gelya promoter: October 2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Security Flaw Found in 'Staggering Number' of iOS Apps

By John P. Mello Jr.
MacNewsWorld
Part of the ECT News Network
10/31/13 10:32 AM PT

Hackers could disrupt the normal content flow of many apps -- a great many, according to Skycure -- due to a flaw in iOS and most likely other mobile platforms. "Poisoning applications with fake content can have devastating consequences," noted security analyst Bogdan Botezatu. "Imagine a specific pool of users being shown news of an imminent hurricane or other disaster in their area."

A flaw found in a "staggering number" of apps for the iPhone and iPad could be exploited to send malicious information to the gadgets, researchers at Skycure reported Tuesday. The vulnerability allows enterprising hackers to redirect an app's communication with its appointed server to one operated by nefarious parties.

Although the researchers focused on iOS apps, the flaw could affect other mobile platforms too, since the it involves a cross-platform standard -- HTTP.

"We've seen a pretty impressive number of iOS applications susceptible to this problem, but it is very likely that other operating systems, such as Android and Windows Phone, may be susceptible to this as well, although we can't confirm that yet," Yair Amit, CTO and cofounder of Skycure, told MacNewsWorld.

Apple did not respond to our request to comment for this story.

Classic Attack

A classic man-in-the-middle attack can be launched on an iOS device by exploiting the vulnerability, which uses a technique called "HTTP Request Hacking." Here's how it works.

Many apps are constantly communicating with a server on the Net to obtain information. The app for a news organization, for instance, frequently polls that organization's server to get the latest news.

When such communication is initiated by an app, it can be intercepted by a hacker, who then pushes a modification to the iOS device that redirects all future communication from the app to the hacker's server.

The modification involves poisoning a cache used by apps with a bogus "301 Moved Permanently" command. Those commands are used by developers when a domain used by their app changes. In this case, though, the hacker is changing the domain and not the developer.

"While the 301 Moved Permanently HTTP response has valuable uses, it also has severe security ramifications on mobile apps, as it could allow a malicious attacker to persistently alter and remotely control the way the application functions, without any reasonable way for the victim to know about it," Amit explained in a blog post.

"Whereas browsers have an address bar," he continued, "most mobile apps do not visually indicate the server they connect to, making HRH attacks seamless, with very low probability of being identified by the victims."

Devastating Potential

In order to succeed, an attacker needs to be connected to the same network as the victim and actively intercept the data flow between the victim's vulnerable application and the website it downloads its data from, explained Bitdefender Senior E-Threat Analyst Bogdan Botezatu.

However, "the attack can be automated to affect all devices currently connected to the network," he told MacNewsWorld.

"While this attack may look more like a prank," Botezatu continued, "poisoning applications with fake content can have devastating consequences. For decision makers, fake news could impact the way they do business, while for others it can trigger panic. Imagine a specific pool of users being shown news of an imminent hurricane or other disaster in their area."

Botezatu cautioned against using unfamiliar networks.

"Users should be extremely careful when connecting their device to an untrusted wireless network, as their traffic can be snooped on, their credentials intercepted or -- as it is the case with this attack -- their data manipulated in real time, even when they disconnect the rogue network and connect to their own," he said.

Massive Scope

Typically, security researchers do not reveal vulnerabilities before app makers have a chance to fix them, but Skycure's Amit noted that the scope of this flaw precluded such action.

"Unlike most vulnerabilities, where a responsible disclosure could be made in private to the vendor in charge of the vulnerable app, we soon realized that HTTP Request Hijacking affects a staggering number of iOS applications, rendering the attempt to alert vendors individually virtually impossible," he wrote.

Instead, Skycure offered two solutions to the problem. First, developers could secure communication between their apps and Web hosts with HTTPS. Apps vulnerable to the 301 attack are using the insecure HTTP protocol.

In the past, developers shied away from using HTTPS because they felt it hurt app performance, but that's not the case anymore, maintained Christopher Budd, threat communications manager for Trend Micro.

"We're getting to a point where processing costs are low and security risks are high," he told MacNewsWorld, "so using HTTPS as a default, to my mind, is making much more sense."

Programmatic Solution

While HTTPS could foil some hackers seeking to exploit the 301 flaw, even that protocol can be circumvented in iOS through the use of malicious profiles.

"When you combine the 301 and malicious profile attacks together, you can poison and change the logic of applications that interact through SSL," Amit explained.

The second solution suggested by Skycure would be to shut off an app's polling of the cache containing the 301 command.

"301 is great for the Web, but when it comes to mobile applications -- where, as a user, you have to trust the vendor that what you're doing is safe -- it's very bad for mobile devices," noted Amit.

