Criminal :: Etan Patz: Pedro Hernandez charged with second-degree murder

NEW YORK

Prosecutors filed second-degree murder charges Friday against a 51-year-old New Jersey man who has confessed to killing Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who vanished from his Manhattan neighborhood 33 years ago.

The confessed killer, Pedro Hernandez, was expected to be arraigned Friday night in a Manhattan courtroom. His confession Thursday appeared to finally solve the mystery of Etan's disappearance, which galvanized a national effort to improve methods of tracing missing and abducted children.

Hernandez's motive remains unknown. He told police he lured Etan into the grocery store where he worked on the morning of May 25, 1979, and strangled him. Etan's body never was found. Hernandez says he wrapped it in plastic and threw it into an alley with the trash.

Etan's disappearance 33 years ago launched a nationwide effort to improve methods of finding missing children and ushered in a more cautious style of parenting.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Thursday that police had begun looking into Hernandez last month after receiving information from someone that led them to view Hernandez as a "person of interest."






"In the years following Etan's disappearance, he had told a family member and others that he had 'done a bad thing and killed a child in New York,'" Kelly said of Hernandez, who was working as a stock clerk at the store at the time.

The arrest came about a month after the FBI and police renewed their search for evidence by digging up the basement of a building down the street from the Patz residence in Manhattan. At that time, investigators questioned a Brooklyn resident who had been a handyman with a workshop in the basement, which Etan would have passed on his way to the bus that morning.


Etan Patz

The man denied involvement and was never called a suspect.

International Criminal :: Syrian troops 'kill 50' near Homs

At least 50 people, including 13 children, were killed when Syrian forces attacked the town of Houla in Homs province on Friday according to Syrian anti-government activists.

In other areas of Syria, activists said that a further 33 people were killed. The Syrian government news agency said that 17 people had been killed by anti-government gunmen. None of the figures could be independently verified.

The surge in violence came as Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general told the UN security council there had been some progress in reducing violence, but the overall situation remained very serious.
"There is a continuing crisis on the ground, characterised by regular violence, deteriorating humanitarian conditions, human rights violations and continued political confrontation," he reported to the security council in a letter.

Reports from activists and the government suggest that violence took places in dozens of areas involving helicopter gunships, tanks, artillery, roadside bombs and small arms.

The most intense violence appeared to take place in Houla, a group of four villages near Homs where Syrian security forces opened fire on an anti-government protest. Anti-government forces retaliated and the army began shelling the area, killing an estimated 50 people, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the local co-ordination committees.

Activist Ahmad Kassem told Reuters: "The soldiers are shelling Houla right now, the casualties are huge."
In his report to the security council, Ban wrote that the size and sophistication of some recent bomb attacks in Syria suggest that "established terrorist groups" may have been behind them and urged groups and countries not to supply weapons to either side in Syria.

Ban said the UN observers noted that "significant parts of some cities appear to be under the de facto control of opposition elements."

"There is an overall atmosphere of tension, mistrust and fear," Ban said. " The overall level of violence in the country remains quite high."

Meanwhile a group of Lebanese Shia men abducted by Syrian rebels this week were not freed despite reports to the contrary. Ahmed Ramdan of the Syrian National Council, an opposition group, told Reuters they hoped to move the men to Turkey soon. "We are still working on the handover. They are still with the armed group," he said.

This U.S. Millionaire Have No Home.

As the owner of a line and dot-com companies, billionaire Neil Patel was able to get any type of occupancy in accordance wanted. Mansion in quiet countryside, luxury penthouse apartment or high fenced compound on the outskirts of town, just select.
But the founders of start-up KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg is actually chose to stay at the hotel. Precisely Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seattle, USA. "I bought a place in the hotel because this is the most convenient option for me. Location is best for my work schedule hektik," Patel said, quoted by CNN (05/25/2012).
Patel is the new 27-year-old said he did not know how to cook or clean. "I could make more money if you focus on work rather than doing other things. Staying in hotel provides everything that allows me to do that, "said the man who used to work over 70 hours per week is.
Patel has been used to 'living on the street' in recent years. For nearly a decade, he spent 50 weeks a year traveling to promote his business, which means staying in hotels.
According to Patel, he gets complimentary service in hotels make a longer working hours and develop the focus of his companies. So when he moved to Seattle in early 2009, Patel decided to stay in a luxury apartment complex that was part of the Hyatt at Olive 8.
This allows Patel moved all the best aspects of the nomadic lifestyle to permanent housing. Although located in different places with short-term hotel guest rooms, Patel still have access to various facilities and services available to regular guests.
"You can call room service and maid service. There is a restaurant, bar downstairs, small cafes and coffee shops. Additionally, you can also get all gym facilities, full service spa, steam room and sauna with a swimming pool as well, "said Patel.
Patel described the hotel as a luxury in a compact environment, without intending to show off. "There is a living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. There's even a TV in the bathroom. It comes with various latest electronic devices, "he explained.
Patel refused to let this luxury residential prices. But he says if the penthouse suite not far from the apartment is sold at a price range of U.S. $ 4-5 million (about USD 40 billion).
In addition to talking enthusiastically exclusive facilities owned hotel where he lived, Patel equally positive about the ability of hotel doubles as a business base if needed. According to him, he could work from home as well as meet with clients or business partners without having to waste valuable time traveling.
"For example, I have to attend a lunch meeting, enough to go downstairs. There is a business meeting rooms as well. There is a large room, small and even grand ballroom to host the conference. I and my colleagues had held a conference here and the small meeting room fit for 100 people, "said Patel.
Although very satisfied with all these services, Patel understand that a hotel will never be a perfect neighborhood for everyone. "Obviously it is difficult to build a family here if you do not find a more spacious. Especially if you do not like living in a noisy city. "
For a young billionaire with unwavering focus on the world of work, Patel felt there was nothing missing or lacking from his life style. "For men like me, this is ideal."

Criminal :: Hostage standoff over in Valparaiso, Ind., gunman shoots self, police say

VALPARAISO, Ind.

A gunman who held hostages for nearly six hours Friday at a Valparaiso real-estate office shot himself in the head, ending the standoff, police said, according to CBS Chicago.

The unidentified gunman was listed in critical condition. As of 4 p.m. all the hostages were released, and none of them was seriously injured.

Earlier, police had swarmed the building where the gunman held hostages. The incident occurred at a Prudential Real Estate office on Friday morning.

Police received a 911 call from a worker inside about a man with a gun at the building at 10:30 a.m., Valparaiso police Sgt. Mike Grennes told WBBM Newsradio.

At a news conference around 2 p.m., Grennes said there were shots exchanged between the man and police at the beginning of the standoff. One woman did suffer a head injury the cause of which was unclear, and was treated at a local hospital and released.

Grennes said the dispute appeared to be over money between the gunman and somebody in the office.
Grennes said there fewer than 10 people were working when the suspect entered the building.

