb said.

"We do need to have some credibility and call it like we see it," he said.

Instead, the hurricane center continued to issue advisories in the regular format and through its regular distribution system, stressing the storm surge danger and referring people to their local Weather Service office for specific flood projections.

In all, the 2012 season brought 19 tropical storms, 10 of which strengthened into hurricanes.

That made it a busier-than-average year that topped the seasonal forecasts issued in the spring by government and private meteorologists.

But none of the storms that hit the United States this year were "major" hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson scale that ranks them into five categories according to their wind strength. Most were not even hurricanes, which are tropical cyclones with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour.

Beryl was a tropical storm when it swirled ashore in Florida and soaked the southeastern United States in May, before the season officially began. Debby was also a tropical storm when it dumped 2 feet of rain over northern Florida in June, sending thousands fleeing from rapidly rising rivers.

Tropical Storm Isaac delayed the start of the Republican National Convention when it brushed by Tampa, Florida. It strengthened into a hurricane that flooded the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts and put New Orleans' refurbished levees to the test.

Despite storm surges that topped 12 feet, the elaborate defenses built to protect the city after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster withstood the onslaught.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-center-pushes-improve-storm-surge-warnings-174150385.html

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Get A Lot More Done With Internet Marketing And Building Your ...

You would like being familiar with website marketing. With the much information available online, it is challenging to define what?s legitimate and what?s trash. In this post we offers you excellent guidelines that will just do the job.

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Source: http://blog.onewaylinksite.com/get-a-lot-more-done-with-internet-marketing-and-building-your-internet-business/

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Clarification: Austria-Opera-Alceste story

Country music titan Dolly Parton is anything but shy.In an exclusive interview with "Nightline," Parton dished about her love life (including those rumors that she is secretly gay), losing a drag queen lookalike contest and building a multimillion-dollar entertainment empire.Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. ETIn her long reign as a country music legend, Parton, now 66, has done it all. In her new motivational memoir, "Dream More," which will be released on Nov. 27, Parton talks about growing up dirt poor in Sevierville, Tenn., in a cabin with 11 siblings. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clarification-austria-opera-alceste-story-135108424.html

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At renovated Iraq shrine, Shiites mark a holy day

Shiite Muslim worshippers gather outside Imam Hussein shrine, seen in the background, to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura, an important period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. The festival of Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in the year A.D. 680. (AP Photo / Khalid Mohammed)

Shiite Muslim worshippers gather outside Imam Hussein shrine, seen in the background, to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura, an important period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. The festival of Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in the year A.D. 680. (AP Photo / Khalid Mohammed)

Shiite Muslim worshippers gather at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura, an important period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. The festival of Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in the year A.D. 680. (AP Photo / Khalid Mohammed)

Shiite Muslim worshippers gather outside Imam Hussein shrine, seen in the background, to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura, an important period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. The festival of Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in the year A.D. 680. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Pakistani Shiite Muslims touch a horse, to symbolize the horse that carried Imam Hussein during the battle of Karbala, to pay tribute during a Muharram procession in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Muharram is a month of mourning in remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Shiite Muslim worshippers beat themselves inside the holy shrine of Imam Hussein to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura, an important period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. The festival of Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in the year A.D. 680. (AP Photo / Khalid Mohammed)

KARBALA, Iraq (AP) ? It is the most impassioned day of the year for Shiite Muslims ? Ashoura, when one of the faith's most revered figures, Imam Hussein, was martyred in battle. Hundreds of thousands of Shiites who flocked to his resplendent, gold-domed shrine to commemorate him Saturday found the site has radically changed.

The shrine of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is seeing its most extensive renovation since the 17th century. The construction is part of a push by Iraq's Shiite rulers to reinvigorate sacred shrines long neglected under former dictator Saddam Hussein, reflecting the community's steadily growing pride and power since the fall of their nemesis.

Now worshippers find the shrines' minarets coated in gold and ? in the most dramatic change ? the sweeping plaza surrounding the mosque has been covered over with a series of domes to provide shade from the hot sun in the desert city of Karbala.

Not everyone is happy with the changes. Five experts on the shrine, including three who advised on individual parts of the renovation, say the drama of the shrine has been lost.

The covering of the once-open plaza, they argue, ruined the visual experience. Pilgrims no longer can see the awe-striking view of the mosque as they pass through the sprawling, light-filled plaza, then into the dazzlingly colorful mosque, finally reaching their ultimate destination: Hussein's richly ornate tomb, they said.

"They sacrificed considerations of Islamic architecture to do it," said Haider Naji, one of the experts.

On Saturday, throngs of Shiites who came from across the country ? some marching for miles on foot in processions ? converged on the shrine, one of the holiest sites of the faith. Men cloaked in black beat giant drums, youths blew military-style bugles, and others carried platters of sweets to sustain energy, decorated with dyed pink and blue feathers.

Outside the shrine, the crowds held Ashoura's blood-soaked, emotional pageantry of grief. Men and boys dressed in white burial shrouds ? to show their willingness to die for Hussein ? whipped their backs with chains and cut their heads with knives, drenching themselves in blood to mourn his loss. Men and women wailed in mourning, breaking down into tears.

