Since 9/11, a debate has raged over whether the conflict with al Qaida and other jihadists should be treated more as a war or a crime. Now the same dispute is roiling over the fate of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old ethnic Chechen and naturalized American who was captured by authorities in Boston Friday night after a dramatic day-long pursuit. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a series of tweets, argued that Tsarnaev, one of two suspects in the fatal Boston Marathon bombings, should be treated as an enemy combatant and tried in a military tribunal.
In fact, that?s very unlikely to happen, not least because in the nearly 12 years since 9/11, U.S. authorities have failed to figure out precisely how to reconcile the suspension of legal rights for ?enemy combatants? with the Constitution. ?The military commissions are in a state of near-total collapse right now. The idea that you would take this kid from Boston and send him down there is laughable,? says Scott Horton, a human-rights lawyer based in New York.
By suspending Tsarnaev?s Miranda rights under the so-called ?public safety? exemption for more than a day or so, U.S. and Boston authorities are also taking a slight risk of tainting his prosecution?one that should be fairly open and shut -- in the same way other prosecutions under military tribunals have been damaged. ?Everything is being tainted by the intelligence community,? which has sought to gain evidence through extra-constitutional means that have sometimes included harsh interrogation, says Horton. ?It?s been given a free hand to do things.?
U.S. officials say they are concerned with other threats, perhaps including plots involving other bombs, that Tsarnaev might know about, but that is difficult to square with the declaration Friday night that the public was out of danger.
It is also not known what might have motivated Tsarnaev and his older brother, 26-year-old Tamarlan, to allegedly commit these acts. A series of postings on social media sites indicate that Tamarlan might have become somewhat radicalized by Islamist teachings, perhaps during a visit to Russia when he might have seen his father living in Makhachkala,?Dagestan, a city infused both with jihadist groups and counterterrorism apparatus set up by Russia?s FSB, or intelligence service. But Tamarlan was killed in a shootout with police, and authorities may well find that his seriously wounded younger brother was mainly following the elder Tsarnaev?s lead.
Graham, a former Air Force lawyer, posted a statement on his his Facebook page saying "it is absolutely vital the suspect be questioned for intelligence gathering purposes. We need to know about any possible future attacks which could take additional American lives," ? "The least of our worries is a criminal trial which will likely be held years from now."
Actually, with a huge array of detainees seemingly permanently under detention at Guantanamo, their fates undecided, and the rules for trying them still undetermined, the nature of Tsarnaev?s trial is a fairly significant issue.
Microsoft has finally responded to a study claiming that Bing?s search results delivered five times as much malware than Google?s, and its answer is simple: the study is flawed.
Last week, AV-TEST conducted a malware study that analyzed millions of websites and found that Bing was showing much more malware to users than its more popular rival (see graph below).
But David Felstead, Senior Development Lead at Bing, responded in a blog post Friday, writing that the study made a mistake by using a Bing API instead of examining the searches directly from Bing.com. This method, Bing says, resulted in misleading results because the API results bypassed its warning system and does not show warning labels.
?Bing actually does prevent customers from clicking on malware infected sites by disabling the link on the results page and showing the below message to stop people from going to the site,? he wrote.
But why does Bing even show them at all if they could be infected?
?We don?t explicitly remove malicious sites from the index because most are legitimate sites that normally don?t host malware but have been hacked,? Felstead writes. ?Our research shows that if sites like this remain infected for a long period of time, their ranking will naturally fall because customers won?t click on them.?
While he did say that ?this is a highly complex problem that all engines are constantly working to solve,? Felstead pointed out how a Google search of ?vacation hotline,? doesn?t give a malware warning, but Bing does.
He added that users will see the warning only once per 10,000 searches on Bing.
?In any case, the overall scale of the problem is very small,? Felstead wrote.
Russian search engine company Yanax also questioned the validity of AV-TEST?s study.
The monthly U.S. search stats from comScore came out for March last week and it showed Google with 67.1 percent of the search market share. Microsoft only has 16.9 percent, a number that?s been growing, albeit slowly.