Selebriti :: Politisi PD: Lady Gaga Dilarang Kenapa Dangdut Seronok Tidak

Politisi Partai Demokrat(PD), Jafar Hafsah mempertanyakan adanya pelarangan terhadap konser Lady Gaga di Jakarta. Jafar melihat banyak konser dangdut yang lebih seronok ada di Indonesia tetapi tidak ada larangan sama sekali, bahkan anak-anak pun bebas menontonnya.

"Mari sejenak kita tengok penampilan beberapa penyanyi dangdut di media yang muncul dengan gaya seronok bahkan kerap ditonton oleh anak-anak. Namun hal itu dianggap biasa- biasa saja dan boleh-boleh saja. Dalam sebuah pertunjukkan atau konser yang berskala besar biasanya ada sebuah tim yang bertugas untuk melihat dan menilai sebuah konser dari aspek etika, estetika, kelayakan panggung, dan kritetia-kriteria yang lain sesuai ketentuan di Indonesia," kata Jafar dalam siaran persnya kepada Tribunnews.com, Jumat(18/5/2012).

Mengamati pemberitaan polemik tentang konser Lady Gaga, lanjut Jafar yang terlanjur berkembang di media massa,seyogyanya kalaupun tidak diberikan izin mestinya sejak awal ditolak dengan kriteria terkait.
Jangan kata Jafar setelah proses persiapan berjalan tiba-tiba harus dibatalkan.

"Bagaimana dengan penyanyi-penyanyi barat yang telah konser di Indonesia dan tidak jauh berbeda gayanya dengan Lady Gaga, misalnya Katy Perry dan Jessie J yang beberapa bulan lalu telah konser di Indonesia. Sehingga terkesan kita tidak konsisten," katanya.

Selain itu, menurut Jafar penjualan CD dan video klip Lady Gaga yang sudah beredar dengan bebas dan meledak di Indonesia itupun tidak dilarang.

"Boleh, boleh atau boleh bersyarat misalnya Lady Gaga boleh tampil dan pentas di Jakarta tetapi dengan berpakaian yang “sopan” dan gaya panggung yang disesuaikan dengan

kultur Indonesia. Bagi saya yang penting konsistensinya sehingga jelas dan sesuai dengan perundang-undangan, etika, dan kultur yang belaku dan ada penilaian dari suatu tim yang kredibel," ujarnya.
Mantan ketua Fraksi Partai Demokrat ini menambahkan dengan mencermati rencana kedatangan Lady Gaga, artis tersohor dunia yang mendapatkan respon beragam dari kalangan masyarakat, ada masyarakat yang mendukung dan tidak sedikit juga kelompok yang menolak kehadirannya justru akan membuat Lady Gaga semakin terkenal.

"Terlepas dari itu semua dengan akan diberikannya izin atau tidak diberikan untuk penyelenggaraan konser Lady Gaga, polemik yang berkembang saat ini telah membuat Lady Gaga semakin popular di Indonesia," pungkasnya.

Selebriti :: DPR Dukung Konser Lady Gaga

Sulit diterima pikiran sehat dan demokratis apabila Polri melarang sebuah pertunjukan dengan alasan moral.
Wakil Ketua DPR RI, Priyo Budi Santoso, mendesak Mabes Polri untuk menimbang ulang rencana pelarangan konser penyanyi Amerika Serikat, Lady Gaga di Jakarta.

Menurut Priyo, ada beberapa alasan mengapa dirinya menyatakan desakan itu. Pertama, Indonesia bukanlah negeri Tirai bambu, yang mudah menolak konser Lady Gaga.

"Kita adalah negara yang sedang membangun demokrasi yang mempersatukan bangsa kita," kata Priyo di Jakarta, Senin (21/5).

Kedua, menurut Priyo, sulit diterima pikiran sehat dan demokratis apabila Polri melarang sebuah pertunjukan dengan alasan moral.

Ketiga, pelarangan itu sendiri membuatnya terperanjat karena menjadi bahan pemberitaan media massa asing.

"Ini kampanye yang kurang baik terhadap keberadaan masalah toleransi yang merupakan kebijakan dasar negara kita," kata Priyo.

Karenanya, Priyo mendesak Kapolri segera membuat langkah yang bisa memastikan keamanan dan kenyamanan masyarakat terkait pertunjukan Lady Gaga.

Priyo menegaskan Polri harus mengingat bahwa mereka digaji rakyat melalui pajak dan persetujuan pembiayaan gaji itu diketuk oleh DPR.

"Kita harap Kapolri bertindak arif, jangan terkesan bisa menimbulkan pertanyaan besar di balik simpang siur ini. Ini tak baik bagi nasib polri, dan tak baik bagi kemajemukan kita," kata Priyo.
Pada kesempatan itu, Priyo juga mengingatkan agar pihak EO mendengarkan juga protes masyarakat atas konser itu, khususnya terkait pertunjukan Lady gaga yang harus mengikuti norma adat dan keagamaan di Timur.

"Saya kira tak perlu khawatir. Kecuali kalau EO mengundang Lady Gaga untuk telanjang di sini atau membuat keributan. Kalau tak seperti itu, tak ada alasan Polri melarang konser itu," kata Priyo.
DPR Bantah

Sejumlah anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat menolak bila sikap Kepolisian RI yang mulai agak melunak soal perizinan konser Lady Gaga diakibatkan oleh adanya tekanan dari para anggota legislatif.
Menurut Wakil ketua DPR Priyo Budi Santoso, drinya meyakini Polri melunak karena mendengar suara dari semua pihak terkait konser itu.

"Dan karena kita sedang membangun sebuah cara baru dalam mengelola perbedaan, saya kira posisi Polri menjadi penting dan akan mendengar semua masukan," kata Priyo di Jakarta, Senin (21/5) malam.
Seorang anggota dewan yang menolak disebutkan namanya mengaku sejumlah petinggi di DPR secara aktif mempertanyakan penolakan pemberian ijin konser oleh Polri. Dia menyebutkan komunikasi itu dilaksanakan lewat kontak langsung melalui telepon kepada Kapolri Timur Pradopo.

Priyo menolak menanggapi pernyataan seperti itu, dan menekankan bahwa pihaknya akan merasa iba kalau Polri ditekan-tekan untuk hal seperti itu.
"Saya yakin Polri akan berpikir keras. Saya berharap teman-teman yang memiliki pandangan keras soal ini memberi ruang toleransi," kata Priyo. "Iba saya melihat kalau Polri terkesan ditekan."

Pernyataan senada juga diungkapkan oleh Wakil ketua Komisi III DPR, Nasir Jamil. Komisi III DPR memutuskan untuk memanggil Kapolri Timur Pradopo pada Senin (28/5) depan untuk mengklarifikasi penolakan pemberian izin konser itu. Keputusan dikeluarkan setelah pimpinan komisi melakukan rapat internal tertutup hari ini.