Others dressed as the historic figures from the 7th century battle ? Hussein, in green, and his enemies, in red, with turbans decked with feather plumes, leather battle vests and swords. A fountain of fake red blood bubbled before the shrine. A horse covered with a sheet stained red was led through the crowds, representing Hussein's white steed Zuljanah, which is said to have been riddled by arrows as it tried to shield its wounded master.

Ashoura marks the martyrdom of Hussein in a battle at Karbala in the deserts south of present-day Baghdad. The event is one of the defining moments in the split between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam.

Shiites believe Hussain's father Imam Ali was Muhammad's rightful successor and that was he unfairly passed over by the caliphs considered by Sunnis as the rightful line. Hussein led a revolt against the Damascus-based Sunni caliph, who sent an army that crushed Hussein's small band of fighters at Karbala.

In commemorations for Ashoura held by Shiites around the world Saturday, details of the battle are retold or recreated in passion plays that bring wails of sorrow and pity from the crowds.

The stories are deeply engrained in Shiites' consciousness. The agonizing thirst of Hussein's wife and children in the desert after the besieging enemy stopped their water supply. The heroic, doomed attempt to bring them water by Hussein's half-brother al-Abbas, who ? even after the enemy cut off his arms ? rode gripping the water-skin in his teeth until he died in a hail of arrows. The killing of Hussein's loyalists one by one until Hussein was alone, wounded and finally beheaded.

So strong are the passions that onlookers sometimes stone the actor playing Hussein's killer, Shimr. At a Baghdad shrine on Saturday, the play's "Shimr" broke character to weepingly ask the audience's forgiveness, pleading that someone had to take the role.

The day has often been a chance for Sunni militants to attack Shiites, whom they see as heretics. Iraq has seen repeated deadly bombings against Ashoura ceremonies in past years, though there were no immediate reports of violence this year. In Pakistan's tribal region on Saturday, a bomb blast struck an Ashoura procession, killing seven people, including three children.

The renovations at the shrine in Karbala are the latest evolution in what was once the austere, tree-marked grave of Hussein. Over the centuries, it became more ostentatious, culminating in the shrine built in the 17th century by artisans from the nearby Persian Safavid empire, according to Ghada Razouki, an expert in medieval Islamic architecture.

Under the shrine's gold-plated dome, Hussein's sarcophagus is drenched five tons of silver and 120 kilograms (260 pounds) of engraved gold. The mosque is etched inside and out with geometrical designs, verses from the Quran and the names of Muhammad's family in green, blue and yellow. Tiny mirrors reflecting light line the arched ceiling above the sarcophagus.

The current renovations, launched in 2005, aim to provide more room to crowds reaching some two million pilgrims, said Sheik Salah al-Haydari, head of the Shiite Muslim endowment, which has overall control of Iraq's Shiite shrines.

The plaza that surrounds the shrine has been covered over with the domed roof and will be expanded four-fold to 24,000 square meters (260,000 square feet) by 2013, said Mohammed Kadhem, who is leading the $50 million project. One extension of 6,000 square meters (65,000 square feet) has been completed.

The ancient wall surrounding the shrine has been replaced with multi-level buildings with extra prayer spaces, offices and a museum. The shrine's minarets were coated in gold.

Al-Haydari countered the criticisms, saying, "We are continuing the architectural style that is there, like a river continuing its path."

To recreate the dramatic open space around the shrine, urban planners reviving Karbala's old city will increase plaza space outside the site's gates, said Mohammed al-Assam of Dewan Architects.

Shiite officials are also renovating the shrine of al-Abbas next to Hussein's, that of Imam Ali in neighboring Najaf, and the shrine of his descendants in Baghdad.

The rush to improve the shrines became more determined after al-Qaeda militants in 2006 blew up the golden dome of a shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad. The destruction of the al-Askari shrine ? now rebuilt ? underscored to Shiite officials the need to rebuild and glorify their shrines to demonstrate their growing power.

"Shiite areas are now in the hands of Shiites. What is happening is natural and it shows their control," said analyst Hadi Jalo.

In contrast to the architects, worshippers aid the changes to the once-neglected shrine should have been even grander.

"All these changes are but a little for the Imam Hussein," said Ahmad Ali, who just arrived in Karbala from Baghdad. "But thank God it's better than before: there's air conditioning, protection from the sun and rain," he said.

Speaking before walking from Baghdad to Karbala, Abdullah Ashraf, 25, said worrying about changes to the shrine misses the point.

"What makes the Hussein shrine alive is the memory of his story."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-24-Iraq-Shiite%20Shrine/id-aa872ca0bffe438cbe61e4c4cd906f6c

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Korean Startup Accelerator SparkLabs Unveils Its First Class, Bolsters Its Advisory Board

It seems like it's been ages since SparkLabs revealed its intentions to nurture a handful of promising startups in South Korea (it was actually the end of July), but now the accelerator has officially pulled back the curtains on its inaugural class.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/31kJQlhibmg/

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Local Businesses Hope Customers Support Small Business ...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ? Right in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Small Business Saturday. It?s a national push to get more customers out to community stores. As Gigi Barnett explains, there?s another benefit of spending money close to home.

