Source: http://www.facebook.com/bostonreview/posts/667370066623497
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রবিবার, ৩০ জুন, ২০১৩
After Tuesday?s Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, the Texas attorne...
শুক্রবার, ২৮ জুন, ২০১৩
No Mailbox? No Problem. Boomerang For Android Brings Gesture-Based Email Management To Gmail Users
Baydin, the startup behind a suite of productivity add-ons for Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar, is today bringing its inbox management solution Boomerang for Gmail to the mobile platform. With a new app called Boomerang for Android, the company is iterating on its previously web-only application in order to offer non-iPhone users their own gesture-based, email scheduling and snoozing application, similar in some ways to the iOS app Mailbox.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9GhKK2eu7dI/
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মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ জুন, ২০১৩
AP sources: Obama to limit carbon at power plants
The Capitol Dome is seen behind the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The plant provides power to buildings in the Capitol Complex. President Barack Obama is running out of time to make good on his lofty vow to confront climate change head-on, and Congress is in no mood to help. The executive actions and regulations Obama announces Tuesday will take years to implement. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Capitol Dome is seen behind the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The plant provides power to buildings in the Capitol Complex. President Barack Obama is running out of time to make good on his lofty vow to confront climate change head-on, and Congress is in no mood to help. The executive actions and regulations Obama announces Tuesday will take years to implement. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Capitol Dome is seen behind the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The plant provides power to buildings in the Capitol Complex. President Barack Obama is running out of time to make good on his lofty vow to confront climate change head-on, and Congress is in no mood to help. The executive actions and regulations Obama announces Tuesday will take years to implement. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama's national plan to combat climate change will include the first-ever regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, as well as increased production of renewable energy on public lands and federally assisted housing, environmental groups briefed on the plan said Monday.
In a major speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, Obama will announce that he's directing his administration to allow enough renewables on public lands to power 6 million homes by 2020, effectively doubling the capacity from solar, wind and geothermal projects on federal property. He'll also say the U.S. will significantly expand production of renewable energy on low-income housing sites, according to five individuals briefed on the plan, who were not authorized to discuss it publicly ahead of Obama's announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The far-reaching plan marks Obama's most prominent effort yet to deliver on a major priority he laid out in his first presidential campaign and recommitted to at the start of his second term: to fight climate change in the U.S. and abroad and prepare American communities for its effects. Environmental activists have been irked that Obama's high-minded goals never materialized into a comprehensive plan.
In taking action on his own ? none of the steps Obama will announce Tuesday require congressional approval ? Obama is also signaling he will no longer wait for lawmakers to act on climate change, and instead will seek ways to work around them.
The lynchpin of Obama's plan, and the step activists say will have the most dramatic impact, involves limits on carbon emissions for new and existing power plants. The Obama administration has already proposed controls on new plants, but those controls have been delayed and not yet finalized. Tuesday's announcement will be the first public confirmation that Obama plans to extend carbon controls to coal-fired power plants that are currently pumping heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
"This is the holy grail," said Melinda Pierce of Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group. "That is the single biggest step he can take to help tackle carbon pollution."
Forty percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and one-third of greenhouse gases overall, come from electric power plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department's statistical agency.
Obama is expected to lay out a broad vision Tuesday, without detailed emission targets or specifics about how they will be put in place. Instead, the president will launch a process in which the Environmental Protection Agency will work with states to develop specific plans to rein in carbon emissions, with flexibility for each state's circumstances. Under one scenario envisioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, states could draw on measures such as clean energy sources, carbon-trapping technology and energy efficiency to reduce the total emissions released into the air.
Obama also will announce more aggressive steps to increase efficiency for appliances such as refrigerators and lamps, according to people briefed on the plan. Another component of Obama's proposal will involve ramping up hydropower production from existing dams.
Heather Zichal, Obama's senior energy and climate adviser, told environmental groups Monday that Obama is working with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on a target for renewable energy to be produced at federally assisted housing projects.
She framed the Obama's efforts in the U.S. as part of a broader, global movement to combat climate change, trumpeting the role the U.S. can play in leading other nations to stem the warming of the planet.
Paul Bledsoe, who worked on climate issues in the Clinton White House, said Zichal renewed a pledge Obama made in in his first year in office, during global climate talks in Copenhagen, to cut U.S. carbon emissions by about 17 percent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
"This is a policy fulfillment of what the president has been talking about and trying to accomplish for five years or more," said Bledsoe, now a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
One key issue Obama is not expected to address Tuesday is Keystone XL, a pipeline that would carry oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast. A concerted campaign by environmental activists to persuade Obama to nix the pipeline as a "carbon bomb" appears to have gained little traction. The oil industry has been urging the president to approve the pipeline, citing jobs and economic benefits.
Obama raised climate change as a key second-term issue in his inaugural address in January, but has offered few details since. In his February State of the Union, he issued an ultimatum to lawmakers: "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will."
The poor prospects for getting any major climate legislation through a Republican-controlled House were on display last week when Speaker John Boehner responded to the prospect that Obama would put forth controls on existing power plants by deeming the idea "absolutely crazy."
"Why would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill more American jobs?" said Boehner, R-Ohio, echoing the warnings of some industry groups.
Sidestepping Congress by using executive action doesn't guarantee Obama smooth sailing. Lawmakers could introduce legislation to thwart Obama's efforts. And the rules for existing power plants will almost certainly face legal challenges in court. The Supreme Court has upheld the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, but how the EPA goes about that effort remains largely uncharted waters.
Even if legal and political obstacles are overcome, it will take years for the new measures to be put in place, likely running up against the end of Obama's presidency or even beyond it. White House aides say that's one reason Obama is ensuring the process starts now, while there are still more than three years left in his final term.
Under the process outlined in the Clean Air Act, the EPA cannot act unilaterally, but must work with states to develop the standards, said Jonas Monast, an attorney who directs the climate and energy program at Duke University. An initial proposal will be followed by a months-long public comment period before the EPA can issue final guidance to states. Then the states must create actual plans for plants within their borders, a process likely to take the better part of a year.
Then the EPA has another four months to decide whether to approve each state's plan before the implementation period can start.
Associated Press Writer Matthew Daly contributed to this story.
Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২০ জুন, ২০১৩
Military forces from the United States and Jordan have held war games in desert...