Nasir Jamil menyatakan pihaknya sama sekali tidak memberikan tekanan politik apapun kepada Mabes Polri terkait perijinan konser itu.

"DPR bertindak karena merasa punya tanggung jawab untuk menjaga ketertiban dan kenyamanan warga, itu saja," kata Nasir, politisi asal PKS.

Kabar lain yang beredar melunaknya sikap Mabes Polri diakibatkan sudah adanya 'kesepakatan' Big Daddy, Event Organizer (EO), konser Lady Gaga dengan Keluarga Cikeas.

Entah siapa yang memunculkan isu itu. Yang pasti, Nasir Jamil justru mengaku sama sekali tak tahu soal kebenaran isu itu. Yang pasti, bagi DPR, Polri harus bertindak sesuai aturan perundang-undangan, termasuk dalam kaitan konser Lady Gaga.

"Artinya jangan bertindak berdasarkan tekanan-tekana pihak tertentu. Kalau pun ada aspirasi, anggap saja itu hak warga untuk menyampaikan pendapat," kata Nasir.

Secara terpisah, Perwakilan Manajemen Big Daddy, Edy Purnomo, membantah bila ada kesepakatan diam-diam antara pihaknya dengan Keluarga CIkeas.

Dia menegaskan pihaknya tak pernah merasa ada persaingan dengan kelompok usaha terkait Keluarga Cikeas dalam mendatangkan konser Lady Gaga.


"Tak ada dan saya tak tahu soal pertemuan (dengan Cikeas). Tidak ada juga kami pergi ke sana (mendatangi CIkeas)," tutur Edy.

Cari Nama atau Cari Pamor Kampanye :: Parpol dan Politisi Ikutan Tolak Konser Lady Gaga

Syair-syair lagu Lady Gaga juga dicap menyebarkan paham vandalisme yang bisa berpengaruh buruk bagi para pemuda Indonesia.
Penolakan konser Lady Gaga di Stadion Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), Senayan, 3 Juni mendatang, juga datang dari kalangan politisi dan partai politik (parpol). Entah angin apa yang memicu mereka angkat suara menolak kehadiran diva pelantun lagu Bad Romance dan peraih 3 Piala Grammy pada 2011 itu.
Kabar miring beredar, penolakan itu dilatarbelakangi tujuan merebut dukungan kelompok yang kontra dengan pelaksanaan konser demi menggalang suara di Pemilu 2014, ataupun Pemilukada DKI Juli mendatang. Benar-tidaknya tudingan itu memang masih harus dibuktikan. Namun, faktanya politisi dan parpol itu mengedepankan alasan keamanan dan banyaknya pengaruh buruk bagi budaya bangsa jika konser tetap digelar.
Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) secara gamblang menolak kehadiran Lady Gaga dengan alasan diva itu sering berpenampilan seronok dan kerap menari erotis. "Ini jelas-jelas bertentangan dangan budaya bangsa dan tidak bermoral. Dengan demikian tentunya hal ini bertentangan dengan UU Pornografi," kata anggota Komisi III DPR dari Fraksi PKS Indra, mendukung langkah polisi mencabut dan membatalkan izin konser Lady Gaga, Selasa (15/5).
PKS menilai langkah Mabes Polri sudah tepat dengan mendengarkan berbagai masukan dan keluhan dari sejumlah elemen masyarakat yang menolak konser Lady Gaga. "Polri harus menegakkan UU Pornografi dan melakukan upaya pencegahan tindak kekerasan atau benturan di masyarakat. Merupakan tanggung jawab Kepolisian untuk menjamin serta menjaga ketertiban," tandas dia.
Senada dengan PKS, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP) juga menolak konser dengan alasan lirik-lirik lagu Lady Gaga bersifat antireligius. Syair-syair lagu Lady Gaga juga dicap menyebarkan paham vandalisme yang bisa berpengaruh buruk bagi para pemuda Indonesia. “Karena kami menilai syair lagu Lady Gaga ini antireligiusitas, sementara dasar negara kita adalah religius,” kata Sekjen PPP, Romahurmuzy.
Dukungan penolakan konser Lady Gaga tak hanya datang dari kalangan parpol berbasis keagamaan, politisi Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDIP) yang beridelologi nasionalis juga ikut bersuara. Ketua Dewan Pertimbangan Pusat PDIP Taufiq Kiemas secara gamblang mendukung langkah kepolisian tidak mengeluarkan izin konser. "Saya rasa polisi sudah pertimbangkan matang masalah itu," ujar Ketua MPR itu, di gedung parlemen, Selasa (15/5).
Politikus senior PDIP itu juga mengedepankan alasan keunikan kepribadian bangsa perlu dipertahankan dalam membendung budaya luar yang tak positif masuk ke Indonesia, seperti yang dibawa dalam pagelaran konser Lady Gaga. "Kita kan juga punya kepribadian sendiri," tegas suami Ketua Umum PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri itu.
Kader PDIP lainnya, Joko Widodo, yang kini sedang mencalonkan diri untuk menjadi DKI 1, mengangkat alasan warga Jakarta mempunyai budaya santun dan sangat menghormati tata krama untuk membenarkan penolakan konser Lady Gaga. "Kalau tidak santun, janganlah. Kita harus tetap pertahankan budaya santun kita. Jadi yang santun-santun saja lah," ungkap dia, dalam kesempatan berbeda.
Pandangan senada juga dilontarkan juru bicara tim sukses Hidayat Nur Wahid-Didik J Rachbini, yang diusung PKS dalam Pemilukada DKI, Dedi Supriadi. Menurut Dedi, segala sesuatu terkait konser Lady Gaga harus dikembalikan pada aspek agama dan budaya yang dijalani dalam kehidupan sehari-hari warga Jakarta.
"Dalam hal ini, pelaksanaan konser musik apa pun harus dilihat dari berbagai aspek. Yaitu aspek agama, budaya dan ketertiban serta mengakomodir kepentingan seluruh warga Jakarta. Aspek-aspek itu yang dapat menilai bisa diterima atau tidak, layak atau tidak konser itu dilaksanakan," tandas Dedi.
Langkah politik menolak konser Lady Gaga memang bisa menjadi salah satu strategi pencitraan yang efektif untuk meraih hati pemilih dari golongan yang kontra. Tapi di sisi lain, bisa juga menjadi strategi blunder. Tak bisa dipungkiri pemilih yang merupakan fans Lady Gaga malah lari. Patut dicatat, fans tanah air yang akan kecewa kalau konser pujaan mereka dibatalkan juga tidak bisa dibilang sedikit jumlahnya.

The richest woman in This World Produce 5.4 Million USD / Seconds

Gina Rinehart crowned the richest woman in the world. Australia's mining entrepreneurs are generating EUR 600 or about USD 5.4 million per second (USD 1 = Rp 9,000).