Sale signs line the aisles and cash registers chime at big box stores on the busiest shopping weekend of the year. But the day after Black Friday leads to Small Business Saturday, a day for local stores to get in on the shopping frenzy.

Hiywot Kassa owns Jovial Cafe in the heart of Pigtown. Hers is one of several stores in that neighborhood urging customers to shop small and shop local.

?Every dollar spent here in Pigtown stays here in Pigtown. It?s reinvested and that?s what this is all about,? said Ben Hyman, director of Pigtown Main Street.

Hyman says another reason to shop small is the fact that local stores don?t have the mega-advertising bucks of larger stores but shoppers can still find unique items and help neighbors keep their jobs.

More than 500,000 small businesses across the country are participating.

Source: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/11/24/local-businesses-hope-customers-support-small-business-saturday/

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9 more Iraq, Afghan war veterans joining Congress

FILE This Nov. 6, 2012 file photo shows Iraq war veterans Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard in Honolulu. Veterans groups say the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in Congress is welcome because it comes at a time when the overall number of veterans in Congress is on a steep and steady decline. In the mid-1970s, the vast majority of lawmakers tended to be veterans. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

FILE This Nov. 6, 2012 file photo shows Iraq war veterans Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard in Honolulu. Veterans groups say the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in Congress is welcome because it comes at a time when the overall number of veterans in Congress is on a steep and steady decline. In the mid-1970s, the vast majority of lawmakers tended to be veterans. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

FILE - This Nov. 15, 2012 file photo shows Iraq war veteran, Rep.-elect Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who lost both legs in combat before turning to politics, arriving for a group photo on the East steps of the Capitol in Washington. Veterans groups say the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in Congress is welcome because it comes at a time when the overall number of veterans in Congress is on a steep and steady decline. In the mid-1970s, the vast majority of lawmakers tended to be veterans. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As Tammy Duckworth sees it, her path to Congress began when she awoke in the fall of 2004 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She was missing both of her legs and faced the prospect of losing her right arm.

Months of agonizing therapy lay ahead. As the highest-ranking double amputee in the ward, Maj. Duckworth became the go-to person for soldiers complaining of substandard care and bureaucratic ambivalence.

Soon, she was pleading their cases to federal lawmakers, including her state's two U.S. senators at the time ? Democrats Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois. Obama arranged for her to testify at congressional hearings. Durbin encouraged her to run for office.

She lost her first election, but six years later gave it another try and now is one of nine veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who will serve in next year's freshman class in the of House of Representatives.

Veterans' groups say the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is welcome because it comes at a time when the overall number of veterans in Congress is on a steep and steady decline. In the mid-1970s, the vast majority of lawmakers tended to be veterans.

For example, the 95th Congress, which served in 1977-78, had more than 400 veterans among its 535 members, according to the American Legion. The number of veterans next year in Congress will come to just more than 100. Most served during the Vietnam War era. In all, 16 served in Iraq or Afghanistan, not all in a combat role.

"We're losing about a half a million veterans a year in this country," said Tom Tarantino, chief policy officer at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America. "We are not going to be in a world where a significant plurality of people spent some time in the military, so to have 16 men and women who fought in this current Congress is incredibly significant."

Tarantino said he recognizes that the 16 Iraq and Afghanistan vets have wide-ranging political views. But at the end of the day, he said, their shared experiences make it more likely they'll put political differences aside on issues like high unemployment and suicide rates among returning veterans, or in ensuring that veterans get a quality education through the post-9/11 GI bill.

Their election victories also provide a sense of assurance to veterans.

"The biggest fear we have as veterans is that the America people are going to forget us," Tarantino said. "When you have an 11-year sustained war, the fight doesn't end when you pull out."

Duckworth carries the highest profile of the incoming vets. She was co-piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade landed in her lap, ripping off one leg and crushing the other. At Walter Reed, she worried about what life as a double amputee had in store. But during her recovery, she found a new mission ? taking care of those she describes as her military brothers and sisters. That mission led her to a job as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs during Obama's first term.

"Had I not been in combat, my life would have never taken this path. You take the path that comes in front of you," Duckworth said from a wheelchair last week as she and her fellow freshmen went through orientation at the Capitol. "For me, I try to live every day honoring the men who carried me out of that field because they could have left me behind, and they didn't."

Duckworth is one of two freshmen Democrats who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The other is Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who served near Baghdad for a year and was a medical operations specialist. Gabbard said she hopes the two of them can be a voice for female veterans and the unique challenges they face.

About 8 percent of veterans are women. They tend to be younger on average. Nearly one in five seen by the Department of Veterans Affairs responds yes when screened for military sexual trauma.

Seven Republicans served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Most had backing from tea party supporters who share their views that the size and scope of the federal government should be curtailed.

?Ron DeSantis of Florida was a judge advocate officer in the Navy who deployed to Iraq as a legal adviser during the 2007 troop surge.

