Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274347193?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, January 3, 2013
0 - Philadelphia Weekly
Blue flashes. That?s one thing I won?t forget. Blue flashes, and fighting an early morning fire, and the slow, wailing death of cars.?
When Sandy rolled in, at first our focus was on the water. From our bedroom window, we anxiously watched our little offshoot of Barnegat Bay rise, rise, rise, and we wondered if it would drown out the life we knew. The idea that the morning of Oct. 30 would not be a normal one was clear in the overnight skies: All night, as we saw the flood bury our street and climb the steps of our front porch to within inches of the house itself, transformers were popping in brilliant blue flashes. The sky would alight with them, wooosh, then gone, blue sheet lightning rising from the ground. They came from every direction? wooosh, wooosh, all night, until eventually they seemed a sort of heartbeat. If you imagined hard enough, you could envision them as the flashes of alien weaponry bombarding the neighborhood.?
While this happened, cars died.?
Turns out a submerged car goes through observable death throes; it dies in painful stages like a wounded wild animal. As the water rises over the dashboard, first the interior lights come on. Then the headlights. If the trunk is electronic, it pops open. Then any electronic horns or security alerts start to wail, slow and wet and mournful. That?s what happened as the floodwaters came in: First our family?s car died, the sudden glow of the inside lights signaling the beginning of the end. Then the one next to it, headlights erupting in a spasm of death as the water rose from tires to hubs to fenders to hood to dash to death. One after another, all the cars on our block did this. We timed the flood by them: headlights, horns, and that?s another neighbor with no means of transportation. My wife?s car cried for an hour before it died, and up the street, an alarm blared on and off in five-minute spurts for two hours: BEEEEP. BEEEP. BEEEP.?
There was no sleeping.?
In the morning, a horn started to wail next door. I looked out the window. The new neighbors? SUV was dying. They had just moved in; we didn?t really know them. At first, Natalie and I joked about why theirs had taken so long when all the other cars on the block had succumbed overnight. ?
Then smoke started to pour from it. The electronics, just now frying in the water, had caught on fire. The vehicle was parked next to their garage?and underneath trees that touched our house. If it became fully engulfed in flames, both our homes would be in grave danger.?
I jumped out into oil-covered water and tried to find our garden hose in the debris and muck. Where was it? The water level was over my hips, even well after the peak of the storm, and it was murky. I couldn?t see anything through it.?
The neighbor, Jeff, came out with a pot and started struggling with the fire. He splurged pots of floodwater onto it, but now the entire dash of the truck was in flames. ?
My hands felt urgently through the muck. Finally I bumped into the hose, got it going and trudged over as fast as I could, spraying down the flaming vehicle. He smashed the windshield so we could get more water onto the flame-doused dash. We finally put it out.?
Breathing heavily, soaked and cold and smelling like fuel oil, it struck me just then that the morning was beautiful. The sky was clear and blue?or seemed so after yesterday?s tempest. The world around me was surreal, eerily changed from the familiar landscape I knew, but it was a beautiful morning all the same. Jeff and I caught our breath and shook our heads at the absurdity of it all.?
This is how I got to know my new neighbors.?
* * *
Jeff and Kathy Nolan had moved in just weeks before Sandy struck. The house had been on the market for a while, the previous owner a weekend owner frustrated he couldn?t get the nice payout he hoped for. When the Nolans moved in, Natalie and I were glad they didn?t seem like 20-somethings eager to party every summer weekend?we already have plenty of Jersey Shore types in our neighborhood, thanks. The few cross-driveway conversations we had were pleasant. Seemed like good people.?
And then, there we were, putting out a fire raging in his car.?
What followed was a week of tremendous hospitality?of getting to know our neighbors and, more importantly, getting to know how amazingly generous they were. Jeff and Kathy had a gas oven. We did not. Their water was heated by gas. Ours was not. So the first night after the storm, they invited us over to take a shower and share the food we all had, lest it spoil. We bathed, felt human, and broke bread together, commiserating in the unreality around us.?
We did that every night for a week. At 8 a.m., Kathy would knock on our door with a kettle of scalding hot water so we could make tea. That warm liquid was the morning boost I needed to get up and tackle the cleanup work that so desperately needed doing. All week long, we met at the Nolans? and had dinner by candlelight, pooling the food from three households, enjoying what seemed like feasts at the time, wondering if maybe this was how people lived 200 years ago. We talked about ourselves, our families, our outlooks. It was nice. ?