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বুধবার, ১৯ জুন, ২০১৩
A shot in the arm for old antibiotics
June 19, 2013 ? Slipping bacteria some silver could give old antibiotics new life, scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported June 19 in Science Translational Medicine.
Treating bacteria with a silver-containing compound boosted the efficacy of a broad range of widely used antibiotics and helped them stop otherwise lethal infections in mice. It helped make an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again. And it expanded the power of an antibiotic called vancomycin that is usually only effective in killing pathogens called Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staph and Strep. Silver allowed vancomycin for the first time to penetrate and kill Gram-negative bacteria, a group that includes microbes that can cause food poisoning and dangerous hospital-acquired infections.
Silver also proved useful for two types of stubborn infections that usually require repeated rounds of antibiotic treatment and multiple visits to the clinic: dormant bacteria that lie low during antibiotic treatment and rebound to cause recurrent infections, and microbial slime layers called biofilms that coat catheters and prosthetic joints.
"The results suggest that silver could be incredibly valuable as an adjunct to existing antibiotic treatments," said Jim Collins, Ph.D., a pioneer of synthetic biology and Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute, who is also the William F. Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University, where he leads the Center of Synthetic Biology.
In recent years more disease-causing bacteria have grown resistant to common antibiotics, with serious public health consequences. Yet drug companies have struggled for years to develop new types of antibiotics that target these tough bacteria. That has led scientists to re-examine older methods that were used to fight infection well before penicillin use took off in the 1940s. Silver treatment, which has been used since antiquity to prevent and heal infections, is one of them.
Despite silver's long history of use in the clinic, no one understood fully how it killed bacteria. To find out, Ruben Morones-Ramirez, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Wyss Institute who left recently to become a professor at Universidad Aut?noma de Nuevo Leon in Mexico, treated normal and mutant strains of E. coli bacteria with a silver compound. Then he observed them under the electron microscope and ran a series of biochemical tests.
He found that silver compounds cause bacteria to produce more reactive oxygen species -- chemically reactive molecules that damage the bacterial cell's DNA and enzymes, as well as the membrane that encloses the cell. Silver also made the bacteria's cell membrane leakier.
Although silver was used alone as a therapy in the past, the scientists suspected that both changes might make cells more vulnerable to conventional antibiotics -- and they did. A small amount of silver made E. coli bacteria between 10 and 1000 times more sensitive to three commonly used antibiotics: gentamycin, ofloxacin, and ampicillin.
"If you know the mechanism, you can have much more success making combinatorial therapies," Morones-Ramirez said.
In mice, silver also helped antibiotics fight E. coli-induced urinary-tract infections. It made a previously impervious strain of E. coli sensitive to the antibiotic tetracycline.
And it allowed vancomycin to save the lives of 90 percent of mice with life-threatening cases of peritonitis -- inflammation caused by infections of the abdominal space surrounding the internal organs. Without silver, only 10 percent of the mice survived.
The scientists also did a series of toxicity studies, showing that the doses of silver needed to help antibiotics kill bacteria were far below what could harm the mice. Nor did they harm cultured human cells, suggesting that oral and injectable silver could be safe for humans as well.
"Doctors desperately need new strategies to fight antibiotic-resistant infections, and Jim and his team have uncovered one that's incredibly versatile, and that could be put to use quickly in humans," said Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Wyss Institute Founding Director.
"We're keen to explore how smart drug-delivery nanotechnologies being developed at the Wyss could help deliver effective but nontoxic levels of silver to sites of infection," Collins said.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/en9i_TDvzXU/130619164754.htm
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Whole Foods Co-CEO: Executive Pay Caps A Part Of Our 'Culture' (VIDEO)
Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb may not make as much as some of his fellow corporate chiefs. But that's all right with him. After all, there are benefits to keeping his pay tied to that of his workers.
?I can look a team member in the eye and say I?m doing exactly what you?re doing,? Robb, a co-CEO of the grocery giant, recently told Fortune, referencing a company policy that caps executive pay at 19 times the average employee's salary. Though the policy only caps salary and not total compensation, Robb's total pay package was a relatively low $1.2 million in 2012, according to Businessweek.
Earning just 19 times that of a typical worker -- which works out to about $453,807 in 2012 total salary for Robb -- make him an outlier in today's corporate culture. But that wouldn't have been the case in 1950, when the CEO-to-worker pay ratio was just a little higher than Whole Foods' current requirement, at 20-to-1, according to April data from Bloomberg. (S&P 500 CEOs today make 204 times that of regular workers on average, Bloomberg found.)
?I?m not judging other people for what they do, but at Whole Foods culture it?s 19 times,? Robb told Fortune of ballooning CEO pay.
Robb and his co-CEO, John Mackey, have turned manageable CEO pay into somewhat of a cause celebre. The two have spoken out in favor of ?conscious capitalism,? or the idea that companies should aspire to a higher purpose than just being profitable.
That?s why, the two have said in the past, Whole Foods pays its workers a decent wage -- about $15 per hour on average they say -- and offers them health benefits.
Also on HuffPost:
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/walter-robb-salary_n_3459029.html
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সোমবার, ১৭ জুন, ২০১৩
Sciencescape Wants To Solve Academic Research Discoverability, Deal With The Noise Problem
Toronto-based startup Sciencescape came about because of a problem that was significant enough to lure co-founder Sam Molyneux away from a bourgeoning career as a cancer researcher, and into a new venture that wants to tackle the bigger picture issue of fixing the entire system of academic, medical and scientific research. It's a system that's incredibly outdated, the Sciencescape team believes, and one that's ripe for change.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ppBqUyFRR8U/
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Moving the mind to a machine?
NEW YORK (AP) ? Can the City That Never Sleeps become the City That Never Dies? A Russian multimillionaire thinks so.
Dmitry Itskov gathered some of humanity's best brains ? and a few robots ? in New York City on Saturday to discuss how humans can get their minds to outlive their bodies. Itskov, who looks younger than his 32 years, has an aggressive timetable in which he'd like to see milestones toward that goal met:
? By 2020, robots we can control remotely with our brains.
? By 2025, a scenario familiar to watchers of sci-fi cartoon show "Futurama:" the capability to transplant the brain into a life-support system, which could be a robot body. Essentially, a robot prosthesis that can replace an ailing, perhaps dying body.
? By 2035, the ability to move the mind into a computer, eliminating the need for the robot bodies to carry around wet, messy brains.
? By 2045, technology nirvana in the form of artificial brains controlling insubstantial, hologram bodies.