?Brad Wenstrup of Ohio was as a combat surgeon in Iraq.

?Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan served in an administrative capacity with an artillery unit in Iraq and retired after suffering a neck injury. He also served as an infantry rifleman in Vietnam.

?Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma was a combat pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan.

?Scott Perry of Pennsylvania commanded an aviation battalion in Iraq in 2009 and 2010.

?Doug Collins of Georgia was a chaplain in Iraq.

?Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a Harvard Law School graduate, was an infantry platoon leader in Iraq and then was on a reconstruction team in Afghanistan. In between, he was a platoon leader at Arlington National Cemetery.

Cotton said the reason he ran for Congress is the same one that led him to enter the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"I felt we had been attacked for who we are ? the home of freedom," Cotton said. "And I worry now our liberty is threatened at home by the debt crisis we face, which in the long term will mean less prosperity and less opportunity, and therefore less liberty."

Cotton said he could easily see himself working with Duckworth and Gabbard on veteran's issues. "They've carried a heavy load and we owe them a great debt," he said.

At the same time, it's clear the freshmen veterans have clear differences of opinion over policy matters. For example, Gabbard is a strong critic of the war in Afghanistan. She says the United States needs to get out as quickly and safely as possible. Cotton opposes setting timetables for withdrawal.

"We're trying to win a counter-insurgency war where we can put a friendly, allied, stable government in place," Cotton said. "It's certainly been a long and somewhat winding road, but on the whole, America and our interests in the world are much better off for having waged the war in Afghanistan."

There also will be differences over spending priorities. Cotton is reluctant to trim spending on defense as a way to deal with the deficit.

Duckworth said certain programs need close examination, particularly in the area of government contracts. She said she "can actually stand up and talk about defense spending in a way that will be realistic without being attacked for lack of patriotism or not being strong on defense."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-23-Congress-Veterans/id-4a41c7c1bf98491fb6abbf378ae29a48

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Activists hope storm-hit US will deliver at climate talks

Andrew Burton / Reuters

A U.S. flag is seen hanging in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York Nov. 11 in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.

By The Associated Press

During a year with a monster storm and scorching heat waves, Americans have experienced the kind of freakish weather that many scientists say will occur more often on a warming planet.

And as a re-elected president talks about global warming again, climate activists are cautiously optimistic that the U.S. will be more than a disinterested bystander when the U.N. climate talks resume Monday with a two-week conference in Qatar.

"I think there will be expectations from countries to hear a new voice from the United States," said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate and energy program at the World Resources Institute in Washington.

The climate officials and environment ministers meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha will not come up with an answer to the global temperature rise that is already melting Arctic sea ice and permafrost, raising and acidifying the seas, and shifting rainfall patterns, which has an impact on floods and droughts.

They will focus on side issues, like extending the Kyoto protocol ? an expiring emissions pact with a dwindling number of members ? and ramping up climate financing for poor nations.

Climate-changing methane 'rapidly destabilizing' off East Coast, study finds

They will also try to structure the talks for a new global climate deal that is supposed to be adopted in 2015, a process in which American leadership is considered crucial.

Many were disappointed that Obama didn't put more emphasis on climate change during his first term. He took some steps to rein in emissions of heat-trapping gases, such as sharply increasing fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. But a climate bill that would have capped U.S. emissions stalled in the Senate.

Obama: 'I won't go' for climate action that hurts jobs, growth

"We need the U.S. to engage even more," European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard told The Associated Press. "Because that can change the dynamic of the talks."

The world tried to move forward without the U.S. after the Bush Administration abandoned the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 pact limiting greenhouse emissions from industrialized nations that expires this year.

The concentration of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide has jumped 20 percent since 2000, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, according to a U.N. report released this week.

US roads, airports unready for extreme weather

Obama raised hopes of a more robust U.S. role in the talks when he called for a national "conversation" on climate change after winning re-election. The issue had been virtually absent in the presidential campaigning until Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast.

A signal that Washington has faith in the international process would go a long way, analysts said.

For thousands of years, permafrost has trapped Siberia's carbon-rich soil, a compost of Ice Age plant and animal remains. But global warming is melting the permafrost and exposing the soil, causing highly flammable methane to seep out. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.

Thawing Arctic permafrost is releasing methane

"The perception of many negotiators and countries is that the U.S. is not really interested in increasing action on climate change in general," said Bill Hare, senior scientist at Climate Analytics, a non-profit organization based in Berlin.

For example, Hare said, the U.S. could stop "talking down" the stated goal of the U.N. talks to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees C (3.6 F) compared to pre-industrial levels.

Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, caused alarm among climate activists in August when he said that "insisting on a structure that would guarantee such a goal will only lead to deadlock." He later clarified that the U.S. still supports the 2-degree target, but favors a more flexible way to reach it than dividing up carbon rights to the atmosphere.

Ex-climate change skeptic: Humans cause global warming

Countries adopted the 2-degree target in 2009, reasoning that a warming world is a dangerous world, with flooding of coastal cities and island nations, disruptions to agriculture and drinking water, and the spread of diseases and the extinction of species.