Microsoft, meanwhile, continues to bash Google with its ?Scroogled? campaign, with the latest bombardment focusing on privacy issues with the Google Play Store.
Reach GeekWire staff reporter Taylor Soper at taylor@geekwire.com or on Twitter at @Taylor_Soper.
After a lifetime immersed in American politics, perhaps it was inevitable that my reaction to the early days of the new papacy has been to conjure up memories?.of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
I mean no disrespect. But in watching Pope Francis? powerful first gestures?shunning the elaborate vestments for a simple garment, choosing a modest apartment over the lavish Papal accommodations, and heading back to his hotel in Rome to pay his bill!?I was reminded of two presidents who embraced simplicity but were ultimately rejected by voters. And thereby hangs a tale about the power, and the limits, of symbolism.
President Gerald Ford, right, and Jimmy Carter at a debate on Oct. 6, 1976 in San Francisco, Calif. (AP Photo)When Gerald Ford suddenly stepped into the presidency in August 1974 after Richard Nixon?s resignation, he was a relatively unknown figure despite his years as House Republican leader and his 10-month stint as vice president. After Nixon?s polarizing presidency?capped by nearly a year and a half of Watergate frenzy?Ford was at pains to establish him as a healing, unthreatening, modest leader. As he described himself even before taking the presidential oath, ?I?m a Ford, not a Lincoln.?
When Ford disclosed he had toasted his own English muffins and poured his own orange juice before heading to the Oval Office, pictures of the new president in the White House kitchen hit front pages across America. It was the perfect contrast with Nixon, who had ordered up uniforms for the White House Guard worthy of a European principality.
Now fast forward a few months to the impossibly long-shot presidential campaign of ex-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, a self described peanut farmer whose quest seemed so improbable that a home state paper headlined: ?Jimmy WHO? Is Running for WHAT??
Making a virtue out of necessity, Carter?s financially challenged campaign drew attention to the candidate?s humility. He stayed at the homes of supporters, where he made his own bed; shared rooms with aides at low-cost motels; and carried his own garment bag.
In the post-Watergate atmosphere of 1975 and 1976, the just-plain-folks personalities of both Ford and Carter seemed the perfect antidote to Nixon?s arrogant, isolated presidency.
But as alert history-minded readers know, Ford and Carter were both rebuffed by voters in their efforts to hold on to the presidency.
Ford?s decision to pardon Nixon for crimes associated with Watergate cost him dearly, even though it now looks like a prudent choice to avoid years of contentious litigation. Ford?s occasional slips?of tongue and body?turned him, unfairly, into a comic figure that elevated Chevy Chase of ?Saturday Night Live? to national fame. And an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress all but assured Ford?s legislative goals would be dead on delivery.
Carter narrowly defeated Ford in 1976. But the charm of the peanut farmer faded under withering blows of double-digit inflation, recession, the Iranian hostage crisis and a deeply divided Democratic Party. Carter lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
So does this history tell us that Pope Francis? early steps are doomed to irrelevance? No. Unlike presidents, a pope?s personal decisions can have a swift, decisive impact on the actions of others. Offhand, I can?t think of any congressional committee chairs or Fortune 500 CEOs who felt it necessary to abandon the perks of their offices because Ford and Carter did so.
By contrast, Francis? rejection of the lavish pomp that surrounded his predecessor, Benedict, is offering a model that others in the Catholic hierarchy may well want to follow?if for no other reason than to avoid the embarrassment of the contrast.
The thick cloud that has surrounded the church in the wake of the pedophile priest scandals may strengthen the impulse toward humility. When it comes to the priestly vows of ?poverty, chastity and obedience,? the church has demonstrated some pretty serious problems with the second but can demonstrate its fealty to the third by more vigorously embracing the first.
There are, however, ways in which Francis will face challenges similar to those that tripped up Ford and Carter.
If the church does not clearly and unflinchingly demand and receive full accountability for the evasions and cover-ups that marred its response to the child abuse scandals, none of the pope?s humble gestures will count for much. If Francis? symbolic embrace of the poor does not govern the church?s behavior in the cities and towns of Latin America?where church and state have in the past been linked by privilege and indifference?then the words of the new pope will remain hollow. Ultimately, deeds trump symbols.