The testimony of the neuroscience experts invited to Itskov's Global Future 2045 conference at Lincoln Center in the New York City's Manhattan borough indicate that Itskov's timetable is ambitious to the point of being unrealistic. But the gathering was a rare public airing of questions that will face us as technology progresses.
Is immortality desirable, and if so, what's the best way to get there? Do we leave behind something essentially human if we leave our bodies behind? If you send your robot copy to work, do you get paid?
Japanese robotics researcher Hiroshi Ishiguro's presentation started out with a life-size, like-like robot representation of himself on stage.
The robot moved its lips, nodded and moved it eyes while a hidden loudspeaker played up Ishiguro's voice. Apart from a stiff posture and a curious splay of the hands, the robot could be mistaken for a human, at least 10 rows from the stage.
Ishiguro uses this android or "Geminoid" (after the Latin word for "twin") to meet with students at a research institute two hours away from the laboratory where he also has an appointment. He controls it through the Internet, and sees his students through a webcam.
"The problem is, if I use this android, the research institute says it cannot pay for me," Ishiguro said, to laughter from the audience of hundreds of journalists, academics, Buddhist monks and futurism enthusiasts.
Ishiguro flew to the U.S. with his robotic twin's head, the most valuable part, in the carry-on luggage. The body rode below, in the luggage compartment.
To Itskov, who made his money in the Russian Internet media business, the isolated achievements of inventors like Ishiguro are not enough. He wants to create a movement, involving governments and the United Nations, to work toward a common goal.
"We shouldn't just observe the wonderful entrepreneurs ??1/8 we need to move ahead systematically," Itskov said in an interview. "We are really at the time when technology can affect human evolution. I want us to shape the future, bring it up for public discussion, and avoid any scenario that could damage humanity."
Itskov says he tries to eliminate his "selfishness" day by day, and has spent about $3 million promoting his vision. He organized the first conference on the theme in Russia last year.
But in bringing the idea to the U.S., a cultural difference is apparent: Itskov's desire for a shared, guiding vision for humanity does not mesh well with the spirit of the American high-tech industry, which despises government involvement and prizes its freedom to pursue whatever projects it wants.
Space entrepreneur and X-Prize Chairman Peter Diamandis articulated that spirit at the conference; the freewheeling capitalist system, he said, is one of the strongest engines for effecting change.
"The rate of change is going so fast ??1/8 I do not believe any of our existing government systems can handle it," he said.
Archbishop Lazar Puhalo of the Orthodox Church in America, who has a background in neurobiology and physics, offered another critique at the conference.
"A lot of this stuff can't be done," he said.
If it can be done, that's not necessarily a good thing either, the robed and bearded patriarch believes.
"I'm not too fond of the idea of immortality, because I think it will be deathly boring," he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. Giving up our bodies could also be problematic, he said.
"There's a lot of stuff in them that makes us human. I'm not sure they can be built into machines," Puhalo said.
Itskov acknowledges that his vision would leave part of the human experience behind. But he believes it would be worth it.
"We're always losing something for what we're doing. We're always paying," Itskov said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-tycoon-wants-move-mind-machine-220242522.html
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রবিবার, ১৬ জুন, ২০১৩
Inside the alternate gaming universe of Soviet Russia-era arcade ...
Last week, I spent a little time in Russia talking to smart European startups and getting a feel for what?s happening in Russia?s growing startup scene.
While in Moscow, I also stopped by the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines to get a look back at an alternate gaming history that most Americans (including myself) aren?t familiar with. The museum contains a mix of working and defunct arcade machines, and it?s now the largest public collection of mid-1970s arcade games manufactured in the Soviet Union.
Back in 2007, three friends ? Aleksandr Stakhanov, Maxim Pinigin, and Aleksandr Wugman ? were inspired to find a working unit of Morskoi Boi (Sea Battle), a highly popular submarine arcade game from their childhood. Eventually they found a unit, tried to fix it, and ultimately broke it beyond repair.
?We literally took that first machine to the scrapyard,? Stakhanov told the Moscow Times recently. ?But after that particular experience, we knew if we didn?t collect the arcade machines and put them together in a museum, then they would end up disappearing completely,?
Later, the trio started getting better at restoring these old machines and finding workarounds to replace parts that don?t exist anymore. But it?s still hard to keep these machines in order.
?On average, three-quarters of the machines will be working at any given time,? Stakhanov said. ?They all break down sporadically, and the repair process can often take quite a while. We repair, they break: repair, break, repair, break ? it?s a constant process.?
I tried most of the games at the museum and found myself pleasantly surprised with their quality. These games may not be as advanced as arcade staples like Donkey Kong or Tetris, but they have a soul. If this has been my first arcade when I was a child, I would?ve had a lot of fun.
While one might think these games were designed with U.S.S.R. propaganda in mind, most certainly did not feel like it. None of the games features the U.S.A. on the opposite side. These games were designed for current tastes ? racing, shooting, hockey, basketball, soccer, and other sports are all covered. A few games included submarines and tanks, but it hardly felt like they were instilling any ?values.?
My favorite game was Winter Hunt [above], a game where you attempt to shoot rabbits and other animals in the snow. It felt like a precursor to games like Big Buck Hunter, but it was much more analog. There are dark shapes that look like animals on a large screen. When an animal shape lights up on the screen, you need to shoot it before it ?runs away.?
Another great game was Snake, which reminded me quite a bit of that other Snake. In this version, you play a snake roaming a field trying to eat rabbits (what?s with all this rabbit violence?) and avoid running into crops and your own body. It was surprisingly difficult, with the rabbits often jumping out the way just as you approach.
Take a look at the gallery below to see the many types of Soviet-era arcade games are at the museum.
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Photos via Sean Ludwig/VenutureBeat
Source: http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/14/soviet-arcade-machines/
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Sharp branching into robo-vacs, grow lights, e-whiteboards to offset slow LCD sales (video)
Remember the Cocorobo robotic vaccum that could send you pics of your newly-cleaned carpet? Sharp is going to be doing a lot more of that kind of thing soon, if a recent demo at its research center in Nara, Japan is any indication. Since the company has been losing gobs of money on its tepid LCD-panel business, it'll soon be using some of that tech in completely different industries: for instance, converting powerful LED lighting from TV backlights to grow lamps, and touchscreen TV panels to interactive whiteboards. Sharp admitted to PC World that it needed to branch into other businesses since "rivals have been able to catch up from behind" to its LCD TV and mobile phone businesses -- and judging by the drastic actions the company's taken to stave off disaster lately, it'll need to hustle those products to market, stat. Check the video after the jump to see some of the prototypes in action.