A recent World Bank report found the world is on track toward 4 degrees C (6.2 F) of warming, which would entail "extreme heat-waves, declining global food stocks, loss of ecosystems and biodiversity, and life-threatening sea level rise."

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/24/15408232-activists-hope-storm-struck-us-will-deliver-at-doha-climate-talks?lite

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NPR: The Ugly Truth About Food Waste in America

Each year, Americans waste 33 million tons of food. Dana Gunders, a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and author Jonathan Bloom discuss the economic and environmental impacts of food waste, and what can be done to fight the growing problem.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/23/165774988/npr-the-ugly-truth-about-food-waste-in-america?ft=1&f=1007

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Setting up Your Own Webpage Find out how to Web page link ...

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Muscle powers spearing mantis shrimp attacks

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? A hungry mantis shrimp may be the last thing that a passing fish sees before it is snatched from the water by the predator. Maya deVries from the University of California, Berkeley, says 'Spearer mantis shrimps stay in their sandy burrows and they wait for a fast-moving prey item to come by, but then they come out of nowhere and grab the prey with their long skinny appendages.' However, little was know about how these vicious predators unleash their lightning-fast attacks.

According to deVries, the spearing shrimp are closely related to smasher mantis shrimps, which pulverise the shells of crustaceans and molluscs with a single explosive blow from their mighty claws. Having decided to find out how the crustaceans unleash their deadly assaults, deVries says, 'We thought that the spearers would be just as fast -- if not faster -- than the smashers because they have a smaller time window in which to capture their prey.' deVries and her colleagues publish their discovery that Lysiosquillina maculata spearer mantis shrimps power their mighty spears with muscle alone while smaller Alachosquilla vicina spearer mantis shrimps use a more conventional catapult mechanism in The Journal of Experimental Biology.

Working with her PhD advisor, Sheila Patek, deVries took a short trip along the corridor to Roy Caldwell's lab to film some of his L. maculata mantis shrimps. Coaxing the nocturnal lobster-sized crustaceans to assault frozen prawns, deVries recalls that the animals were reluctant to attack; 'They probably didn't like the bright lights', she says. However, when the duo analysed the speed of the strikes, they were surprised that the spearer's harpoon speed was much slower than that of their smashing cousin's. Explaining that smashers can unleash strikes at speeds ranging from 10 to 23m/s, the duo were taken aback that L. maculata could only muster 2 m/s.

Smasher mantis shrimp store catapult energy in skeletal springs that they unleash during a deadly assault; therefore deVries analysed the trajectories of several L. maculata claws in action, and realised that the hefty crustaceans were not using the same mechanism. 'The spear has all the same components [as the smashers]', explains deVries, but she adds that the shape of some of the structures are subtly different and the spring did not deform to store energy prior to an attack -- possibly because it is too stiff -- preventing L. maculata from firing a ballistic attack. 'If the L. maculata movement is similar to other ambush predators that have muscle-driven strikes, it is possible that these guys are creating strikes with muscle movement', says deVries.

Next, deVries and Patek tested the reactions of another, smaller mantis shrimp, Alachosquilla vicina, to find out whether all spearing mantis shrimps have opted for muscle-powered strikes. Elizabeth Murphy filmed the animals snapping up brine shrimp however, it was obvious that the diminutive crustaceans were using a spring-loaded catapult to spear their nimble prey. The team could clearly see energy-storing deformations in the spring structure before the mantis shrimp unfurled their deadly assaults at 6m/s.

But the team were still puzzled by L. maculata's sluggish performance. Maybe the lab-based animals had become too unfit to produce explosive attacks? Traveling to Australia to film L. maculata hunting in the wild, the team were relieved to see that the animals' reactions were well within the range of speeds that they had measured in the lab. Adult L. maculata use muscle-powered attacks all the time.

Having confirmed that it is possible for the large shrimp to produce lightening-fast strikes without using a spring mechanism, deVries says 'We're trying to get more L. maculata in the lab to look at the complete size range in one species to see how the strike scales and to find out if there is a size threshold above which you can't have a spring-loaded strike anymore.'

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Journal of Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. The original article was written by Kathryn Knight.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. deVries, M. S., Murphy, E. A. K. and Patek, S. N. Strike mechanics of an ambush predator: the spearing mantis shrimp. J. Exp. Biol, 215, 4374-4384; 2012 (in press)

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Ntjz9YXkrGw/121122095431.htm

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Syria rebels take army base as 'hotel warriors' struggle

By Reuters

AMMAN - Syrian rebels captured an army base in the eastern oil province of Deir al-Zor on Thursday, striking another blow against President Bashar Assad.

But Syria's newly-united opposition is struggling to consolidate, and even allies such as Tunisia and Libya have yet to lend their official support.

Ann Curry

Ann Curry photographs Syrian rebels and others affected by the conflict.

The capture of the artillery base on the outskirts of Mayadeen, a town on the Euphrates River near some of Syria's main oilfields, further weakens Assad?s control in the strategic region bordering Iraq.