Quoted from the BBC, Saturday (05/26/2012), a leading business magazine BRW Gina suggested the current property value reached USD 29 billion or U.S. $ 23 billion, about USD 207 trillion.

This 58-year-old woman managed to increase his wealth by leaps and bounds in the last year. BRW is said, of its iron ore mining business, Gina earned AUD 52 million per day, USD 1 million per half hour, and EUR 600 per second.

Gina obtains an increase in wealth due to his business mine field, especially iron ore prices continued to rise sharply in the last 6 months.

Through these riches, Gina defeated Christy Walton with a fortune of U.S. $ 25 billion. Christy is a wealthy U.S. businessman who has an network of Wal-Mart retail business.

Gina is also known by the controversy that opposed the government policy about the imposition of taxes for mining companies by the Australian government.

Gina's mining assets inherited from his father, Lang Hancock never faced a lawsuit from his son. Three of the four children have filed a lawsuit against Rinehart for the operation of the family fortune and the possibility of control of most of his wealth will be taken.

International :: Vatican butler arrested in documents leak

ROME

As it turns out, the butler did it. At least that's who the papal police force believes is responsible for the recent leaks of personal papal correspondence that has shed unwanted light on power struggles and alleged corruption within the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Friday that the internal police had arrested a man who worked in the Vatican on suspicion of pilfering and leaking private documents belonging to Pope Benedict XVI. The unauthorized release of private papal documents is unprecedented, at least in recent memory, piercing the veil of legendary Vatican secrecy.

Italian news reports identified the suspect as Paolo Gabriele, a butler in the papal household who, as a personal servant of Pope Benedict, would have had direct access to his belongings.

Benedict said he was "saddened and struck" by the news of the arrest, according to news reports.
The arrest followed several months of revelations of letters to the pope and others, written by various figures, that indicate conflict among the factions within Vatican City's massive walls.

Documents that refer to alleged corruption and misuse of funds in Vatican City management, as well as divergent views on efforts to clean up the Vatican bank, were reproduced in a book published last week by journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled "Sua Santita: Le Carte Segrete di Benedetto XVI" ("His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI").
Nuzzi, who first revealed the secret correspondence in January, would not say in a television interview Friday whether Gabriele was the person who passed him copies of the documents.
The arrest came a day after the president of the Vatican bank, the Institute of Religious Works, or IOR, was shown the door by its lay oversight committee.

The Vatican issued an unusually blunt statement Thursday saying that overseers unanimously agreed that Italian banker Ettore Gotti Tedeschi had not carried out "the primary functions of his office" and that deteriorating governance at the bank had generated "increasing worries."

Gotti Tedeschi told Italian news media that to defend himself he would be forced to say "ugly things" and that he would instead hold back because of his regard for Benedict.

The authenticity of the papal documents was essentially confirmed when officials strongly condemned the publication of confidential correspondence, prompting the formation of two commissions to find the culprit, including one composed of cardinals.

In many cases, the letters illustrate conflicts with the second-most-powerful man in the Vatican, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

They indicate that Bertone clashed with Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who was assigned by Benedict to govern the Vatican city-state and clean it up but who was reassigned against his will last year to the top diplomatic post in Washington.

The letters also call attention to an alleged divergence of opinion between Bertone and Gotti Tedeschi on the IOR's path to greater transparency, undertaken in recent years after a massive scandal in the 1980s that tied the bank to the fraudulent bankruptcy of a large Italian bank and the associated intrigue, which included homicide, Mafia connections and secret accounts.

Gotti Tedeschi was called in nearly three years ago to guide the IOR in its efforts to get on the "white list" of financial institutions that adhere to strict international rules of transparency designed to combat the flow of laundered money to terrorists or drug traffickers.

A meeting between officials from the Vatican and Moneyval, a European body charged with assessing the transparency of banks, is scheduled for July.

Mobile :: S3 comes to Malaysia, pricing to be revealed 'very soon'

25 May 2012 – Malaysians will finally get a taste of the 4.8-inch S3, but will have to wait for the official announcement for the price at the end of May (with Celcom’s ROI pointing towards May 31). Samsung will also be offering the 16GB S3 initially, with the 32GB coming at an unconfirmed date.

Samsung confirmed that the smartphone will be carried by Digi, Celcom and Maxis, so expect contract bundles as well. We've also heard rumours where the device might be priced at RM 2199, but we’d take that with a pinch of salt.

As for the S3 itself, it is very much the same phone from London's Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 and will be available in two colours - Pebble Blue and Marble White.  It is a quad-core device coupled with 1GB of RAM.

We finally saw the hands-on of the TouchWiz Nature UX, and there are a few impressive features like the "Smart Stay" which uses the front facing camera to 'sense' whether or not the user is still looking at the screen. If not then Smart Stay will turn it off.  The Nature UX also put a twist to multitasking and calls it pop-up play which lets you keep a small, moveable video player when you are doing something else.

There is more, the UX is intuitive enough to know when you want to respond to a call. There is also the S Voice, voice assistant.   

 Also, the S3’s S Beam combines both NFC and WiFi Direct technologies and is reportedly able to transfer 1GB of data within 3 minutes.

The 8-megapixel rear camera is also 'smart' enough to select the best picture out of eight continuous shots, and does 3.3 shots per seconds.

Unveiled yesterday, executive chairman Datuk Sohaimi Shahadan promised affordable mobile connectivity on a device that is on par with others available in the market right now. According to a report by The Star, Sohaimi mentioned that MalTechPro has the advantage of an in-house team that could tailor the tablet to match the needs of the business. “We are an apps (applications) developer, and the 1Malaysia Pad can be customised according to the needs of the client.

Currently known specifications include two cameras – 3.0 megapixel device at the back and a 0.3 megapixel in the front – WiFi and 3G data capabilities, a 4000mAH battery and a 32GB micro SD memory card. According to Sohaimi, the first 5,000 units will be priced at RM 999.

Comment Unknown.

When Indonesia will follow like Malaysia?

Maybe, Indonesia can't be follow Malaysia technology.

Syria's regime is a terrorist now fact.

Syria shelling killed over 90 - opposition

The death toll has risen to at least 90 from Syrian shelling on the town of Houla today, an opposition group said today.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said residents continued to flee the town, in central Homs province, in fear that artillery fire would resume.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the accounts from Syria, which has restricted access for journalists during a 14-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Opposition activists said on Friday that Syrian forces opened fire with artillery after skirmishing with insurgents in Houla, a cluster of villages north of the city of Homs.

Various opposition activists put the death toll at over 50 by early this morning. Footage posted to web sites showed bloodied and mangled corpses described as the victims of the shelling.