[Image credit: PC World]
Filed under: Displays, Robots, HD
Source: PC World
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4zBk0WKttDE/
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শনিবার, ১৫ জুন, ২০১৩
Samsung chief alludes to 'mirrorless' Galaxy Camera sequel coming June 20th
We had a feeling the little Galaxy S4 Zoom wouldn't be the final word in Samsung's Android-powered camera lineup for 2013, and now it seems that a truer successor to the high-spec Galaxy Camera is indeed on its way. As quoted by the Korea Times, JK Shin has confirmed that a "mirrorless camera that runs on Google's Android software" will launch at the company's forthcoming event in London on June 20th, which will likely also show off other Galaxy-branded products. Assuming no mistranslations have gotten in the way, the reference to a "mirrorless" camera implies the existence of an interchangeable lens system, suggesting that the new Galaxy Camera might be more akin to Samsung's NX range of cameras than to its cheaper point-and-shoots. If that's the case, then this could be a significant upgrade in terms of sensor size and image quality, but at this point there's still very little we can say for sure.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Android Beat
Source: Korea Times
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৩ জুন, ২০১৩
Samsung unveils the king of camera phones ? the 16-megapixel Galaxy S4 Zoom
Is Samsung saving any surprises for its June 20th press conference? The world?s top smartphone vendor by sales volume has been a busy beaver lately, churning out smartphone after smartphone. The latest addition to the company?s always expanding portfolio may be its most intriguing in recent months. Samsung on Wednesday unveiled the Galaxy S4 Zoom, a smartphone with just one thing on its mind: capturing amazing photos. The S4 Zoom features a 16-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom and image?stabilization, a xenon flash, a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of internal storage, microSDXC support for up to 64GB of removable storage, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The handset will begin rolling out this summer and we expect to get our first hands-on look at it next week. Samsung?s full press release follows below.
Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S4 zoom ? the first smartphone to offer 10x optical zoom, for perfect picture taking
[More from BGR: Is Apple ditching the ?Black & Slate? color option on the iPhone 5S?]
June 12, 2013
A revolutionary new device that converges the best of a high performance smartphone and camera, the GALAXY S4 zoom delivers the best of both worlds
LONDON, UK ? June 12, 2013 ? Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY S4 zoom, a powerful new device which combines the stylish heritage of the latest GALAXY S4 smartphone with advanced photographic capabilities.
Part of the GALAXY S4 family, the GALAXY S4 zoom is the realization of Samsung?s mission to create a single device that can fulfill the role of both an industry leading smartphone and a high-end compact camera. Combining 10x Optical Zoom, 16 Mega Pixel CMOS Sensor, OIS and Xenon Flash with the very latest Samsung GALAXY S4 technology, the GALAXY S4 zoom sets new standards for perfect mobile photography. It is the ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one, and the only device you?ll ever need.
?The Samsung GALAXY S4 zoom represents yet another step forward in the way Samsung is working to enhance the lives of our customers around the world,? said JK Shin, President and CEO, Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. ?As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose. The GALAXY S4 zoom changes this forever, combining the industry leading functionality and connectivity of the GALAXY S4 with the high quality photographic experience you?d expect from a compact camera. The result is truly the best of both worlds, without compromise.?
Revolutionary new interface
Do it all and miss nothing thanks to the revolutionary new Zoom Ring, a simple and intuitive way to access the GALAXY S4 zoom?s key features. When you?re in the middle of a phone call and you see something you absolutely have to share, a quick twist of the Zoom Ring will activate the In-Call Photo Share feature, letting you capture and send an image directly via MMS to whoever you are talking to simply.
For easy camera navigation, the Zoom Ring can be used to activate the Quick Launch andShortcut features, giving you instant access to multiple camera modes including Auto, Gallery and Smart Mode with a simple twist.
The Zoom Ring also revolutionizes conventional camera zoom controls. Optical zoom control replaces traditional dials and buttons with smooth, easy-to-operate digital controls. Professional-quality accuracy and unprecedented ease of use are just a twist away, making it easy to compose a scene and capture wide-angle shots or tight close-ups.
Capture the best images
When it comes to high quality photography, bigger isn?t always better. The compact GALAXY S4 zoom?s best-in-class 10x Optical Zoom and 16MP BSI CMOS Sensor lets you capture beautiful images from far away or up close and personal, in all light conditions, without having to carry heavy camera gear around with you. Furthermore, the built-in Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) helps keep the camera perfectly still even when you?re not, reducing blur and stabilizing the image while zoomed in for high-quality photos and video.
Photo Suggest instantly connects you to huge libraries of images taken by fellow photographers, to help you find and compose your best shots anywhere in the world. Photo Suggest can even direct you to the ideal nearby location which will give you the vantage point you need for that perfect photo.
The GALAXY S4 zoom also features Samsung?s popular Smart Mode, so you can stop worrying about settings and start taking professional-quality artistic shots. Simply choose from a series of pre-set modes and the camera will automatically adjust to ensure you capture the best photo possible. Use Drama Shot to merge continuous shots of moving objects into a single composed image, or Action Freeze to instantly capture high-speed action. If you aren?t sure which Smart Mode to select, the Smart Mode Suggest feature can assess the scene for you and provide a short list of the best options for your consideration based on surrounding factors such as light levels, focal length, or face detection, ensuring you always get the best shot you want.
Unlimited entertainment in the palm of your hand
The GALAXY S4 zoom?s heritage is evident throughout, from its sleek and stylish design to the powerful, yet intuitive user interface. Running on Android Jelly Bean 4.2, the GALAXY S4 zoom boasts many of the same features as the recently launched GALAXY S4, includingTouchwiz, which lets you fully customize various aspects of your device including the lock screen and notification bar, for a truly personal mobile experience.
When you return from your travel adventures, Story Album lets you arrange all of your treasured images and videos into one timeline to share with friends and loved ones. You can also edit images and even order prints directly from the device through a partnership withblurb?. If you?d rather transfer your images to your laptop or tablet for safe keeping, Samsung Link lets you do so quickly and easily with just the touch of a button. Alternatively, you can sync all of your data in your own personal cloud through HomeSync, providing the ultimate peace of mind and ensuring your images and videos are waiting for you whenever you need them.