Of course, in one key way, the new pope has a powerful, perhaps decisive advantage over the 38th and 39th presidents: Having received the keys to the kingdom, his electoral lock is permanent.
Ocean nutrients a key component of future change say scientistsPublic release date: 10-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Beswick catherine.beswick@noc.ac.uk 0238-059-8490 National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)
Variations in nutrient availability in the world's oceans could be a vital component of future environmental change, according to a multi-author review paper involving the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).
The paper, published this month in Nature Geoscience, reviews what we know about ocean nutrient patterns and interactions, and how they might be influenced by future climate change and other man-made factors. The authors also highlight how nutrient cycles influence climate by fuelling biological production, hence keeping carbon dioxide (CO2) locked down in the ocean away from the atmosphere.
Dr Mark Moore from University of Southampton Ocean and Earth Science, which is based at NOCS, led the review. He said: "We aimed to get a group of international experts together in an attempt to define the current state of knowledge in this rapidly developing field."
Marine algae, which support most marine ecosystems, need certain resources to grow and reproduce including nutrients. If there are not enough nutrients available, the growth or abundance of these microscopic plants can become restricted. This is known as 'nutrient limitation'.
"All organisms, from the smallest microbes, up to complex multi-cellular animals like us, require a variety of chemical elements to survive," explained Dr Moore. "Somehow we all have to get these elements from our external environment."
Nutrients are therefore a key driver of microbial activity in the oceans. But at the same time, microorganisms play a major role in cycling nutrients and carbon throughout the vast ocean system including drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere. Therefore understanding ocean nutrient cycling is important for predicting future environmental change.
Dr Moore said: "Despite many decades of research, we still don't understand some of the complex interactions between marine microorganisms and nutrient cycles.
"Human activity has the potential to profoundly impact oceanic nutrient cycles. A solid understanding of complex feedbacks in the system will be required if we are going to be able to predict the consequences of these changes."
The authors from 22 different institutes call for an interdisciplinary approach merging new analytical techniques, observations and models going forward to address current gaps in our understanding.
###
The review resulted from a workshop, hosted at NOCS, as part of the International GeosphereBiosphere Programme/Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (IGBP-SCOR) funded Fast Track Initiative on Upper Ocean Nutrient Limitation.
Notes for editors
1. Reference: C. M. Moore, M. M. Mills, K. R. Arrigo, I. Berman-Frank, L. Bopp, P. W. Boyd, E. D. Galbraith, R. J. Geider, C. Guieu, S. L. Jaccard, T. D. Jickells, J. La Roche, T. M. Lenton, N. M. Mahowald, E. Maran, I. Marinov, J. K. Moore, T. Nakatsuka, A. Oschlies, M. A. Saito, T. F. Thingstad, A. Tsuda and O. Ulloa (2013) Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation. Nature Geoscience, published online 31 March 2013. DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1765
2. The image shows oceanographic sampling equipment being lowered into clear blue open ocean water. The clarity of the water is a consequence of low nutrient availability restricting the amount of planktonic microbes. Credit: Elizabeth Sargent, NOCS
3. University of Southampton Ocean and Earth Science is based at the National oceanography Centre, Southampton.
4. The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is the UK's leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. NOC operates the Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery and develops technology for coastal and deep ocean research. Working with its partners NOC provides long-term marine science capability including: sustained ocean observing, mapping and surveying, data management and scientific advice.
5. NOC operates at two sites, Southampton and Liverpool, with the headquarters based in Southampton.
6. Among the resources that NOC provides on behalf of the UK are the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility, the National Tide and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF), the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) and British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF).
7. The National Oceanography Centre is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Contact details:
Catherine Beswick
Media and Communications Officer
National Oceanography Centre
http://www.noc.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ocean nutrients a key component of future change say scientistsPublic release date: 10-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Beswick catherine.beswick@noc.ac.uk 0238-059-8490 National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)
Variations in nutrient availability in the world's oceans could be a vital component of future environmental change, according to a multi-author review paper involving the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).