Human rights crimes still taking place in Syria - UN

Syrian government forces and opposition fighters are committing gross human rights violations despite a six-week-old ceasefire in the conflict and children are often the victims, United Nations investigators say in a report.

Syrian army and security services committed most of the crimes documented since March, including heavy shelling of residential areas and executions, it said today.

Armed rebels executed or tortured captured soldiers and pro-government supporters, and abducted civilians in an apparent bid to secure prison exchanges or ransoms, it said.

"Most of the serious human rights violations documented by the commission in this update were committed by the Syrian army and security services as part of military or search operations conducted in locations known for hosting defectors and/or armed persons, or perceived as supportive of anti-government armed groups," the report said.

Children were frequently among those killed and wounded during attacks on protests and the bombardment of towns and villages by state forces, it said.

The team of investigators, lead by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro, has not been allowed into Syria, but based their report on more than 200 interviews of victims and witnesses conducted in the region and Geneva.

They were able to confirm 207 deaths during the two-month period. The United Nations is deploying up to 300 unarmed military observers in Syria to monitor an April 12 truce that has yet to take hold.

Security forces used lethal force against demonstrations in Aleppo, Damascus, Deraa, Hama, Homs, Idlib and in numerous villages across the country since March, the report said.

"Other unlawful killings took place during government military operations undertaken to weed out defectors, anti-government armed groups, their families and other opponents perceived to be supporting anti-government armed groups."

The UN panel said it had received multiple reports of the armed opposition executing members of the army and security forces, suspected informers and collaborators.

It has already drawn up a secret list of Syrian officials suspected of ordering crimes against humanity and handed it over to UN rights chief Navi Pillay.

She has said that the situation in Syria should be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution.

Selebriti :: Kontroversi Homo-Lesbi Lady Gaga Jadi Skripsi Mahasiswa

Ribut-ribut penolakan kedatangan Lady Gaga ke Indonesia karena dianggap mendukung kaum homoseks dan lesbian rupanya menginspirasi seorang mahasiswa Universitas Tarumanaraga Jakarta untuk mengangkat sebagai bahan skripsi.

Mahasiswa bernama singkat Ardi Putra itu mengangkat kontroversi tersebut dalam skripsi berjudul
"Konstruksi Realitas Pro-Homoseksual Dalam Video Klip Born This Way."

Dalam ilustrasi pengajuan skripsinya untuk meraih gelar Sarjana S-1 ilmu komunikasi itu, Ardi Putra mengaku tergugah mengangkat kontroversi itu sebagai bahan skripsi karena Lady Gaga sangat potensial memengaruhi pola pikir banyak orang karena kapasitasnya sebagai seleb paling berpengaruh di muka bumi saat ini.
"Dari hasil proses komunikasi tersebut, dapat membuat orang terpengaruh untuk mengikuti makna yang disampaikan oleh komunikator melalui pesannya, dan mempunyai peran yang sangat besar bagi orang-orang sekitarnya," tulisnya.

"Sosok artis yang memiliki kekuasaan dan kedudukan dapat memberikan pengaruh kepada fansnya," tulisnya lagi, mengutip teori pakar.

Pernyataan tersebut mempunyai arti bahwa, seorang artis yang telah memiliki kekuasaan dan memiliki jumlah penggemar setianya yang besar, dapat dengan mudah untuk menyampaikan pesan yang ia bawa kepada penggemarnya dan menggerakkan pola berfikir penggemarnya. Sehingga dapat terjadi pergeseran nilai budaya kontemporer menjadi sesuai dengan pesan yang dibawa oleh seorang artist tersebut.

Tinggalkan Pikiran Negatif :: Ini layak ditiru :: Siap-siap, Transformer Jadi Nyata

Autobots, transform and roll out!

Seorang pakar robot dari Jepang bernama Kenji Ishida membangun Transformer betulan, meski dalam skala kecil. Tak jelas apakah Transformer buatan Ishida ini Autobot atau Decepticon, tapi ia benar-benar bisa menggerakkan Transformer ini dengan sentuhan satu tombol.

Ishida bekerjasama dengan JS Robotics, perusahaan pembuat pengendali jarak jauh untuk mobil, agar Transformer buatannya bisa berubah bentuk menjadi robot. Anda tidak perlu memutar bagian tubuh robot ini secara manual, ada 22 motor servo yang memungkinkan Transformer buatan Ishida ini berubah bentuk secara otomatis.

PC.com

Not True If It said Israel and the USA are the oppressors, who is the oppressor is the Syrians and the World of Hell.

13 children among 50 civilians killed in Syria

It is one of the highest death tolls in one specific area since an internationally-brokered cease-fire went into effect last month.

Syrian troops using tanks, mortars and heavy machine guns pounded the area of Houla, a region made up of several towns and villages in the province of Homs, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Co-ordination Committees activist groups said.

Both groups said at least 50 people were killed.

Reports cannot be independently verified as the Syrian government has banned international media from the country.

The Observatory, which has a network of activists around the country, said the dead included 13 children.

It added that about 100 people were wounded.

An amateur video posted online by activists showed more than a dozen bodies lined up inside a room.

They included about 10 children who were covered with sheets that only showed their bloodied faces.

"Houla was subjected to a massacre," a man could be heard saying inside the room.

The Observatory said in one incident in Houla, a family of six was killed when their home received a direct hit.

Homs has been among the hardest hit provinces in a government crackdown since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March last year.

The UN said several weeks ago that 9,000 people have been killed in Syria in the past 15 months. Hundreds more have died since.





U.N. observers heading to site of Syria attack


GENEVA

A spokesman for the United Nations' envoy to Syria says international monitors are heading to a region where activists say at least 50 people were killed by government troops.

Ahmad Fawzi told The Associated Press in an email Saturday that the observers are traveling to Houla "as we speak."

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees activist group say troops used heavy weapons Friday to pound the area of Houla in the province of Homs.

The Syrian National Council opposition group says more than 110 people were killed by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.

Fighting in Syria has continued despite the deployment of some 250 U.N. observers who have fanned out across the country to monitor a cease-fire brokered by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan.

Selebriti :: Antara Lady Gaga dan Trio Macan

Di sini saya tidak akan dan tidak perlu lagi mengurai apa dan siapa sosok Lady Gaga, penyanyi asal Amerika Serikat, yang akan bertandang ke Indonesia menggelar konser di Stadion Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, 3 Juni nanti. Saya juga tidak berspekulasi soal pencekalan, maupun mengenai ribut saling silang pendapat pro kontra larangan pemberian tidaknya izin pertunjukan konser Lady Gaga bertajuk 'The Born This Way Ball'.