Although that solution addresses the problem, there would be a cost.

"It protects," Trend Micro's Budd observed, "but it definitely hampers functionality that, when it's legitimate, can be valuable."

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79322.html
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Manning says gender ID dispute could go to court

FILE - In this July 30, 2013, file photo, Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, then-Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, is escorted out of a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., after receiving a verdict in his court martial. Manning, who was convicted of sending more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents to the secrets-sharing website WikiLeaks, said in a letter posted by the Private Manning Support Network that she will go to court, if necessary, to be allowed to live as a woman and receive hormone replacement therapy. Manning is serving a 35-year sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, a men’s military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Imprisoned documents leaker Chelsea Manning says she'll go to court, if necessary, to get treatment for gender identity disorder, also called gender dysphoria.

The Army private formerly known as Bradley Manning wrote in a letter to the Private Manning Support Network that her court-martial defense attorney, David Coombs, is helping her seek treatment for the disorder at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, a men's military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The support group posted the Oct. 28 letter on its website Wednesday.

Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for sending more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq.

Manning, 25, wrote that she wants to at least be allowed to live as a woman and receive hormone replacement therapy. She said Coombs will represent her in those efforts "by assisting me in matters related to exhausting my administrative remedies and, if denied outright, in filing a writ before a court with jurisdiction."

Coombs said Thursday he had nothing to add to Manning's comments. After Manning announced her request in August, Coombs said he hoped the military prison would "do the right thing" so Manning wouldn't have to go to court.

The military has said it does not provide treatment for gender dysphoria. Pentagon policy dictates that transgender soldiers are not allowed to serve, but Manning can't be discharged until she's released from prison and exhausts appeals of her criminal convictions. The Army Medical Command has said prisoners cannot receive hormone treatment at Fort Leavenworth, though Manning is apparently the first to request it. Prison officials have said Manning won't be allowed to dress as a woman.

Manning was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by two Army behavioral health specialists before her trial, but the Army has said prisoners must be re-evaluated.

Fort Leavenworth spokeswoman Kimberly Lewis said the prison cannot release inmate medical information due to privacy laws.

Manning also wrote that Coombs will help her file a petition for a formal name change from Bradley to Chelsea. Prison officials have said name changes are allowed.

The letter was one of four from Manning that the support network published. In another, she apologized for an earlier public statement in which she rejected the "pacifist" label after receiving the 2013 Sean MacBride Peace Award. Manning wrote in her apology that her decision to leak classified information reflected her "dedication to transparency" and a concern for human life and equality.

The Associated Press respects Manning's wish to identify as female.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-31-US-Manning-WikiLeaks/id-1898ad8b72bd4c0982c98a5400fbdfe7
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Cross-border drug tunnel had rail system, electricity

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A tunnel designed to smuggle drugs from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego is equipped with electricity, ventilation and a rail system, U.S. authorities said Thursday, making it one of the more sophisticated secret passages discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authorities seized more than 8 tons of marijuana and 325 pounds of cocaine in connection with the discovery, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. Three suspects were in U.S. custody.

The tunnel links warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego's Otay Mesa industrial area. The area is filled with nondescript warehouses, making it easier to conceal trucks being loaded with drugs.

The tunnel was found Wednesday and completed only recently, ICE said. Authorities did not say exactly when it was built or whether drugs are believed to have gotten through undetected.

As U.S. border security has heightened on land, Mexican drug cartels have turned to ultralight aircraft, small fishing boats and tunnels. More than 75 underground passages have been discovered along the border since 2008, designed largely to smuggle marijuana.

The tunnels are concentrated along the border in California and Arizona. San Diego is popular because its clay-like soil is easy to dig. In Nogales, Ariz., smugglers tap into vast underground drainage canals.

The tunnel is the eighth major passage discovered in San Diego since 2006, a period during which Mexico's Sinaloa cartel has solidified its hold on the prized smuggling corridor. ICE said Wednesday's tunnel was the first in the San Diego area that was found to be used for cocaine.

U.S. and Mexican authorities did not disclose the dimensions of the tunnel.

In November 2011, authorities found a 600-yard tunnel that resulted in seizures of 32 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border, with 26 tons found on the U.S. side, accounting for one of the largest pot busts in U.S. history. The tunnel was equipped with electric rail cars, lighting and ventilation. Wooden planks lined the floor.