"The whole countryside, from the Iraqi border and along the Euphrates to the city of Deir al-Zor, is now under rebel control," Abu Laila, an official in the Military Revolutionary Council in the province, told Reuters.

He said 44 rebel fighters had been killed in the siege of the base.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the violence from Britain through a network of activists, said government shells struck a building next to Aleppo's Dar al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday, one of the main rebel medical centers, killing 15 people.

Most of the dead were fighters but a doctor and three children also died, it said ? although the claims of individual activists in the conflict are impossible to verify.

Hotel warriors
Syria's new opposition leaders are struggling to win over powerful Islamist rebel combat units, whose radical elements question whether the "hotel warriors" of the fledgling coalition can offer their fighters any real support.?

/

A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country

Islamists have established themselves as the most effective, best armed and fastest growing units in the 20-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.?

Many of them are wary of the National Coalition for Syrian Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, set up earlier this month in an attempt to unify Assad's fractured opponents and win greater international support.

"They are the hotel warriors, we are the men in the trenches. No one should be allowed to marginalize us, politically or militarily. These coalitions are just fighting over us and not for us," said Yassir al-Karaz, a leader in the rebel Tawheed Brigade in northern Aleppo province.

The problem for the new coalition is maintaining the backing of this crucial bloc of Syrian fighters on the ground while bolstering support from Western powers wary of funding a movement that may be linked to extremist groups.?

They're short of medicine, there's no electricity and the basic latrines are seeping sewage. But the continuing air assaults in Syria are forcing thousands of refugees to flee to makeshift camps on the Turkish border. Aid agencies are warning of a growing humanitarian crisis. Alex Thomson Channel 4 Europe reports.

While the coalition has won formal recognition from Turkey, France, Britain and Gulf Arab states, the response from many Islamist fighters has been skeptical.

Tunisia and Libya have agreed to hold off on recognition, saying they want to know more about its makeup before doing so, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said Thursday.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15381283-syria-rebels-seize-army-base-but-hotel-warriors-struggle?lite

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About Lung Cancer | Shannon Miller Lifestyle

Posted In: Health & Wellness : 11/21/2012

Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Are you aware of the current state of lung cancer in America? Do you fear that you may have lung cancer, or do you think that you do not have a chance at getting lung cancer?

You may be at risk of getting lung cancer if you have been exposed to:

• Radon
• Asbestos
• Tobacco smoke: first or second hand
• Dioxins used in wars and battles, such as Agent Orange
• Industrial chemicals
• Unusually high beta-carotene

1. Radon: Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is present in many areas of our country. In particular, Radon could be present inside your home. You cannot smell Radon. It may be in the materials of your house. The EPA can help you find out if your home has radon ? order a simple Radon test kit.? Also from the EPA ? if you find that you do have Radon gas in your home, contact a qualified Radon services professional right away to remove the source of the gas.

2. Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos at any time for any length of time can cause Mesothelioma, a highly deadly lung disease. When a company knows that it has had asbestos in its walls at any time, they are required to notify the people that worked there at that time. Most of the time, the company will order a free asbestosis test to determine if there is an asbestos scar on the lung. At that time, they will determine what the next step should be. In case of tumorous growth and cancer, there are a few very difficult treatments that are being tried in hospitals around the country. One of the newest treatments may be derived from the measles virus. There is also a new biomarker to make testing for mesothelioma easier for the patient. Previously, many tumors were not seen before open-chest surgery.

Mesothelioma is a horrible disease from which to suffer. Unfortunately, the law forbidding asbestos from the American market place was overturned 21 years ago. It is still possible for companies to use this toxic and deadly product, and expose people to it. For more information and to help, see curemeso.org.

3. Tobacco smoke: Most people know that tobacco smoke is dangerous to a person?s lung health. The deadly truth is that a smoker puts his or her family at risk every him they light up. There are 3000 cases of lung cancer due to second hand smoke every year.

4. Dioxins. Many military service members are at risk for lung cancer because of exposure to Agent Orange, kerosene, burning oil, and even possible uranium exposure. For help, see the Veterans? Health Council.

5. Industrial Chemicals. We are exposed to industrial chemicals daily, especially those who live in proximity to industrial plants. Other chemicals that may not be considered quite so often could be chemicals used in the beauty industry or even in painting.

6. ??Unusually high beta-carotene. A recent study shows that people who are already at risk for lung cancer actually increase their risk if they take an additional beta carotene supplement. Therefore, if you are at risk, do not take extra vitamin A outside of your normal food intake.

The bottom line: We are not safe from lung cancer. Even non-smokers can have lung cancer.

Lung Cancer is a terrible and dangerous disease.

To help protect you and your family from lung cancer:

• Refrain from smoking
• Become more aware of the chemicals that surround you and your family
• Get your home tested for Radon
• Avoid exposure to unnecessary chemicals

If you are concerned about your health, or the health of someone in your family, or have further questions about lung cancer, please talk to your doctor.