It?s amazing how you get to know one another when the world seems to have fallen apart.?
The same, I found out later, was happening elsewhere. When I spoke to Joanne LaCicero of the neighboring island town of Lavallette, just across the bay, her story made mine seem quaint. My family and I were sharing our tiny two-bedroom space with my mother-in-law?whose house was destroyed by the storm?and coming together with the couple next door for only a few hours each evening. Joanne and her family, on the other hand, were sheltering more than a dozen neighbors in their home.?
*/ var formWrap = $( 'add_comment_form' ); var formDivs = $$( '#add_comment_form div' ); for ( i = 0; i ' + name + ' said... on ' + timeStamp }); var commentPar = new Element( 'p', { 'html': '?' + comment + '?' }); var ruleDiv = new Element( 'div', { 'class': 'rule' }); authorPar.inject( commentDiv ); commentPar.inject( commentDiv ); commentDiv.inject( commentWrap ); ruleDiv.inject( commentWrap ); } else { msgPar.innerHTML = "Comment has been sent for approval"; } } } // FUNCTION TO DISPLAY LATEST COMMENT ON MULTIMEDIA PAGES TRIGGERED BY AJAX CALL BACK function showMMComment(theName, theComment) { // 'name' and 'comment' have placeholder content for testing, actual data would be sent from DB var name = theName; var comment = theComment; var flagged = false; var status; var error; /* COMMENT HTML MARKUP STRUCTURE
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' + comment }); numDiv.inject( commentLi ); commentPar.inject( commentLi ); commentLi.inject( commentUl ); } else { msgPar.set( 'html', 'Comment has been sent for approval' ); } } } function displayNewComment() { var msgP = document.getElementById("msg"); msgP.innerHTML = "Thank you for your submission. Your comment has been added below."; if(comment != "") { if(!flagged) { var commentSection = document.getElementById("ajaxSection"); var commentDiv = document.createElement("div"); var timeStamp = 'Jan 2, 2013 at 05:47PM'; commentDiv.innerHTML = '
'; commentSection.appendChild(commentDiv); } } } function validateCommentForm(form){ var fieldEmail = document.getElementById("field.email"); var fieldName = document.getElementById("field.name"); var nameValue = fieldName.value; var emailValue = fieldEmail.value; var filter = /^([a-zA-Z0-9_\.\-])+\@(([a-zA-Z0-9\-])+\.)+([a-zA-Z0-9]{2,4})+$/; if (filter.test(emailValue)) { var fieldBody = document.getElementById("field.body") var bodyValue = fieldBody.value; bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/&/g,"&"); bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/,"/g,">"); bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/\r\n/g,"
"); fieldBody.value = bodyValue; if(navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer') { if(document.getElementById('submit').disabled) { document.getElementById('submit').disabled=false; } else { document.getElementById('submit').disabled=true; } } return insertComment(form,true,function(){return showEditorialComment(nameValue, bodyValue)}); } else { alert('Please enter a valid Email below.'); form.elements[field.email].focus(); return false; } }
Source: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/185320151.html
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Slickdeals' best in tech for January 2nd: Western Digital portable hard drive and digital cameras
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
First day back to work after the holidays not going so well? Perhaps a little gadget shopping can turn things around. Canon and Nikon digital cameras top the list today, while another Sony gaming headset and a Western Digital portable hard drive also make the cut. Take a gander past the break for the entire list that is free of those pesky coupon codes or rebates this time out.
Filed under: Cameras, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Storage
Source: Slickdeals
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/hVb0g9ovG2g/
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Forums: iOS 7 rumors and wants, Do Not Disturb bugs
With the Holidays now all over and done with, we're getting back to our regular schedule. That said, a lot of folks surely got some new iOS devices recently and we're here to help.
Have a burning question about that feature you just can't figure out? Need help with setting things up? There is ALWAYS more happening just a click away in the forums.
You can head over there and join in the conversation, search for answers, or lend your expertise to other members of our community. Check out some of the threads below:
If you're not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/XtI1Nl8UjmI/story01.htm
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Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Smartphone Camera Features That Need to Appear In 2013
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With New Lines and Extensions, Beijing Takes Crown as World's ...
Four new stretches of the Beijing subway opened over the weekend, in the process leapfrogging Shanghai to become the world?s largest urban subway system in terms of length of track (442 kilometers to Shanghai?s 437).