On Thanksgiving Day of 2010, authorities found a roughly 700-yard passage equipped with rail tracks that extended from the kitchen of a Tijuana home to two San Diego warehouses, netting about 22 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cross-border-drug-tunnel-equipped-rail-system-181455709.html
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Darach Watson receives Lundbeck Research Prize

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Gertie Skaarup
skaarup@nbi.dk
45-35-32-53-20
University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute

Darach Watson has been awarded the Lundbeck Foundation Research Prize for Young Scientists for his outstanding and innovative research in astrophysics, where he has developed a groundbreaking method for measuring distances in the cosmos using the light from distant quasars. The result was selected by Physics World as one of the year's most important breakthroughs in physics.
Darach Watson is from Ireland and received his PhD from University College in Dublin. He came to Denmark in 2003 and has been a core member of the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen since 2005. He is a leading expert in X-ray astronomy and has played a key role in the important developments in the research of supernovae (exploding massive stars) and gamma-ray bursts (violent outbursts of gamma radiation.
"His research style is original and inventive and by combining different techniques and ideas, he creates new knowledge," explains Jens Hjorth, professor and head of the Danish National Research Foundation's Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute.
New groundbreaking methods
Darach Watson has broken new ground in several areas. In 2006, he developed a new method to study the properties of cosmic dust. The method is now one of the most advanced for studying the detailed properties of cosmic dust in distant galaxies.
In 2011, he made his most important discovery to date. He developed a new method for measuring long distances in space using the light from quasars (active black holes). Again, it was ability to think differently, innovatively and originally that gave him the idea.
"During a lecture, as one of my colleagues was talking about quasars, I suddenly got the idea that if the brightness of the quasar was related to the size of the gas cloud surrounding it and if you could measure the size of this cloud, you could calculate the distance to the quasar," explains Darach Watson. The idea proved to be brilliant. He explains that quasars have many advantages. They are common throughout the universe and they are stable sources that do not fade and disappear after a short time like supernovae. They are also extremely luminous and can be observed at much greater distances than other sources for distance measurement. Most important, he points out, is that the measurements can be very accurate.

History Chemistry Physics - Astrophysics
But what was it exactly that led him to astrophysics?
"I always knew I wanted to do a PhD. My father was a professor of Irish and Dean of the Faculty of Celtic Studies and my mother had a PhD in history. I was interested in many topics and when I was in my last year of secondary school, I talked with my mother about what I should choose to study at university: chemistry or history. She said I could always become a professional research scientist and an amateur historian, but it was almost impossible to be an amateur scientist. I followed her advice and chose chemistry. Halfway through my studies, I discovered what really excited me were the physical processes; what the elements could do and what the physical mechanism was. At the same time, I looked at the curriculum for physics superfluidity, high-energy particle physics, relativity theory and gravity, superconductivity, plasmas and I thought it sounded incredibly exciting. So I switched to physics. When I had to decide what to do my PhD on, I discovered that astrophysics was the most interesting branch of physics," explains Darach Watson.
Enthusiastic research
Suddenly, he got a chance to work with gamma-ray bursts explosions of massive stars, the most violent explosions in the universe since the Big Bang and he jumped at the opportunity. They managed to obtain the first high-quality X-ray spectrum of a gamma-ray burst and discovered the signature of a supernovae in that spectrum. He can still remember the walk home after the discovery, "I was so elated," he explains. It is this excitement that is still the driving force for his research in astrophysics. But history has not been forgotten.
"What I find peculiar is that my love for and interest in history has crept into my science. My research is related to the history of the universe on a large scale: how it was formed and evolved, how stars and galaxies develop over time and how we ended up where we are now," says Darach Watson thoughtfully and welcomes the recognition his research has now received with the Lundbeck Foundation Research Prize for Young Scientists.
###

For more information contact:
Darach Watson, Associate professor, Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, +45 3532-5994, darach@dark-cosmology.dk

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Darach Watson receives Lundbeck Research Prize

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Gertie Skaarup
skaarup@nbi.dk
45-35-32-53-20
University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute

Darach Watson has been awarded the Lundbeck Foundation Research Prize for Young Scientists for his outstanding and innovative research in astrophysics, where he has developed a groundbreaking method for measuring distances in the cosmos using the light from distant quasars. The result was selected by Physics World as one of the year's most important breakthroughs in physics.
Darach Watson is from Ireland and received his PhD from University College in Dublin. He came to Denmark in 2003 and has been a core member of the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen since 2005. He is a leading expert in X-ray astronomy and has played a key role in the important developments in the research of supernovae (exploding massive stars) and gamma-ray bursts (violent outbursts of gamma radiation.
"His research style is original and inventive and by combining different techniques and ideas, he creates new knowledge," explains Jens Hjorth, professor and head of the Danish National Research Foundation's Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute.
New groundbreaking methods
Darach Watson has broken new ground in several areas. In 2006, he developed a new method to study the properties of cosmic dust. The method is now one of the most advanced for studying the detailed properties of cosmic dust in distant galaxies.
In 2011, he made his most important discovery to date. He developed a new method for measuring long distances in space using the light from quasars (active black holes). Again, it was ability to think differently, innovatively and originally that gave him the idea.
"During a lecture, as one of my colleagues was talking about quasars, I suddenly got the idea that if the brightness of the quasar was related to the size of the gas cloud surrounding it and if you could measure the size of this cloud, you could calculate the distance to the quasar," explains Darach Watson. The idea proved to be brilliant. He explains that quasars have many advantages. They are common throughout the universe and they are stable sources that do not fade and disappear after a short time like supernovae. They are also extremely luminous and can be observed at much greater distances than other sources for distance measurement. Most important, he points out, is that the measurements can be very accurate.