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Source: http://shannonmillerlifestyle.com/health-and-nutrition/health-and-wellness/lung-cancer

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A Presidential Pythagorean Proof

James Garfield, circa 1870-1880. This image is in the public domain in the U.S. because its copyright has expired.

James Abram Garfield was born on this day, November 19, in 1831. Had an unstable, delusional stalker?s bullets and nineteenth-century medical ?care? not cut short his life just six months into his presidency, he would be 181 today (more on that later). Garfield was an intelligent man who studied some math in college, but contemporary documents tend to highlight his skills and interests in preaching, debate and English rather than mathematics. It is not clear how he became involved with one of the most famous theorems in geometry.

The Pythagorean theorem describes the relationship between the side lengths of a right triangle. The square of the hypotenuse, the longest side, is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides, or more familiarly, a²+b²=c². As with many true things, there are multiple ways to prove this theorem. In a March 7, 1876 diary entry, Garfield, then a congressman from Ohio, mentioned showing a new proof to a mathematics professor at Dartmouth University. Later that year, the proof was published in the New-England Journal of Education (now known simply as the Journal of Education).

The article, which only takes the bottom third of one column, begins, ?In a personal interview with Gen. James A. Garfield, Member of Congress from Ohio, we were shown the following demonstration of the pons asinorum, which he had hit upon in some mathematical amusements and discussions with other M. C.?s [members of Congress]. We do not remember to have seen it before, and we think it something on which the members of both houses can unite without distinction of party.?

Oddly, pons asinorum (Latin for ?bridge of asses?) was usually used to refer to the isosceles triangle theorem in Euclid?s Elements, which holds that in an isosceles triangle (a triangle with two sides of the same length), the angles opposite the congruent sides are themselves congruent. The proof of this theorem was sometimes considered the first challenging problem in the Euclid?s classical geometry text. In this case, however, it is clear that the pons asinorum is the Pythagorean theorem.

The diagram accompanying Garfield's proof of the Pythagorean Theorem in the New-England Journal of Education, 1876. Image: Evelyn Lamb

This helpful diagram illustrates Garfield?s proof. In this trapezoid, the two smaller right triangles are congruent to each other, and the large triangle is an isosceles right triangle. Its non-hypotenuse sides are the hypotenuses of the smaller triangles. The proof relies on finding the area of the trapezoid in two different ways: by using the area formula for the trapezoid and by adding up the areas of the three triangles. Because the area is the same no matter how we dissect the trapezoid, we end up with equations relating the side lengths of the smaller right triangles. (For full details and some more proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, check out the Wolfram MathWorld page on the Pythagorean theorem.)

Originality is sometimes in the eye of the beholder: Garfield?s exact argument does not appear anywhere else prior to the 1876 journal article, but it is extremely similar to a proof from the classical Chinese astronomy and mathematics text Zhou Bing Suan Jing, which was probably compiled during the first century BCE.

The diagram from the classical Chinese proof of the Pythagorean theorem. This image is in the public domain in the U.S. because its copyright has expired.

Garfield?s trapezoid is equivalent to this diagram cut along a diagonal of the tilted, thick-edged square. It is unlikely that Garfield ever saw the proof from this text, as it was not translated into English until 1996, but it is possible that the same proof appeared in another text that he did know.

Had Garfield lived to age 181, he would surely have been glad to know that 181 is part of two different Pythagorean triples, sets of integers that satisfy the equation a²+b²=c² and therefore make up the side lengths of a right triangle. Of course, when we allow square roots to get involved, any integer can be a side length of a right triangle; what is special about Pythagorean triples is that all three side lengths are whole numbers. 3-4-5 is probably the most famous Pythagorean triple. It works because 3²+4²=9+16=25=5². The Pythagorean triples containing 181 are 19-180-181 and 181-16380-16381, so 181 is both the longest and shortest side of a right triangle with integer side lengths.

If Garfield did a little more mathematical investigation, he might be dismayed to realize that his age is not special: all positive integers (except for 1 and 2) are part of at least one Pythagorean triple.

The odd numbers are easiest to see. Suppose a triangle has one side of length n and one side of length n+1. The difference of the squares of these sides will be an odd integer. In fact, (n+1)²-n²=2n+1. So if 2n+1 is itself a square (for example, if n=4, then n+1=5 and 2n+1=9, which is 3²), then the third side of the triangle is an integer, written ? 2n+1 . If k is any odd integer greater than one, its square can be written k²=2n+1 for some whole number n. In that case, the numbers k, n and n+1 form a Pythagorean triple. So every odd integer k is in some Pythagorean triple.

For even numbers, we know that the number 4 appears in the Pythagorean triple 3-4-5. We also know that if we double all the side lengths of a triangle, we get a triangle with the same ratio of side lengths. For example, 3-4-5 ?inflates? to 6-8-10, another Pythagorean triple. The interested reader can use these facts to prove that every even integer greater than 2 appears as a side length of a Pythagorean triple.