Perhaps most significant of the new lines is Line 6, which cuts its way east-west across the city from Haidian in the west to Tongzhou in the east, bringing online key areas in the center of the city which were previously not accessible by subway such as Nanluoguxiang and Houhai. Line 6 also has been billed as a stress relief to the over-capacity Line 1, whose path it traces about 3 kilometers or so northwards.
Meanwhile, Line 10 has seen its L-shaped arc go almost complete circle, with a southeastern swing that traces the outside of the Third Ring Road. Two minor additions connect Line 8 (the Olympic line) southwards to Gulou and Line 9 connecting southwestern Fengtai district and most significantly linking the massive Beijing West Railway Station into the subway system.
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Given it?s the New Year and commuter pressure will be low, there?s no better time to explore the new locations that are now easily accessed by the subway. Here?s a few you might want to check out:
Nanluoguxiang (Line 6): Opening at the south end of this hipster hideaway means trolling its coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques is all the more easier. Stop by Plastered or NLGX for a fashionable Beijing shirt or sample dishes both domestic and international from one of its myriad hutong cafes.
Beihai North (Line 6): While it provides easy access to well-known Beihai Park, its name hides its significance as the south entrance to expat-friendly Houhai, which at this time of year is flooded with outdoor ice skaters. A quick walk less than 500 meters to the east will lead you to the entrance of Houhai on the northern side of the street, from which its just a short jaunt to skate rental spots. Head over to Hutong Pizza to warm up for lunch.Also due north of the Beihai North station is Prince Gong's mansion, a pleasant if touristy spot to see how the royals lived way back when.
Qingnian Lu (Line 6): This eastward station would ordinarily hold little appeal for the typical expat, except for the existence of the massive Joy City Shopping Mall , a veritable paradise of shopping, dining and kiddie fun. With a massive indoor skating rink, two floors of dining, the city?s first branch of Toys R Us and the gargantuan EE City indoor kids experience, where children can pretend to be one of 84 different occupations.
Dongdaqiao (Line 6): now has the honor of being a close access point to the popular Sanltiun/Gongti area, this one at the intersection of Dongdaqiao Lu and Chaowai Dajie. Nearby landmarks include Chaowai Soho (about a half kilometer southeast), the southeast gate of Gongti (home to Fundazzle, about 500 meters northeast of the station, and slightly farther away? the Blue Zoo (about 900 meters northeast), and Central Park (800 meters southeast).
Panjiayuan (Line 10): Just three stops from China World is Beijing?s most famous outdoor antiques market, Panjiayuan. A great place to browse for curious little knick-knacks of dubious origin (unless you?re an expert, don?t expect to find genuine antiques -- though friends back home are unlikely to be able to tell the difference). There?s action there in the wintertime (and the crowds less intense) so bundle up and head out. The entrance is 200 meters due west of the station on the south side of the road. Also in this neighborhood are a couple of Yashow-like markets filled with dozens vendors of eyeglasses, collectively (and colloquially) referred to as "eyeglasses city". If you can?t find frames you like there, they probably don?t exist. The buildings are located along the western side of the 3rd Ring Road about 200 meters north of the Panjiayuan station.?
Beijing West Railway Station (Line 9 extension): This isn?t much of a destination in itself, but this station is the Beijing terminus for many of the trains heading to popular destinations across China, from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to the south, Xian and Henan in central China, as well as Yunnan, Kunming and Tibet in the southwest.
For more fabulous details about Beijing's subway system and how it will look in the coming years, check it out on its updated Wikipedia page here.
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Column: Gun debate revives enduring American fight
WASHINGTON (AP) ? On the eve of a new year, a libertarian strain pulses through America ? a get-government-out-of-my-personal-life sensibility that cuts across ideologies and is driven by a younger generation's cultural attitudes.
We've seen it in gay-marriage legalization and marijuana decriminalization. And in the fact that, four decades after Roe v. Wade allowed abortion, there's little appetite among most for overturning it. Perhaps we've also seen this play out with guns, with a more limited role for government in regulating firearms.
But today, a mourning nation must square that shift toward fewer gun restrictions with a series of fatal mass shootings in the past few years, the latest claiming 20 elementary school students among the dead. And the pendulum may swing just as quickly back toward curbs on gun rights: A country that's become more tolerant on other cultural issues may end up bucking the trend on this subject.
Here's why: It can't be boiled down to "my body, my decisions."