The paper, published this month in Nature Geoscience, reviews what we know about ocean nutrient patterns and interactions, and how they might be influenced by future climate change and other man-made factors. The authors also highlight how nutrient cycles influence climate by fuelling biological production, hence keeping carbon dioxide (CO2) locked down in the ocean away from the atmosphere.
Dr Mark Moore from University of Southampton Ocean and Earth Science, which is based at NOCS, led the review. He said: "We aimed to get a group of international experts together in an attempt to define the current state of knowledge in this rapidly developing field."
Marine algae, which support most marine ecosystems, need certain resources to grow and reproduce including nutrients. If there are not enough nutrients available, the growth or abundance of these microscopic plants can become restricted. This is known as 'nutrient limitation'.
"All organisms, from the smallest microbes, up to complex multi-cellular animals like us, require a variety of chemical elements to survive," explained Dr Moore. "Somehow we all have to get these elements from our external environment."
Nutrients are therefore a key driver of microbial activity in the oceans. But at the same time, microorganisms play a major role in cycling nutrients and carbon throughout the vast ocean system including drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere. Therefore understanding ocean nutrient cycling is important for predicting future environmental change.
Dr Moore said: "Despite many decades of research, we still don't understand some of the complex interactions between marine microorganisms and nutrient cycles.
"Human activity has the potential to profoundly impact oceanic nutrient cycles. A solid understanding of complex feedbacks in the system will be required if we are going to be able to predict the consequences of these changes."
The authors from 22 different institutes call for an interdisciplinary approach merging new analytical techniques, observations and models going forward to address current gaps in our understanding.
###
The review resulted from a workshop, hosted at NOCS, as part of the International GeosphereBiosphere Programme/Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (IGBP-SCOR) funded Fast Track Initiative on Upper Ocean Nutrient Limitation.
Notes for editors
1. Reference: C. M. Moore, M. M. Mills, K. R. Arrigo, I. Berman-Frank, L. Bopp, P. W. Boyd, E. D. Galbraith, R. J. Geider, C. Guieu, S. L. Jaccard, T. D. Jickells, J. La Roche, T. M. Lenton, N. M. Mahowald, E. Maran, I. Marinov, J. K. Moore, T. Nakatsuka, A. Oschlies, M. A. Saito, T. F. Thingstad, A. Tsuda and O. Ulloa (2013) Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation. Nature Geoscience, published online 31 March 2013. DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1765
2. The image shows oceanographic sampling equipment being lowered into clear blue open ocean water. The clarity of the water is a consequence of low nutrient availability restricting the amount of planktonic microbes. Credit: Elizabeth Sargent, NOCS
3. University of Southampton Ocean and Earth Science is based at the National oceanography Centre, Southampton.
4. The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is the UK's leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. NOC operates the Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery and develops technology for coastal and deep ocean research. Working with its partners NOC provides long-term marine science capability including: sustained ocean observing, mapping and surveying, data management and scientific advice.
5. NOC operates at two sites, Southampton and Liverpool, with the headquarters based in Southampton.
6. Among the resources that NOC provides on behalf of the UK are the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility, the National Tide and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF), the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) and British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF).
7. The National Oceanography Centre is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Contact details:
Catherine Beswick
Media and Communications Officer
National Oceanography Centre
http://www.noc.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
With all this talk about the cord-cutting masses no longer wanting to subsidize TV channels they don't watch, it's a little surprising that one of the oldest, most widely available forms of TV is waning: over-the-air broadcast TV. Despite its attractive price of $0 per month and billions of advertising revenue, nobody ? including the broadcast networks, the tech companies that are out to disrupt them, and the cord-cutters and cord-nevers who hate cable ? is very enthusiastic about antennas. ...
Are you ready to take on your friends in Angry Birds... Friends? The Facebook app is on its way to an iOS and Android release, allowing players to invite Facebook friends to play, take part in weekly tournaments, give and receive gifts, gather daily rewards, and more. Rovio did not say when exactly it will be released, but they said it will be "soon." For more updates, remember to like Angry Birds on Facebook... they?ll give you all the goods.
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Public release date: 10-Apr-2013
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