Justru yang lebih menarik perhatian adalah munculnya beragam pernyatan sikap dari kalangan tokoh masyarakat yang mewakili atas nama institusi keagamaan seperti Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), maupun oraganisasi kemasyarakatan atau kelompok agama, seperti Front Pembela Islam (FPI) atau Forum Umat Islam (FUI). Yang antara lain mengatakan bahwa konser Lagy Gaga dapat merusak moral bangsa. Pernyataan ksi panggung mengumbar aurat dan goyangannya bisa merangsang lawan jenis, penebar aliran sesat, haram ditonton. Bahkan sampai ada usulan dikeluarkannya fatwa haram buat penyanyi berjuluk “Mother Monster”, dan sebagainya.

Dalam tulisan ini saya mencoba melihat fenomena kasus pro kontra Lady Gaga ini dari perspektif lain yaitu dari sudut pandang dalam konteks budaya musik yang sebenarnya juga terjadi berkembang di Indonesia, yaitu dengan mengacu pada sebuah pribahasa; virus di seberang lautan tampak, gajah di pelupuk mata tidak tampak.

Diibaratkan, kalau kedatangan Lady Gaga adalah virus dari seberang lautan, dianggap sesat dan bisa merusak moral, goyangannya sarat mengumbar hasrat seksual, makanya konsernya haram ditonton. Untuk mengantisipasi dampak buruk virus dari seberang lautan ini harus dicekal, dilarang, dan tidak diberi izin pertunjukkan. Itupun belum cukup, sampai ada desakan mendesak agar Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) mengeluarkan Fatwa Haram nonton konser Lady Gaga. Bukan cuma untuk urusan makanan, ternyata sertifikasi halal dan haram sudah mulai merambah mengintervensi seni musik.

Lalu bagaimana berkenaan dengan gajah-gajah yang berkeliaran di pelupuk mata kok tidak tampak. Padahal gajah-gajah yang ada di pelupuk mata itu atraksi goyangannya tak kalah vulgar erotismenya. Apa kita memang lebih suka melakukan penglihatan dan pengamatan pakai teropong jarak jauh saja, dan tidak pernah melihat secara kasat mata apa yang ada di depan mata kita sendiri. Padahal goyangan gajah-gajah tersebut juga mengandung  penebaran virus merusak moral.

Jadi, kalau sosok Lady ‘Mother Monster’ Gaga ini dianggap virus perusak moral bangsa karena sensasi erotisme aksi panggungnya yang bisa mengundang rangsangan syahwat birahi antar lawan jenis. Lalu bagaimana dengan gajah-gajah artis penyanyi lokal yang tampilan aksi panggung juga mengumbar sensasi goyangannya mengundang rangsangan hasrat birahi seksual?

Kalau alasan itu yang ditudingkan ke Lady Gaga. Lalu bagaimana dengan keberadaan artis penyanyi lokal yang tampilan aksi panggung tak kalah vulgar dan seronoknya? Sebagai satu contoh bandingan saja, lalu apa bedanya kalau kita melihat tampilan aksi panggung penyanyi dangdut koplo Trio Macan.

Tampilan aksi panggungnya sami mawon (sama saja), mengumbar sensasi-sensasi goyangan seronok erotisme dengan pola gerakan yang mengundang hasrat birahi seksual.

Bahkan di Jawa Barat dan Madiun, trio penyanyi yang lagi ngetop lewat lagu “Iwak Peyek” ini pernah dicekal oleh Majelis Utama Indonesia (MUI) setempat, karena goyangannya di atas panggung yang dinilai seronok berbau pornografi. Setidaknya dari kasus pencekalan di daerah-daerah tertentu terhadap Trio Macam atau penyanyi dangdut lainnya seperti Dewi Persik dan Julia Perez, menjadi semacam indikasi bandingan ribut pro kontra Lady Gaga, sebagaimana pribahasa “Virus di seberang lautan tampak, gajah di pelupuk mata tidak tampak.”

Kalaupun Lady Gaga dituding dan dianggap penebar virus perusak moral anak bangsa. Mari kita simak, untuk nonton konser Lady Gaga harga tiket mulai dari Rp 465.000 sampai Rp 2.250.000. Pasti yang mampu nonton adalah mereka yang berduit.

Sementara Trio Macan atau penyanyi dangdut lainnya yang pola goyangan yang tak beda Trio Macam, tak jarang manggung di ruang publik terbuka baik open air maupun in door, yang ditonton segala umur dari anak-anak kecil, ABG, dewasa sampai kakek-nenek. Mereka ikut bergoyang ria dibuai oleh pameran goyangan yang menjurus ke sensasi-sensasi pornografi. Dan, jangan lupa pula, buat Komisi Penyiaran Televisi (KPI), layar televisi juga mentayangkan tanpa sensor.

Sebagai institusi pemerintah atau organisasi massa yang mengaku punya komitmen sebagai penjaga moral bangsa seharusnya juga bersikap kritis, objektif dan tidak tebang pilih dalam menyikapi hal ini, meski fenomenanya beda, tak sama tapi serupa.

Kalau Lady Gaga harus dilarang, dicekal, dan difatwakan haram, karena alasan normatifnya mengumbar aurat dan gerakan yang merangsang lawan jenis, sebagaimana tuding Khalil Ridwan, Ketua Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI). Larang atau cekal pula artis penyanyi (dangdut) lokal tampilan aksi panggungnya dengan alasan normatif maupun moralitas mengumbar aurat dan gerakan yang merangsang lawan jenis. Kalau perlu keluarkan pula Fatwa Haram bagi deretan nama-nama penyanyi dangdut lokal yang sudah mendapat stigmatisasi atas tampilan goyangan aksi panggungnya yang mengumbar sensasi-sensasi yang mengandung dan mengundang rangsangan hasrat birahi seksual .

Juga kalau perlu perlakukan sama yaitu pencekalan terhadap lagu-lagu berlirik amoral. Karena kalau kita simak saat ini banyak lagu-lagu baik pop maupun dangdut yang pesan lirik lagunya masuk kategori amoral, seperti mengangkat tema birahi atau perselingkuhan.  Karena jelas lagu macam ini tidak edukatif, asusila, amoral, dan bertentangan dengan norma agama, serta berdampak buruk terhadap prilaku sosial.

Di luar urusan soal ribut pro kontra soal pemberian tidaknya izin pertunjukkan. Kalau akhirnya ada himbuan, statement atau pernyataan sikap dari para tokoh masyarakat mewakili institusi keagamaan maupun dari organisasi kemasyarakatan atau kelompok agama bahwa (konser) Lady Gaga adalah haram, lalu bagaimana dengan artis penyanyi lokal yang juga punya kemiripan goyangan tak sama tapi serupa yaitu sama-sama mengumbar aurat dan gerakan yang merangsang lawan jenis?

Sudah tentu, sebagai institusi maupun ormas yang mengaku penjaga moral bangsa perlu menunjukkan komitmen pernyataan sikap tersebut secara konsistensi, tidak terjebak pada posisi tawar-menawar dan tebang pilih. Jangan sampai hanya mata pandangnya cuma fokus “virus di seberang lautan tampak, gajah di pelupuk (kasat) mata tidak tampak.” Semoga!  