The gun issue doesn't fit neatly into the libertarian lane in which the United States has been driving when it comes to gay marriage, abortion and marijuana ? the belief that people have the right to make their own decisions about how they live their lives, as long as they respect the rights of others to do the same. And that's because while it may be your right to own a gun, you can use it to harm others, thereby taking away their right to live their lives as they want.
This is not a new tension in America, a republic founded by men with libertarian leanings that has always struggled to strike the right balance between rights for one and safety for all.
The first settlers fled the big hand of Mother England, seeking a smaller government to protect basic freedoms ? and founding a nation built on the "inalienable" rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence acknowledged the stress in America's foundation, saying the new country's government would secure those rights, but people would have the authority to alter or abolish it if it were to become "destructive of these ends."
In modern times, libertarianism, which draws from both liberal and conservative influences, has reared its head often in American history ? most recently in today's tea party, which is uncompromising in pursuing a smaller government role in fiscal matters.
These days, 16 to 18 percent of adults in various surveys identify themselves as libertarians. But many more have libertarian views on individual issues even as they call themselves Republicans, Democrats or independents. It also can be a generational thing, with a Pew Research Center poll in December 2011 finding that 50 percent of Americans under age 30 had positive reaction to the label compared with only 25 percent of senior citizens.
The debate now under way underscores how different guns are from other social issues ? how this topic is not just about you, but about us.
There is a thicket of considerations. The fact that many people view gun ownership as a foundational right. Mental health. Urban vs. rural matters. Sports. Crime. Violence in video games and movies. Parental responsibility. "We know," President Barack Obama said, "this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides."
The multiple factors at play ? and the loss of young innocents ? could explain why, despite the nation's recent libertarianism on cultural matters, the Newtown, Conn., killings quickly spurred calls from across the political spectrum for at least a discussion of whether new limits should be placed on guns. This suggested a possible expansion of government in this realm.
"This awful massacre of our youngest children has changed us, and everything should be on the table," said Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. And Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the committee that would take up any legislation, said: "You've got to take all these things into consideration."
The NRA, the nation's largest gun-rights lobby, has promised opposition to more regulations, just as it helped ensure the federal assault weapons ban wasn't renewed in 2004 and state gun laws were loosened by legislatures.
Advocates for gay marriage, marijuana legalization and abortion rights also all have made significant recent strides. Each has pushed legislation in states with friendly political environments while also taking advantage of the country's changing mindset.
Consider that in the last election:
?Washington, Maryland and Maine became the first states ever to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. Now nine states and the District of Columbia recognize gay unions.
?Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, and Obama's administration signaled it wouldn't pursue those users, even though the drug is illegal under federal law.
?Several Republicans who took rigid stands against abortion rights lost. Among them: GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Then, only six weeks after the election, came Sandy Hook. And gun control jumped to the front of the national conversation.
In the days and weeks before, lawmakers in the GOP-led states of Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Pennsylvania considered proposals to loosen restrictions on employees keeping guns in their vehicles on work property, and Ohio's legislature passed a law allowing guns to be left in parked vehicles underneath the Statehouse.
A federal appeals court in Illinois struck down a ban on carrying concealed weapons, while Florida's GOP-led administration announced that 1 million people would soon have valid permits to carry them. Michigan's legislature also approved laws easing restrictions, though its Republican governor, Rick Snyder, later vetoed a measure allowing certain gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public places.
Public opinion polling has illustrated the trend since 2000, with more Americans now generally favoring the right to own guns over increased limitations on ownership. But there is also widespread support in surveys for reinstating the federal assault weapons ban and for limiting high-capacity magazines.
It is, for sure, a contradictory series of messages ? unsurprising for an issue that asks such an intricate question: In a world of weaponry unimaginable to the people who came up with the Second Amendment, how do you strike the right balance between the individual's right to bear arms and the government's role in protecting the public?
With the latest eruption of the gun debate, we've returned to the enduring fight over libertarian principles that we've kept going for more than 200 years ? the core tension between what's right for one of us and what's right for all of us.
Whatever happens with gun control in the aftermath of Newtown, the debate reveals what this generation faces as it tries to shape the nation it inherits: the enduring struggle to understand that delicate constitutional space that exists between my right to swing my arm around freely and your right not to be hit in the face.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE ? Liz Sidoti is the national politics editor for The Associated Press.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/column-gun-debate-revives-enduring-american-fight-083338502--politics.html
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