The GALAXY S4 zoom features the new Samsung Hub, a one-stop destination for all of the latest music, videos, books and games. Search, download and enjoy all of your favorite entertainment at the touch of a button, all directly from your device. When you find that amazing new track or game that you can?t wait to share with your friends, Group Play lets you connect directly with their Samsung devices so you can all listen and play together, without the need for a Wi-Fi AP or cellular signal.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-unveils-king-camera-phones-16-megapixel-galaxy-123033678.html
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বুধবার, ১২ জুন, ২০১৩
Flu vaccines aimed at younger populations could break annual transmission cycle
June 11, 2013 ? The huge value of vaccinating more children and young adults for influenza is being seriously underestimated, experts say in a new report, while conventional wisdom and historic vaccine programs have concentrated on the elderly and those at higher risk of death and serious complications.
A computer modeling analysis was just published in the journal Vaccine, in work supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study suggests that children in school and young adults at work do the vast majority of flu transmission. Programs that effectively increase vaccination in those groups would have the best payoff, the research concluded.
The key point: If you don't catch the flu, you can't die from it. Breaking the cycle of transmission benefits everyone from infants to the elderly, the researchers said. And at stake are thousands of lives and billions of dollars a year.
"In most cases, the available flu vaccine could be used more effectively and save more lives by increasing the number of vaccinated children and young adults," said Jan Medlock, a co-author of the study and researcher with the Department of Biomedical Sciences in Oregon State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
"That approach could really limit the cycle of transmission, preventing a great deal of illness while also reducing the number of deaths among high risk groups," he said. "Approaches similar to this were used in Japan several decades ago, and they accomplished just that. Our new analysis suggests we should reconsider our priorities for vaccination."
In a perfect world and in accord with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers agree that almost everyone over the age of six months should get the flu vaccine, unless they were allergic to the shot or had other reasons not to take it. But in the United States, only about one-third of the population actually gets a flu vaccine each year. Historic efforts have been focused on people at higher risk of death and severe disease -- often the elderly, and those with chronic illness, weakened immune systems, health care workers or others.
With existing patterns of vaccine usage, the problem is enormous. Seasonal influenza in the U.S. results each year in an average of 36,000 deaths, more than 200,000 hospitalizations, an $87 billion economic burden, and millions of hours of lost time at school and work -- not to mention feeling sick and miserable.
The flu vaccine up until 2000 was only recommended for people over 65, Medlock said, and other age groups were added in the past decade as it became clear they also were at high risk of death or complications -- children from age six months to five years, and adults over 50. Just recently, age was taken completely out of the equation.
"Clearly we would want people at high medical risk to get a flu vaccine as long as it is abundant," Medlock said. "But what we're losing in our current approach is the understanding that most flu is transmitted by children and young adults. They don't as often die from it, but they are the ones who spread it to everyone else."
The population and disease transmission modeling done in the new study outlines this, and concluded that a 25-100 percent reduction in deaths from flu or its complications could be achieved if current flu vaccine usage were shifted to much more heavily include children and young adults, as well as those at high risk.
One obstacle, experts say, is the historic reluctance to add even more vaccines to those already received and often mandated for school-age children.
"A simple program we could consider in our K-12 schools would be to have the school nurse, or other local professional, give every child an annual flu shot, with the parents being informed about it in advance and having the option to decline," Medlock said.
"Vaccinating children could prevent a great deal of illness and save many lives at all ages, not just the children," he said. "More aggressive educational campaigns to reach young adults would also be helpful."
Collaborators on this research included scientists from Yale University and the University of Texas. It was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/A4RkD3wW2sg/130611144321.htm
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Low diastolic blood pressure may be associated with brain atrophy
June 10, 2013 ? Low baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) appears to be associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease, whenever declining levels of blood pressure (BP) over time among patients who had a higher baseline BP were associated with less progression of atrophy, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Neurology.
"Studies have shown that both high and low blood pressure (BP) may play a role in the etiology of brain atrophy. High BP in midlife has been associated with more brain atrophy later in life, whereas studies in older populations have shown a relation between low BP and more brain atrophy. Yet, prospective evidence is limited, and the relation remains unclear in patients with manifest arterial disease," according to the study.
Hadassa M. Jochemsen, M.D., of University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, and colleagues examined the association of baseline BP and change in BP over time with the progression of brain atrophy in 663 patients (average age 57 years; 81 percent male). The patients had coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease or abdominal aortic aneurysm.
According to the results, patients with lower baseline DBP or mean arterial pressure (MAP) had more progression of subcortical (the area beneath the cortex of the brain) atrophy. In patients with higher BP (DBP, MAP or systolic BP), those with declining BP levels over time had less progression of subcortical atrophy compared with those with rising BP levels.
"This could imply that BP lowering is beneficial in patients with higher BP levels, but one should be cautious with further BP lowering in patients who already have low BP," the study authors conclude.
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সোমবার, ১০ জুন, ২০১৩
Texas A&M and Florida share NCAA men's title
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) ? Clemson junior Brianna Rollins broke her own collegiate record in the 100-meter hurdles on the final day of the NCAA outdoor track and field championships Saturday.
Rollins finished in 12:39 seconds, besting her mark of 12.47 seconds set in the semifinals Thursday. That time topped the previous record of 12.48 set by Southern California's Ginnie Powell at the 2006 NCAA outdoor championships in Sacramento, Calif.
Top-ranked Kansas wrapped up its first women's team title before the day was finished and had 60 points, thwarting Oregon's attempt to sweep team titles this year in the sport's three NCAA championships.
Texas A&M and Florida shared the men's title with 53 points apiece.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-m-florida-share-ncaa-mens-title-233411393.html
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বুধবার, ৫ জুন, ২০১৩
LeBron, Heat top Pacers to return to NBA Finals
After years of conference finals surprises, the favorites won out. The Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in a one-sided Game 7 victory on Monday night, earning the chance to face their Western counterparts from San Antonio in the NBA Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs, after nine full days off following their May 27 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, will attempt to dethrone the Heat in a Game 1 that tips off on June 6. The final round appearance will be the defending champion Heat?s third-straight trip to the Finals, while the Spurs will take to this round for the fifth time during the Tim Duncan era. San Antonio has yet to lose in the Finals since making its first appearance in 1999, though the team hasn?t reached this level since the 2006-07 season.
[Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy Miami Heat Eastern Conference champs gear]
Despite the blowout score Miami did not come out full of fire against a younger and thinner Pacers team in Game 7, as Indiana actually led the contest by two following the first quarter. Indiana?s inexperience and unfamiliarity with the stage, though, shone through; because while Miami earned this impressive Game 7 win, the Pacers did just as much on their end to ease the Heat?s run to the NBA?s showcase stage.
Indiana turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter and 15 times by halftime. The rash of turnovers appeared to clear up in the third quarter, but Indiana still managed to dig its particular hole further by making poor decisions on either end, while earning five fouls each for stars Roy Hibbert and Paul George by the time the fourth quarter started. Already a squad severely lacking in bench production, the Pacers just had no chance with its best players sitting with foul trouble.
Hell, they barely had a chance with their best players standing without foul trouble.
Indiana could have been encouraged by the fact that they led by two after a turnover-heavy first quarter, but instead the team made mistake after mistake on its way to a 33-16 second period in Miami?s favor. The Heat just began acting as if the Pacers didn?t deserve to be playing in the first week of June, and Indiana seemed to agree with the defending champs.
The Pacers stopped acting mindful of the defensive glass. It stopped talking defensively after offensive rebounds, off of broken Miami plays, or during delayed transition breaks for Miami. Indiana?s terrible offensive recognition rose to the level of both its lacking offensive game and Miami?s stellar defense: Indiana did not go to its bread and butter pick and roll plays, it did not attempt to take advantage of its size, and it hesitated on good shots in favor of either over-passing or refusing to confidently finish on good looks.
Paul George, the team?s hoped-for second star behind Roy Hibbert, had absolutely no plan when it came to attacking the Heat defense. Once again, he tried to break the malaise by either attempting imprecise drives or three-pointers that he hoped would count for ten. George ended up fouling out early in the fourth quarter, missing 10 of 14 shots on his way to 13 points.
[Watch: LeBron James finishes the alley-oop with his head at the rim]
On the other end, Hibbert (18 points, eight rebounds) was a victim of a lack of communication from his teammates, and some iffy calls. The Pacers guards failed to rebound with the same effort that worked so well for this team previously in the playoffs, which led to quick Miami hits off of offensive rebounds, while the Pacers compounded the deficit with a series of frustration fouls.
Indiana did everything it could to prove that even if the team does have the talent and most importantly the matchup ability to align itself on Miami?s level; they don?t have the temerity and know-how to seal the deal. Miami put the Pacers in this position, there can be no doubt about this, but Indiana embraced its second tier status on the road in Game 7. Which is an absolute shame, for an Indiana team that is a legitimate NBA Finalist.
In the meantime, in that short stretch between this conquest and what could figure to be another one-sided win over a too-rested San Antonio Spurs squad on Thursday, laud these Miami Heat.
The champs struggled to start, but you could never call them hesitant nor lacking in confidence. The team re-initiated a defensive attack that some prior to the Conference finals thought would bring Indiana to its knees in a potential series sweep, while keeping a deft touch offensively with both ball and player movement. The team didn?t try to destroy Indiana with daggers in front of the home crowd, either. Instead, it worked to get to the free throw line, while admirably attacking both the weakest parts of the Pacer rotation while attempting to decimate its strongest attributes in both Hibbert, George, and the Indiana dominance on the defensive glass.
The Heat responded to the challenge with equal parts effort and execution, with LeBron James? mindful, steady insistence leading the way. They acted like champions, in Game 7.
As a result, the Miami Heat are four more wins away from getting to call themselves champions for a whole ?nother year. All they have to do is down the dynastic San Antonio Spurs, and make Tim Duncan an NBA Finals loser for the first time in his career.
Something has to give, and we can?t wait.
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Jason Kidd retires from the NBA after 19 seasons
? Jeff Van Gundy not a serious candidate to be Clippers' next head coach
? Ray Allen often has a personal team bus ride to game-day practice
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মঙ্গলবার, ৪ জুন, ২০১৩
Asteroid flyby: No danger this time, but astronomers are taking lots of notes
Asteroid QE2 ? at 1.7 miles wide a space rock worth keeping tabs on ? and its moon pass closest to Earth Friday. Astronomers are seizing the chance to study up close a potential future hazard.?
First radar images of asteroid 1998 QE2 were obtained when the asteroid was about 3.75 million miles (6 million kilometers) from Earth. The small white dot at lower right is the moon, or satellite, orbiting asteroid 1998 QE2.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSSR
EnlargeA dark asteroid nearly two miles wide and its tiny moon will flit through Earth's neighborhood Friday.
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Radar data of asteroid 1998 QE2 obtained on May 29, 2013, when the asteroid was about 3.75 million miles (6 million kilometers) from Earth. 1998 QE2 measures approximately 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) in diameter.About 16 percent of asteroids are binary or triple systems.
The data is looped one time.
The flyby ? with closest approach occurring at 4:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time ? represents one of the best opportunities this year for astronomers to take an up-close-and-personal look at an object of keen scientific interest as well as one on the potentially-hazardous list.
Although the object won't be visible to the naked eye or even visible in binoculars, the asteroid, known as 1998 QE2, should be visible through a modest-sized telescope for the first few days of June, researchers say.
If the slowly tumbling QE2 were to strike Earth it would make for a truly bad-hair day for the planet. The asteroid presents no threat to Earth during this visit or during its next "closest" approach more than 200 years from now, in 2221. Its path around the sun is bringing it to within 3.6 million miles of Earth Friday, and only slightly closer two centuries from now.
But 1998 QE2 falls within a class of asteroids known as Amors. Generally, Amors follow orbits that on closest approach to the sun bring them near Earth's orbit without crossing it. QE2, for instance, comes to within 1.049 astronomical units (AU) from the sun before heading back out to its most distant point at 3.8 AU ? where the main asteroid belt lies. Earth orbits the sun at an average distance of 1 AU.
Over time, however, gravitational interactions with Earth and Mars, and even subtle factors such as pressure from sunlight, can tweak an Amor's orbit in ways that ultimately will send it across Earth's path. QE2 swings close enough to Earth to bear watching.
In addition, opportunities to study an object this size from the comfort of Earth are relatively rare.