Nano Technology :: The NanoChip® 400

The NanoChip^® 400 System is an Automated micro array platform capable of detecting multiple targets for individual samples, and of analyzing multiple samples on the same electronic micro array with walk-away automation. When using the NanoChip^® 400 System, molecular diagnostic labs are offered flexibility, cost savings and ease of use in a wide range of applications such as SNP genotyping, pharmacogenetics (PG’x) testing and pathogen sequence detection. CE-IVD approved kits are available for various applications. 

 Step

1. Combine the PCR Mix, LS Amplification Buffer and Taq Polymerase into a Master Mix. Dispense to each well and then add the DNA sample

2. Seal the PCR plate with the MicroPlate seals and load into the thermal cycler

3. Start the PCR program (1.5 hours)

4. Load the amplified products into the NC400 instrument

5. Scan and load reagent cassettes and Buffer bottles

6. Scan and insert cartridge. Start the run (6 hours walk-away automation for 64 CF samples)  

7. Analyze data and export it to LIS

Main Benefits:

Analyzer	Reagents
CE Marked for In-Vitro Diagnostics Fully Automated (Post PCR) Up to 192 Samples/Day LIS Connectivity User Friendly Opperation	Ready to Use Reagents One Well Multiplex PCR Uniform Short PCR for all Assays (1.5 hours) Bar-coded Reagents Full Genotyping

Nano Technology :: Programmable Bio-Nano-Chip Systems for Serum CA125 Quantification: Toward Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics at the Point-of-Care

Point-of-care (POC) implementation of early detection and screening methodologies for ovarian cancer may enable improved survival rates through early intervention.

Current laboratory-confined immunoanalyzers have long turnaround times and are often incompatible with multiplexing and POC implementation. Rapid, sensitive, and multiplexable POC diagnostic platforms compatible with promising early detection approaches for ovarian cancer are needed. To this end, we report the adaptation of the programmable bio-nano-chip (p-BNC), an integrated, microfluidic, and modular (programmable) platform for CA125 serum quantitation, a biomarker prominently implicated in multimodal and multimarker screening approaches.

In the p-BNCs, CA125 from diseased sera (Bio) is sequestered and assessed with a fluorescence-based sandwich immunoassay, completed in the nano-nets (Nano) of sensitized agarose microbeads localized in individually addressable wells (Chip), housed in a microfluidic module, capable of integrating multiple sample, reagent and biowaste processing, and handling steps. Antibody pairs that bind to distinct epitopes on CA125 were screened.

To permit efficient biomarker sequestration in a three-dimensional microfluidic environment, the p-BNC operating variables (incubation times, flow rates, and reagent concentrations) were tuned to deliver optimal analytical performance under 45 minutes. With short analysis times, competitive analytical performance (inter- and intra-assay precision of 1.2% and 1.9% and limit of detection of 1.0 U/mL) was achieved on this minisensor ensemble.

Furthermore, validation with sera of patients with ovarian cancer (n = 20) showed excellent correlation (R² = 0.97) with gold-standard ELISA. Building on the integration capabilities of novel microfluidic systems programmed for ovarian cancer, the rapid, precise, and sensitive miniaturized p-BNC system shows strong promise for ovarian cancer diagnostics. Cancer Prev Res; 5(5); 706–16. ©2012 AACR.

Nano Technology :: Mega Steps Toward the Nanochip

The quest for nanometer-scale computing is now a quantum leap closer to reality.
In Friday's issue of the journal Science, physicists from IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center announce their fabrication of the world's first array of transistors made from carbon nanotubes.

The announcement recalls the breakthroughs of the late 1940s, when scientists first began developing the bipolar transistor, the device that spawned the microchip age.

Like their postwar predecessors, the IBM scientists -- Philip G. Collins, Michael S. Arnold and Phaedon Avouris -- have established an important proof of principle.


"It's a beautiful paper and a major step forward," said Richard Smalley of Rice University, who won the Nobel Prize, in part, for his pioneering work with nanotubes. "But we're still far away from a practical technology to build integrated circuits that would compete with silicon."

The innovation centers around one fundamental problem in molecular-scale electronics: The most sensible medium for computing typically exists in a "fluid" of near-lookalikes.

Although silicon will undoubtedly remain the basis for computing hardware for years to come, silicon technology is also approaching a dead end. The kinds of transistors that can be made out of nanotubes may only consist of a hundred or a thousand atoms, while present semiconductor materials can't even approach this level of miniaturization.

"I can't imagine a silicon transistor that doesn't contain a few million atoms, even in the far future," said IBM's Tom Theis, director of physical science research. "So we're talking about devices that are drastically smaller, and because their key components are fabricated by chemical synthesis, they can be drastically cheaper than silicon transistors."
Smalley added that even the nanotube wires will be important in nano-circuits of the future.
"These things look like great answers to the question of how to conduct electricity in practical circuits on the nanometer scale with air and water around in the real world."

Since they're a thousand times stronger than steel and can serve as both transistors and wires, nanotubes may indeed be the ultimate last step in conventional computing technology before the realm of the quantum computer.

"What certainly is going to happen is that these nanotubes are going to be used in damned near any area you can think of where electrons move from here to there," Smalley said. "And like all other new things, it's going to have to find niches in which it's competitive to displace the existing answers."
The nanotube is a long hollow cylindrical molecule composed of carbon and with a typical width of only 10 times the size of an individual atom. It was discovered in 1991, and in 1998 several teams of researchers began investigating the nanotube's ability to serve as a nanoscale transistor, the basic element of any conventional computer.

The trouble is when nanotubes are fabricated -- typically involving laser heating of carbon soot -- only some of the end product is the desired semiconductor nanotubes. The same recipe also produces a cohort of metallic nanotubes, which can't be used to make a transistor.

Previously, any attempt to build a nanotube circuit has involved the painstaking process of cherry picking the desired semiconductors one by one using atomic force microscopes. (No technique has yet been devised to create semiconductor nanotubes only.)

What Collins and company did, though, was to gather both types of nanotubes in a circuit and then exploit the fact that metallic nanotubes ultimately shatter if enough current is run through them.
"They've come up with a recipe that anyone can follow that will allow you to make many thousands of these transistors simultaneously on a silicon substrate," IBM's Theis said.

"With the proper sequence of electrical pulses, we're able to fuse out the tubes that are wires -- the ones we don't want -- and pick out the ones that are semiconducting."

Nano Technology :: Nano-Chips To Power Computers, Phones Of The Future

British scientists are playing a key role in the drive to make electronic gadgets smaller, smarter and even more powerful. Researchers from five universities are designing a new generation of ‘nano-electronic’ circuits (chips) that will power the computers and mobile phones of the future. The circuits may also make possible entirely new forms of electronic device that could benefit a range of sectors, including entertainment, communications and medicine.