Unfortunately, President Garfield is not able to be here to enjoy his doubly Pythagorean 181^st birthday. But perhaps his Pythagorean proof is still ?something on which the members of both houses can unite without distinction of party.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=0f9b0e67fed41f48f4ec114b485264ed

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Egyptian train hits school bus, 51 killed

ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) ? A speeding train that crashed into a bus carrying Egyptian children to their kindergarten on Saturday killed 51 and prompted a wave of anger against a government under mounting pressure to rectify the former regime's legacy of neglect.

The crash, which killed children between four and six years old and three adults, led to local protests and accusations from outraged Egyptians that President Mohammed Morsi is failing to deliver on the demands of last year's uprising for basic rights, dignity and social justice.

The accident left behind a mangled shell of a bus twisted underneath the blood-splattered train outside the city of Assiut, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Cairo. Children's body parts, their books, schoolbags and tiny socks were strewn along the tracks.

Um Ibrahim, a mother whose three children were on the bus, pulled her hair in grief. "My children! I didn't feed you before you left," she wailed in horror. A witness said the train pushed the bus along the tracks for nearly a kilometer (half a mile).

As one man picked up pieces of shattered limbs he screamed: "Only God can help!" More than a dozen injured children were being treated in two different facilities, many with severed limbs and in critical condition.

Several hours after the accident, Morsi appeared on state television, promising an investigation and financial compensation for victims' families. His transport minister and the head of Egypt's railways resigned.

"Those responsible for this accident will be held accountable," Morsi said.

The response, his critics say, comes too little too late. For months, transport workers have been complaining about poor management and poor working conditions. Saturday's accident falls exactly one week after two trains collided south of Cairo, killing four people.

While many train accidents in Egypt are blamed on an outdated system that relies heavily on switch operators instead of automated signaling, the high death toll and fact that nearly all those killed were young children will likely give ammunition to Morsi's critics who say he has done little to improve life for ordinary Egyptians.

Opposition activists have accused Morsi of continuing the mistakes of his predecessor by not overhauling government services. They say he is too focused on foreign policy while moving slowly to tackle a myriad of domestic problems.

A day before Saturday's accident in al-Mandara village in Assiut province, the president positioned Egypt as a new Arab champion for the Palestinians. But with more children killed in Saturday's accident than by Israeli bombs in the Gaza Strip since an escalation in fighting this week, he is already being called on to refocus efforts at home.

"The blood of people in Assiut is more important than Gaza," said Sheik Mohammed Hassan, a village elder speaking at the scene of the accident.

Evening talk shows and state-radio programs fielded calls from an outraged public that demanded answers as to why Morsi had not visited the region Saturday and instead chose to keep his meetings in Cairo with foreign leaders seeking an end to the Gaza-Israel fighting.

Magdi el-Shelh, who lost three nephews in the accident, said his family wants a serious investigation and trial for those responsible. He said he wished for the president to be present to see the bloody scene himself.

At the crash site, parents of the missing wailed as they looked for signs of their children on the tracks. An Associated Press reporter at the scene said many of the remains were unrecognizable.

Residents of the region, like most other Egyptians in the provinces, are far removed the politics of Cairo and more preoccupied with basic needs. Most are armed and many handle disputes through local tribal councils rather than through official government channels.

After the accident, grieving families set up road blocks in the area to prevent Egypt's prime minister from reaching the scene late Saturday. Some burned logs and fired automatic rifles in the air, chanting "Down with Morsi!"

Crowds heckled Prime Minister Hesham Kandil when he arrived, surrounded by riot police, at a main hospital treating some of the injured.

Around 10 family members of those killed met Kandil on the outskirts of the city of Assiut to ask that a kindergarten be built in their village so that children do not have to travel nearly 15 miles to school on unpaved roads.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful political force and Morsi's base of support, blamed the crash on a culture of negligence fostered by deposed leader Hosni Mubarak.

"It is unacceptable that things remain as they are without drastic treatment," it said in a statement, adding that it recommends a renovation of the entire transport system to spare the lives of citizens.

Residents also gathered outside the provincial governor's office, demanding the Brotherhood member resign.

Egypt's railway system has a poor safety record, mostly blamed on decades of badly maintained equipment during the Mubarak era. Accidents due to negligence regularly killed scores over the three-decade rule of Mubarak, who was accused of valuing loyalty over competence in many appointments of senior officials. Widespread corruption has also been blamed for the underfunding of government services, particularly in poor provinces outside Cairo.

The railway's worst disaster was in February 2002, when a train heading to southern Egypt caught fire, killing 363 people. Media reports quoting official statistics say that rail and road accidents claimed more than 7,000 lives in 2010.

Residents near the crash site say the railway crossing guard was asleep Saturday when the bus drove over the track. It appeared the crossing was not closed as the train sped toward it. Authorities detained a railway worker who had fled the scene.

One prominent opposition group said Morsi should bear some responsibility for Saturday's accident.

"He is the one who chose this failed government whose disasters increase day after day," the April 6 movement said in a statement.

Liberal figurehead Mohammed ElBaradei said in a post on Twitter: "When will the Egyptian feel his life has value and that there is a nation to protect it?"

___

Batrawy contributed from Cairo.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-train-hits-school-bus-51-killed-221330468.html

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