Using radar, when the opportunity does present itself, "we can collect data that compares only to a spacecraft flyby, and for much less money," says Marina Brozovic, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who is leading the radar observations of the object.
On Wednesday, a 230-foot-wide radar antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Tracking Center outside of Barstow, Calif., began tracking the QE2 and immediately discovered that the 1.7-mile-wide asteroid was not alone. It has a 2,000-foot-wide moon orbiting it ? an object about 30 times the size of the small asteroid that exploded over the Chelyabinsk region of Russia in February.
The presence of a companion, relatively common among near-Earth asteroids, represents a bonanza, Dr. Brozovic says, because their orbital dance allows researchers to get precise estimates of the larger object's mass. Radar also delivers a precise size for each object. The size and mass can be parlayed into an estimate of the QE2's density, which yields clues about its structure and bulk composition.
Finally, the asteroid's size and brightness can be correlated in ways that allow asteriod-search programs to better estimate the sizes of the objects they detect ? important to estimating any collision hazard. The QE2 is extremely dark, putting it in a class of objects known as carbonaceous chondrites ? stony objects thought to have helped deliver to Earth the inventory of chemicals needed to serve as the building blocks for organic life.
In addition to Goldstone's radar, the 1,000-foot-wide radio telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico will join the observing campaign beginning June 6. Working in tandem, data from the two observatories should allow scientists to spot details as small as 12 feet across on QE2's surface.
Finally, optical telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere will be gathering observations through August to pin down more accurately the object's rotation rate and its chemical composition.
Asteroid 1998 QE2 was discovered in 1998 by MIT's LINEAR asteroid search. The asteroid and its moon make one trip around the sun every 3.77 years.
While astronomers track QE2, they also are celebrating an important milestone for a mission to return samples from another, QE2-like asteroid. Two weeks ago, NASA gave the green light to develop and launch OSIRIS-REx, a spacecraft that is slated to visit asteroid 1999 RQ36. It's a half-mile-wide object that does cross Earth's orbit and is listed as a potentially hazardous object late in the 22nd century.
The mission would launch in 2017 and reach the asteroid two years later for a two-year stay, returning samples to Earth in late 2023. Researchers picked the object because it's carbon rich. And the mission design ? orbiting and sampling for two years ? represent the kind of mission needed to provide information on how best to deflect an asteroid if it does look as though it has Earth in its crosshairs.
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সোমবার, ৩ জুন, ২০১৩
Insight: Presidency beckons for Jakarta's rags-to-riches governor
By Kanupriya Kapoor and Andrew R.C. Marshall
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the governor of Jakarta, might well be the future of Indonesian democracy. Here's why.
On a recent afternoon he visited Tambora, a densely populated area of west Jakarta, to inspect the aftermath of a slum fire. Within minutes, the narrow streets were a moshpit of jostling well-wishers. Women embraced him. Men kissed his hand. School children chanted "Long live Jokowi!"
Unattended by bodyguards, Widodo edged through the scrum wearing a spotless white shirt and the sort of unfaltering grin that makes a normal man's face ache.
No wonder he's smiling. He is a wildly popular leader in a country where scandal has tarnished or toppled almost every leading politician, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and those vying to replace him in next year's election.
His rise has been formidable. So, too, is the task of fixing a city whose problems are holding back one of Asia's largest and fastest-growing economies.
Widodo, 51, is a former furniture salesman who grew up in a riverside slum in Surakarta, better known as Solo, a once-declining city in Central Java where he was elected mayor in 2005. Over the next seven years he cut crime, revived the local economy and gained a reputation for clean, can-do governance that propelled him into Jakarta's City Hall last October.
Widodo's plans for the Indonesian capital are even more ambitious. He vows to solve its chronic flooding, alleviate its maddening traffic and re-house more than a million slum-dwellers. "My inspiration is the people," he told Reuters. "I think we can solve our problems here."
Jakartans think so too. Widodo is mobbed by crowds during his daily visits to low-rent communities, feted by the media and feared by underperforming city officials.
That Widodo's simple formula - competence, transparency and the common touch - seems so revolutionary is a testament to how corrupt and remote most Indonesian politicians are. In a country where political parties are distinguished not by policies but by personalities, Widodo seems a shoo-in for president - if he decides to run. For now, he says he will concentrate on Jakarta.
His Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) may have other ideas. Its leader is former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesian independence hero Sukarno.
"Megawati doesn't want to stand next year," says a senior party official, a Megawati confidant who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We don't want to announce it yet, but . . . it's clear that in the party, everyone has Jokowi in mind."
While Widodo's popularity is rare for an Indonesian politician, it is far from unique. He is only the most celebrated of a new batch of popular and pragmatic leaders who could revolutionize the way Indonesia's young democracy is run.
GOOD, BAD AND UGLY
These leaders are products of Indonesia's decade-old experiment with decentralization - a process more often blamed for creating corrupt local elites. "It's important for Indonesians to understand that it's not just Jokowi," says Marco Kusumawijaya, director of the Jakarta-based urban studies think tank Rujak. "What we're seeing is the emergence of new types of leaders."
Many of them hail not from the bureaucracy - the usual source - but from other professions.
Kholiq Arif, the mayor credited with revitalizing the Central Java city of Wonosobo, is a former journalist. Mayor Herman Sutrisno of Banjar, another Javanese town, is a doctor who still performs vasectomies as part of his family planning program.
Capable regional leaders often win attention and funds from the central government, as Widodo did in Solo. Bantaeng in Central Sulawesi was picked for a pilot national healthcare program after its mayor Nurdin Abdullah improved the city's welfare services.
"Indonesia should have more of these leaders," says Tri Rismaharini, the mayor of Surabaya, herself praised for reviving Indonesia's second-largest city. "We've been independent for over 60 years and we should have advanced further by now. We are rich in natural and human resources, and we need leaders who understand this potential."
But for every mini-Widodo there are local leaders who have used decentralization to misrule and plunder.
Syamsul Arifin is serving a six-year jail sentence for embezzling nearly Rp 10 billion (US$1 million) during his time as governor of North Sumatra. Banten, a province run by Indonesia's first female governor, Ratu Atut Chosiyah, has become a byword for nepotism. Her husband, son, daughter-in-law, sister and sister-in-law all hold senior political posts.
Other local politicians have passed Islamic bylaws that oblige women to wear headscarves or be chaperoned by male relatives when going out after dark.