History Chemistry Physics - Astrophysics
But what was it exactly that led him to astrophysics?
"I always knew I wanted to do a PhD. My father was a professor of Irish and Dean of the Faculty of Celtic Studies and my mother had a PhD in history. I was interested in many topics and when I was in my last year of secondary school, I talked with my mother about what I should choose to study at university: chemistry or history. She said I could always become a professional research scientist and an amateur historian, but it was almost impossible to be an amateur scientist. I followed her advice and chose chemistry. Halfway through my studies, I discovered what really excited me were the physical processes; what the elements could do and what the physical mechanism was. At the same time, I looked at the curriculum for physics superfluidity, high-energy particle physics, relativity theory and gravity, superconductivity, plasmas and I thought it sounded incredibly exciting. So I switched to physics. When I had to decide what to do my PhD on, I discovered that astrophysics was the most interesting branch of physics," explains Darach Watson.
Enthusiastic research
Suddenly, he got a chance to work with gamma-ray bursts explosions of massive stars, the most violent explosions in the universe since the Big Bang and he jumped at the opportunity. They managed to obtain the first high-quality X-ray spectrum of a gamma-ray burst and discovered the signature of a supernovae in that spectrum. He can still remember the walk home after the discovery, "I was so elated," he explains. It is this excitement that is still the driving force for his research in astrophysics. But history has not been forgotten.
"What I find peculiar is that my love for and interest in history has crept into my science. My research is related to the history of the universe on a large scale: how it was formed and evolved, how stars and galaxies develop over time and how we ended up where we are now," says Darach Watson thoughtfully and welcomes the recognition his research has now received with the Lundbeck Foundation Research Prize for Young Scientists.
###

For more information contact:
Darach Watson, Associate professor, Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, +45 3532-5994, darach@dark-cosmology.dk

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoc--dwr102413.php
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LSUHSC's Noel recognized nationally for outstanding achievement

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-568-4806
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Documents danger, raises alarm about neodymium magnets and kids

New Orleans, LA Dr. R. Adam Noel, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, was selected by the American Academy of Pediatrics as one of two recipients of the 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award. The award was presented by the Section on Epidemiology/Council on Community Pediatrics on October 27, 2013, at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting.

An LSUHSC pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Noel was honored for his work over the past two years on neodymium, or rare earth, magnets. After seeing several cases in a short period of time in his practice at Children's Hospital resulting from children swallowing these tiny, powerful magnets, he led an international effort to identify the incidence and dangers of these magnets to kids. Dr. Noel was the principal investigator of the first large study on the issue, a landmark study he conducted with the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition that documented a drastic increase in cases and associated illness. His research results contributed to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's action recalling neodymium magnet adult desk toys and lawsuits to compel companies to stop selling these magnet sets and comply with the recall. His work also led to similar work in Canada and abroad. At the same time, Dr. Noel has worked tirelessly to increase awareness of the dangers of these powerful magnets to protect children and families.

###

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's academic health leader, LSUHSC comprises a School of Medicine, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSUHSC faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research in a number of areas in a worldwide arena, the LSUHSC research enterprise generates jobs and enormous economic impact. LSUHSC faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu and http://www.twitter.com/LSUHSCHealth

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LSUHSC's Noel recognized nationally for outstanding achievement

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-568-4806
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Documents danger, raises alarm about neodymium magnets and kids

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/lsuh-l103113.php
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LSUHSC's Noel recognized nationally for outstanding achievement

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-568-4806
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Documents danger, raises alarm about neodymium magnets and kids

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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.

LSUHSC's Noel recognized nationally for outstanding achievement

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-568-4806
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Documents danger, raises alarm about neodymium magnets and kids

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/lsuh-l103113.php
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FAA OKs air passengers using gadgets on planes

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta announces that government safety rules are changing to let airline passengers use most electronic devices from gate-to-gate during a news conference, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The change will let passengers read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music _ but not make cellphone calls. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Airline passengers will be able to use their electronic devices gate-to-gate to read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music — but not talk on their cellphones — under much-anticipated guidelines issued Thursday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

But passengers shouldn't expect changes to happen right away, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said at a news conference. How fast the change is implemented will vary by airline, he said.

Airlines will have to show the FAA how their airplanes meet the new guidelines and that they've updated their flight-crew training manuals, safety announcements and rules for stowing devices to reflect the new guidelines. Delta and JetBlue said they would immediately submit plans to implement the new policy.

Currently, passengers are required to turn off their smartphones, tablets and other devices once a plane's door closes. They're not supposed to restart them until the planes reach 10,000 feet and the captain gives the go-ahead. Passengers are supposed to turn their devices off again as the plane descends to land and not restart them until the plane is on the ground.

Under the new guidelines, airlines whose planes are properly protected from electronic interference may allow passengers to use the devices during takeoffs, landings and taxiing, the FAA said. Most new airliners and other planes that have been modified so that passengers can use Wifi at higher altitudes are expected to meet the criteria.

But connecting to the Internet to surf, exchange emails, text or download data will still be prohibited below 10,000 feet. Passengers will be told to switch their devices to airplane mode. That means no Words With Friends, the online Scrabble-type game that actor Alec Baldwin was playing on his smartphone in 2011 when he was famously booted off an American Airlines jet for refusing to turn off the device while the plane was parked at the gate. Heavier devices such as laptops will continue to have to be stowed because of concern they might injure someone if they go flying around the cabin.

Airline passenger Ketan Patel, 24, said he's pleased with the change and happy that regulators have debunked the idea that the devices pose a safety problem. "If it isn't a problem, it should be allowed," he said as he stepped into a security line at Reagan National Airport near Washington, a smartphone in his hand.

Another passenger entering the same line, insurance marketing manager Melinda Neuman, 28, of Topeka, Kan., was disappointed that she still won't be able to text.

"If you can't download data, what's the point?" she said. "I don't power it off all the time, anyway."

In-flight cellphone calls will continue to be prohibited. Regulatory authority over phone calls belongs to the Federal Communications Commission, not the FAA. The commission prohibits the calls because of concern that phones on planes flying at hundreds of miles per hour could strain the ability of cellular networks to keep up as the devices keep trying to connect with cellphone towers, interfering with service to users on the ground.

An industry advisory committee created by the FAA to examine the issue recommended last month that the government permit greater use of personal electronic devices.

Pressure has been building on the FAA to ease restrictions on their use. Critics such as Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., say there is no valid safety reason for the prohibitions. Restrictions have also become more difficult to enforce as use of the devices has become ubiquitous. Some studies indicate as many as a third of passengers forget or ignore directions to turn off their devices.

The FAA began restricting passengers' use of electronic devices in 1966 in response to reports of interference with navigation and communications equipment when passengers began carrying FM radios, the high-tech gadgets of their day.

A lot has changed since then. New airliners are far more reliant on electrical systems than previous generations of aircraft, but they are also designed and approved by the FAA to be resistant to electronic interference. Airlines are already offering Wi-Fi use at cruising altitudes on planes modified to be more resistant to interference.

The vast majority of airliners should qualify for greater electronic device use under the new guidelines, Huerta said. In rare instances of landings during severe weather with low visibility, pilots may still order passengers to turn off devices because there is some evidence of potential interference with instrument landing systems under those conditions, he said.

Today's electronic devices generally emit much lower power radio transmissions than previous generations of devices. E-readers, for example, emit only minimal transmissions when turning a page. But transmissions are stronger when devices are downloading or sending data.

Among those pressing for a relaxation of restrictions on passengers' use of the devices has been Amazon.com. In 2011, company officials loaded an airliner full of their Kindle e-readers and flew it around to test for problems but found none.

A travel industry group welcomed the changes, calling them common-sense accommodations for a traveling public now bristling with technology. "We're pleased the FAA recognizes that an enjoyable passenger experience is not incompatible with safety and security," said Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-31-US-Cellphones-Planes/id-1cc838596e984c03b9dab765545c917b
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Wanted: Adoring Female Students

Young women sitting on a college campus lawn — Some male professors make you wonder if they're more interested in teaching their subject or appearing cool to young ladies.

The intellectual and physical seduction of young female students by older, male professors—usually in the humanities, and in the throes of midlife crises—is so common in movies and books that it’s become a cliché.

But a recent Twitter thread started by a popular feminist blogger examines a dark side of that cliché in real-life academe, one in which professors’ advances—intellectual and otherwise—feed a need for validation and flattery, and at times cross the line into sexual harassment.