"SHINING WITHOUT CORRUPTION"
Widodo's father was a truck driver, his mother a bamboo seller, and his childhood home a shack on the banks of the Kalianyar River in Solo. Later, his father ran a small timber business, and Widodo studied at the forestry department of Universitas Gadjah Mada in the nearby city of Yogyakarta. He was the first member of his family to attend university.
It taught him a valuable lesson: poor people who don't understand the value of education remain poor. During his walkabout in Tambora, he not only inspected burned-out houses but also handed out free books and school bags to children. "Study! Study!" he urged, as they mobbed his departing car.
Exporting furniture made Widodo a millionaire and a prominent Solo businessman. But it was the city's deteriorating state that lured Widodo into politics.
Riots during the 1998 downfall of the dictator Suharto razed homes and businesses in Solo and wrecked its economy. The city was also notorious as the home of radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, considered the spiritual leader of the bombers who killed more than 200 people in Bali in 2002. "Investors didn't trust our city," he says.
Campaigning with the slogan "Shining Without Corruption", Widodo became Solo's first directly elected mayor in 2005. His signature achievement was unclogging Solo's streets and public spaces by relocating thousands of illegal vendors to new facilities. He did this through incentives discussed at dozens of meetings with the vendors, often over lunch or dinner.
"He kept on talking until he convinced them," says Widodo's friend Mari Pangestu, then Indonesia's trade minister and now its minister of tourism and creative economy. "He's very persistent - not pushy, but persistent. If he believes in that idea he'll keep coming back to you and follow up."
After revitalizing Solo's traditional markets, he attracted new business by setting up a one-stop shop that allowed investors to cut through bureaucratic corruption and red tape. Corrupt officials were fired.
Widodo and his then-deputy Hadi Rudyanto also improved slums and access to healthcare services, and boosted tourism by promoting Solo as a centre for Javanese art and culture. They were re-elected in 2010 with 90 percent of the vote.
Widodo abandoned his second term as Solo mayor to run for Jakarta governor, easily beating the Jakarta-born incumbent, Fauzi Bowo.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Jakarta, home to 10 million people, should be famous for its rich Betawi culture and thriving arts scene. Instead, it is notorious for biblical floods, sprawling slums and soul-crushing gridlock.
Floods have grown more frequent over the past decade, killing scores of people and causing millions of dollars of damage. In mid-January, days of heavy rain transformed the city into a grim imitation of Venice. The grounds of City Hall, a white-painted Dutch colonial building in central Jakarta, were shin-deep in filthy water.
Jakarta has a shabby and chaotic public transport system and no subway, which forces more people - especially Indonesia's growing middle classes - into private vehicles. Jakartans buy more than 440 cars and 1,400 motorbikes every day, says Widodo.
Then there are the slums: more than 4.7 million Jakartans live in them, he says.
Widodo's big-ticket public transport projects are the city's first subway (which was first proposed 24 years ago) and a monorail (14 years ago). He promises the subway, or mass rapid transit (MRT), will be completed in seven years - he formally announced the $2.4 billion project on May 2 - and the monorail in half that time.
He also plans to add more buses and dedicated bus routes, and to squeeze motorists with stiffer parking fees and congestion charges.
Many of Jakarta's problems are interconnected: its lack of green space, for example, means lower absorption of flood waters. But then so are its solutions: remove refuse-producing slums from the banks of rivers and canals and flood waters drain more easily.
Another example is street vendors. In 2004, Jakarta had about 90,000 of them, mostly illegal, says Hasan Basri Saleh, Widodo's top economics advisor at City Hall. Today, there are more than 270,000. Getting these stalls off the roadsides and into purpose-built markets will ease traffic congestion. Some 4,000 can move into unoccupied kiosks at Jakarta's 153 existing markets, he says, but new markets will have to be built for the rest.
Jakarta's burgeoning population has overwhelmed city planners since Indonesia won independence in 1945. This explains why many of Widodo's solutions involve moving people.
His immediate goal is to transfer more than 100,000 families from slums into public housing during his first term. That's about half a million people. His longer-term plan is even more ambitious: to re-house a total of 370,000 poor families.
Widodo says the city will buy up hundreds of hectares of land, mostly from private developers, to build not just housing but also parks and flood-prevention infrastructure. The plan is "really massive", says economics advisor Hasan. "I don't know of any precedents."
Widodo says there is "more than enough" in the city's $4.9 billion budget, which he vows to double in two years through a more efficient tax system.
"NEW STAR"
Widodo's reflexive populism can get tiresome. Who are his political advisors? "My advisor is the people." Biggest achievement? "Ask the people." We get it.
But Jakarta people aren't like Solo people, says Fadli Zon, vice chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and a long-time Widodo associate. With a population twenty times larger than Solo's, Jakarta is a "mosaic of different religions and ethnic groups" with a highly critical middle class impatient for change, he says. "It's a very, very difficult position."
A free healthcare scheme was widely criticized for overwhelming the city's hospitals, clinics and medical staff. But the response to Widodo's walkabouts suggests his popularity is undented.
When President Yudhoyono made an impromptu visit to a fishing village in Banten province in January, the Indonesian media accused him of trying to boost his flagging popularity with a distinctive Widodo tactic.
"Jokowi is a new star," Yudhoyono told Reuters in April. "He could be a contender for the presidency someday." But he said Widodo needed more time as Jakarta governor to learn how to run a large organization.
Yudhoyono's own scandal-plagued Democratic Party offers no credible rivals. Widodo remains more popular than any other declared presidential candidates. Aburizal Bakrie, the billionaire leader of the Golkar party, lacks his rags-to-riches backstory and common touch. Prabowo Subianto, the Gerindra party candidate, is sullied by human rights abuses committed by Indonesia's special forces, Kopassus, which he once commanded.
Even so, the PDI-P will announce Widodo's candidacy as late as possible, says the senior party official. "If we announce it now, everyone will make him a target and gun him down between now and next year."
Many supporters still hope Widodo will save any presidential bid for 2019. "Jakarta still needs him," says Budi Adiputro, 26, one of dozens of journalists now on the City Hall beat.
Urban planner Marco Kusumawijaya is less concerned.
"In this country, where there is such a shortage of good leaders, we should let him go as high as he can," he says. "We shouldn't keep him to ourselves. And he might manage Jakarta quite well, even as president."
(Editing by Dean Yates)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-presidency-beckons-jakartas-rags-riches-governor-001701940.html
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