“Please share with me all your stories of the male professors you had in college who thrived upon and demanded female admiration to function,” Mallory Ortberg, editor of the website the Toast, tweeted. She soon followed up with a humor piece imagining a conversation between two male professors bemoaning diminishing adulation from the new generation of female pupils.

“Just yesterday, in one of my intro classes, I used the word ‘problematic’ in a sentence—real casual, just to let them know I’m one of the good guys—and not one of them stayed after the lecture to ask me just what I meant by that or to see if they could borrow the conspicuously dog-eared copy of Pedagogy of the Oppressed I like to leave on my desk in case any female students want to borrow it,” one imaginary professor says.

He continues, later, after some bottle-passing: “That copy has my phone number in it. You know, the old ‘write your phone number on the front page of a copy you lend to female students only under the “IF LOST PLEASE RETURN TO” bubble’ gag?”

Almost immediately after her original tweet, Ortberg’s Twitter followers began to respond with their experiences with such professors, some humorous and others less so. A sampling:

@hallleloujah: “had one who called everything sexy in a weirdly drawn out, British way. Also started a rumor he was undercover for CIA (he wasn't).”

@kitalita: “one kept conveniently ‘forgetting’ my graded assignments in his office and specifically told me he was divorced (he wasn't).”

@AmyRosary: “Let's talk about the English department chair I got fired for harassing EACH AND EVERY female English major. He liked to insist [continued in a separate tweet] upon meeting girls in his office and serenading them with Bob Dylan covers with the door closed, or ‘accidentally’ putting on porn.”

@kellieherson: “Providing a validation space for those men is the only reason university administrators allow the humanities to continue to exist.”

Another follower cited a proclivity for flirting among her theater professors, one of whom bragged about once trying to meet women with actor Pat Morita. One said her professor had emailed her to tell her that not doing her homework was “not sexy”; yet another fended off a request for her to model for a professor who said he was an amateur photographer.

Jaya Saxena, a web editor for the New-York Historical Society and writer who studied English and political science at Tulane University, said: “Lots of [him] inviting classes to his house for pizza and making sure to corner the girls and talk about his art collection.” That professor also once hit on her in a bar, she posted.

“If your job is to command the attention of a room and instill knowledge into people, then you're probably going to thrive on receiving that attention. That just comes with the work, right?”

In an email, Saxena said she enjoyed close relationships with several of her professors, and that in New Orleans, seeing faculty members out at a bar was not outside the norm. But the “line gets drawn when you're throwing your arms around your students and drunkenly saying they look hot when they dance!”

Saxena said she never took classes from the professor mentioned, and therefore felt less intimidated than awkward following the incident.

That wasn’t the case for Tamara Johnson, who tweeted about an English professor who told her as an undergraduate that “female students were like fishing lures, drawing male instructors into deep waters.” He also made inappropriate remarks about rape, vaguely in relation to a lecture, soon after, she said—making her feel highly uncomfortable.

Johnson, who has her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from San Diego State, said she saw male professors seeking sexual attention from their female students as the rule, not the exception. Saxena, by contrast, said there were several “attractive” male professors in her department who reacted to the attention from students in different ways. And while male professors did seem to bask more in that attention than did female professors, she said, “I never saw the ‘attention-needing male professor’ as a rule.”

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2013/10/male_professors_female_students_a_tricky_power_dynamic.html
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Kendra Wilkinson Confirms: I’m Pregnant!

She’s been eager to give her son Hank Jr a little brother or sister, and now Kendra Wilkinson has proclaimed she has a bun in the oven.

Confirming the rampant rumors, the “Girls Next Door” dame tweeted a photo of her positive pregnancy test on Thursday (October 30) and a big smile.

Wilkinson added the caption, “Round two. Here we go!! :) #ClearBlueConfirmed,” and now she and hubby Hank Baskett will prepare for the arrival.

Last month, Kendra told press, "We're at that point in our lives where everywhere we look, we're 100%. Now we know it's time to have another child. Last year, we were 50%, a couple of months ago we were 60%, and now we're 100%. We're really happy and that's the time to have a child — when you're happy."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/kendra-wilkinson/kendra-wilkinson-confirms-i%E2%80%99m-pregnant-953035
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Tomahawk Music Player Takes Listening to a New High

Tomahawk's seamless searching feature is very impressive. Just enter your search term in the slender window at the top of the application window. Including filters makes the searching even more efficient. Tomahawk searches through all of your enabled services. The results list is very expansive and uses columns to show artists, albums, songs, tracks and much more.

The trick to designing an all-purpose music player is to make it work the way you want. The Tomahawk Music Player performs that trick very well.

It could well be a better listening choice than any other cross-platform music player application. It runs on a variety of Linux distros, Microsoft Windows and the Apple OS platforms. This flexibility is important to me as a user because I work on all three.

Tomahawk is intuitive, with a very uncluttered display. That holds true for its interface on all of its supported platforms.

Another performance factor is its ability to separate the song title from the source. This creates a universal translation layer across music repositories, streaming services and geographic territories.

The latest version is 0.7.0 for all supported Linux distros except Fedora and Debian. For those two distros the current version is 0.6.0.

Dual Sources

Tomahawk is a very young Linux music player, but it makes up for its youth with a surprisingly mature level of performance.

It handles local and Internet-based music collections as a single music platform across all three computing platforms. This is a standard that should be met in all modern music players.

Tomahawk seamlessly integrates YouTube, Spotify, Jamendo, Grooveshark, LastFM, OfficialFM and a dozen more. This latest edition makes plugging in Internet music sources easy through a system of third-party resolvers. Just open the Settings panel and click the Services button. Select the corresponding resolver from the list and click the Install>From File button. The same process lets you connect Tomahawk to your social networks.

Look and Feel

Some music players I have liked had a glaring problem with putting too much information into too little display space. That does not happen with Tomahawk.

Its interface has a menu bar you can hide. It is replaced with an icon that opens the tools and settings menus.

A sidebar helps reduce the display clutter. It has to show the local collection, online playlists and radio stations. Playback controls are at the bottom.

What You See

The Queue display expands as you add more titles to play from your collections. You can view the open queue list or keep it closed but see the number of titles waiting to play.

A nice touch is the ability to remove songs or change their order by dragging and dropping them around the list.

Depending on what sidebar labels you select, other expandable windows open in the right side of the player window. For instance, when a title is playing, the display shows the top hits, related artists and a condensed version of the Wikipedia entry for that artist.

Screen Real Estate

Hold the mouse over any item in the sidebar to see a floating option to hide it. The sidebar serves as the functional control panel for what you see in the display window.

For example, the first label is the Dashboard. It shows recent additions to the local catalog, the newest playlists from both local collections and online sources, stations and recently played tracks.

The Super Collection label combines the local libraries of all included online friends also using Tomahawk. This might be the least-used feature, depending on your social status, but if you use it, Top Loved Tracks shows the tracks loved the most by all of your friends. Recently Played Tracks shows the last tracks they've played. I'm not a huge social media fan, so pardon my big yawn here.

More Sidebar Navigation

Charts is somewhat more useful, as it shows the currently best-selling songs on selected services activated by your choice of subscriptions. The New Releases and Search History features are more of those love-it or hate-it options.

Perhaps the most useful part of the sidebar display choices are the My Music and My Collection options. You can hide or show the sublists.

This is where you click to see your local and online music lists. You also can create playlists and radio station lists for regular listening.

Searching Success

Tomahawk searches through all of your enabled services. The results list is very expansive and uses columns to show artists, albums, songs, tracks and much more.

Clicking the information icon that appears on hover pops up related details about your listening history for that selection. A Footnote button at the bottom of the information pop-up shows more details about related artists, top hits and more.

You can click on a song or other related album or artist. If that title is not already in your local collection, Tomahawk will connect you to its location on your enabled online music outlets and play it for you.

Getting It

Installing Tomahawk is about the only part of using it that is a bit of a hassle. It is not routinely available in many distro repositories. If you do luck out and find it included in your distro, it will be several versions out of date.

Instead, go to the developer's website and click the download button. Then check the download page for distro-specific installation instructions.

Tomahawk is available for a wide range of distros, but you must install your flavor through the terminal by adding distro-specific repository commands. So far Tomahawk installs on Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Arch Linux, Chakra, Gentoo and Exherbo. Debian is coming soon.

For other Linux distros, you can download the tarball from the developer's website or get it from github.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for the next generation of music players, Tomahawk is a good choice. It is still a young effort with lots of areas its developers need to finesse, but that maturity will continue to come with each new release.

Meanwhile, Tomahawk performs well in its current release state. It has some usability quirks that are more annoying than dysfunctional.

Want to Suggest a Linux Application for Review?

Is there a Linux software application you'd like to suggest for review? Something you love or would like to get to know?

Please send your ideas to me at jack.germain@newsroom.ectnews.com, and I'll consider them for a future Linux Picks and Pans column.

And use the Talkback feature below to add your comments!

Jack M. Germain has been writing about computer technology since the early days of the Apple II and the PC. He still has his original IBM PC-Jr and a few other legacy DOS and Windows boxes. He left shareware programs behind for the open source world of the Linux desktop. He runs several versions of Windows and Linux OSes and often cannot decide whether to grab his tablet, netbook or Android smartphone instead of using his desktop or laptop gear.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79311.html
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FAA to officially allow use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing

The Federal Aviation Administration has changed their regulations regarding the use of electronics during takeoff and landing. The rule change will allow airlines to determine whether a flight will permit the use of electronic devices during all stages of the flight. Activities such as reading ebooks or watching video will be allowed, though there will be some restrictions on how devices are handled, according to an FAA press release

Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled – i.e., no signal bars displayed—and cannot be used for voice communications based on FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones. If your air carrier provides Wi-Fi service during flight, you may use those services. You can also continue to use short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards.

Airlines hoping to implement these changes will need to prove to the FAA that their planes meet certain standards for protecting aircraft from electronic interference. Additionally, connecting to the internet is still prohibited under 10,000 feet. Additionally, the rule changes will not be implemented immediately, and their adoption will vary by airline as each company completes their safety inspections, and the current policies will remain in effect for now.

How do you feel about this rule change? Let us know below in the comments.

Source: The Federal Aviation Administration

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/6Zxd5rtvme8/story01.htm
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The MMA Hour with Benson Henderson, Diego Sanchez, Cole Miller, Michael Chandler, Marc Goddard, Emanuel Newton, Steve Carl

The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday. Below is a rundown of who will be stopping by and when:

1:00 p.m. ET -- Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will preview his rematch against Eddie Alvarez and talk about Saturday's show going from a pay-per-view card to a free Spike show.

1:25 p.m. -- Emanuel Newton will discuss about his Bellator interim light heavyweight title rematch against Muhammed Lawal on Saturday night.

1:45 p.m. -- Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will talk about his loss to Anthony Pettis in August and what's next for him.

2:05 p.m. -- Steve Carl will look back at choking Josh Burkman unconscious on Saturday night en route to becoming the first WSOF welterweight champion.

2:25 p.m. -- Cole Miller will discuss his UFN 30 win over Andy Ogle and calling out Conor McGregor afterwards.

2:45 p.m. -- Diego Sanchez will look back at his Fight of the Year candidate against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166 and discuss what's next.

3:05 p.m. -- Referee Marc Goddard will talk about his part in the controversial Ross Pearson-Melvin Guillard fight on Saturday in England.

3:25 p.m. -- We'll answer your #themmahour questions on anything and everything going on in the MMA world. Hit us up on Twitter using that hash tag, leave a question in the comments section below, or give us a call.

Plus, we'll be taking your calls on anything and everything. Got a question or comment? Give us a call at 1-888-418-4074.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. GMT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here or via TuneIn here.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/28/5036094/the-mma-hour-with-benson-henderson-diego-sanchez-cole-miller-michael
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Lou Reed's Death: Hollywood Mourns the Rock Icon

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Kirk Hammett, left, and Lou Reed at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert in 2009

After news of Lou Reed's death broke early Sunday, many in Hollywood hit Twitter to mourn the rock icon.

Reed, who was 71, underwent a liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Cleveland in May. The singer-songwriter was best known for fronting the iconic 1960s group The Velvet Underground and later taking on unsavory subjects in a solo career.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2013

"The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet…I’ve lost my ‘school-yard buddy,'" wrote Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale on Facebook.

Among those mourning his loss included such luminaries as Kevin Smith, Jon Cryer, Olivia Wilde, John Cusack, Flea and Nikki Sixx. Read what they had to say below.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/koVBy3ga18s/lou-reeds-death-hollywood-mourns-651128
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Oneida Nation requests meeting with all NFL owners

NEW YORK (AP) — Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation have requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners during Super Bowl week, hoping to persuade them to get the Washington franchise to drop the nickname Redskins.

Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday that his group asked in a meeting with NFL executives that Commissioner Roger Goodell and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder "visit our homelands."

The Oneidas also asked for an amendment to league bylaws to prohibit franchises from naming a team with any term that is a racial epithet. Halbritter says the dictionary defines the word 'redskins' precisely like that.

And Halbritter's group asked Goodell to 'use his power to force Snyder to the league executive committee for possible sanctions' should the team continue to use the name.

"We met at the request of Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation," the NFL said in a statement. "We listened and respectfully discussed the views of Mr. Halbritter, Oneida Nation Wolf Clan Representative Keller George and their colleagues as well as the sharply differing views of many other Native Americans and fans in general. The meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue to facilitate listening and learning, consistent with the commissioner's comments earlier this year.

The NFL was represented at the meeting by senior vice president Adolpho Birch and execytuve vice presidents Jeff Pash and Paul Hicks,

The Oneida Indian Nation, which has approximately 1,000 enrolled members, is one of 566 federally recognized sovereign Native American nations, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior/Indian Affairs.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-30-FBN-Redskins-Name/id-fac4beccc21b4e1bbb6ccd997544261a
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