The quest for new circuits has been prompted by the relentless advance of technology, which is now proving to be a real headache for the microelectronics industry. The microscopic transistors which are the cogs and wheels of all electronic devices are becoming even smaller and designers must now devise electronic circuits that are compatible with them.

Teams at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton and York are striving to create nanoscale circuits, using transistors that are 80,000 times smaller than a hair’s breadth. Because the circuits in today’s ipods and PCs will not work with nano-transistors, this research – which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – is vital to prevent the industry from grinding to a halt.
In the next decade, transistors will not only be ten times smaller – they will also behave very differently. Two of todays transistors, identical in shape and size, will behave in more or less the same way. That, however, will not be the case at nanoscale.

The next generation of transistors will, in the jargon of chip design, be ‘unmatched’– despite being apparently identical. They will also be extremely ‘noisy’, adding a strong random signal of their own (known as device noise) to whatever signal they are dealing with.

“The circuits we currently use cannot cope with this form of mismatch and randomness,” says Professor Alan Murray, of the University of Edinburgh. “They will require at least re-design - possibly even complete replacement - with circuits that have not yet been invented. We can’t wait for silicon technology to create viable, production-line nanoscale transistors. It will then be too late to start looking for ways to use them. We must start now.”

This new project will allow circuits to be designed that can cope with, or even make use of, the unavoidable bad behaviour of nanoscale transistors. It will use e-Science – which draws on shared data and massive computing power – to bring together computer simulations of transistors that do not yet exist and simulations of circuits that use them.

Principal investigator, Professor Asen Asenov, of the University of Glasgow, is looking forward to the challenge: “This project brings together leading semiconductor device, circuit and system experts from academia and industry and e-scientists with strong Grid expertise. Only by working in close collaboration, and adequately connected and resourced by e-Science and Grid technology, can we understand and tackle the design complexity of nano-CMOS electronics, securing a competitive advantage for the UK electronics industry.”

Professor Richard Sinnott, of the National e-Science Centre at the University of Glasgow, who will lead the e-Science development activity, is also eagerly anticipating the project: “Through close collaboration with our partners, we expect to revolutionise the way in which the disparate teams involved in electronics design process work. Our Grid efforts will be on four key areas: workflows, security, data management and resource management, each targeted to the real needs of the scientists we are to support.”

Syria in the Darkness :: Activists put Syria attack death toll at over 90

BEIRUT

Activists on Saturday raised the number of those killed in an alleged massacre by Syrian regime forces in a region in the center of the country to more than 90.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that more than 90 people had been killed in the Houla area in the 24 hours since midday Friday.

A local activist giving his name as Abu Yazan reached via Skype said 12 people died in shelling and 106 were killed when pro-regime thugs known as shabiha stormed the area.

That death toll is one of the highest for any single event since the popular uprising against Bashar Assad began in March 2011. The U.N. says more than 9,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians.

The new violence in Houla is also a further blow to a U.N. peace plan for Syria that was supposed to start with a cease-fire between government troops and rebels on April 12 but has never really taken hold.

More than 250 U.N. observers are now deployed in Syria to oversee the truce, and a spokesman for the team said Saturday that observers were heading to Houla.

A local activist reached via Skype said regime forces started shelling the village of Houla, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the city of Homs in west-central Syria following an anti-regime demonstration following Muslim prayers on Friday. Twelve people were killed in the shelling, said the activist, who gave his name as Abu Yazan.

Later, pro-regime thugs known as shabiha stormed the village of Taldaw, just south of Houla, raiding homes and shooting at civilians.

"They killed entire families, from parents on down to children, but they focused on the children," he said.

Amateur videos posted online showed many children among the dozens of dead laid out in different rooms and covered with sheets and blankets. One video showed 14 dead children lined up on a floor, shoulder to shoulder.

Abu Yazan said most residents were fleeing the area Saturday, fearing further killings.

Activist claims and videos could not be independently verified. The Syrian government bars most media from operating inside the country.

News of the killings elicited harsh condemnations from anti-regime groups, many of which have expressed frustration with international reluctance to intervene in Syria's conflict.

Bassma Kodmani of the exile opposition Syrian National Council called on the U.N. Security Council "to examine the situation in Houla and to determine the responsibility of the United Nations in the face of such mass killings, expulsions and forced migration from entire neighborhoods."

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights released an unusually harsh statement, saying Arab nations and the international community were "partners" in the killing "because of their silence about the massacres that the Syrian regime has committed."

Nano Technology :: Semiconductor

A semiconductor is a substance, usually a solid chemical element or compound, that can conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, making it a good medium for the control of electrical current. Its conductance varies depending on the current or voltage applied to a control electrode, or on the intensity of irradiation by infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), or X rays.

The specific properties of a semiconductor depend on the impurities, or dopants, added to it. An N-type semiconductor carries current mainly in the form of negatively-charged electrons, in a manner similar to the conduction of current in a wire. A P-type semiconductor carries current predominantly as electron deficiencies called holes. A hole has a positive electric charge, equal and opposite to the charge on an electron. In a semiconductor material, the flow of holes occurs in a direction opposite to the flow of electrons.

Elemental semiconductors include antimony, arsenic, boron, carbon, germanium, selenium, silicon, sulfur, and tellurium. Silicon is the best-known of these, forming the basis of most integrated circuits (ICs). Common semiconductor compounds include gallium arsenide, indium antimonide, and the oxides of most metals. Of these, gallium arsenide (GaAs) is widely used in low-noise, high-gain, weak-signal amplifying devices.

A semiconductor device can perform the function of a vacuum tube having hundreds of times its volume. A single integrated circuit (IC), such as a microprocessor chip, can do the work of a set of vacuum tubes that would fill a large building and require its own electric generating plant.

Nano Technology :: Nanomachine (Nanite)

A nanomachine, also called a nanite, is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometers (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10 ^-9 meter).

Nanomachines are largely in the research-and-development phase, but some primitive devices have been tested. An example is a sensor having a switch approximately 1.5 nanometers across, capable of counting specific molecules in a chemical sample. The first useful applications of nanomachines will likely be in medical technology, where they could be used to identify pathogens and toxins from samples of body fluid. Another potential application is the detection of toxic chemicals, and the measurement of their concentrations, in the environment.

The microscopic size of nanomachines translates into high operational speed. This is a result of the natural tendency of all machines and systems to work faster as their size decreases. Nanomachines could be programmed to replicate themselves, or to work synergistically to build larger machines or to construct nanochips. Specialized nanomachines called nanorobots might be designed not only to diagnose, but to treat, disease conditions, perhaps by seeking out invading bacteria and viruses and destroying them.

Another advantage of nanomachines is that the individual units require only a tiny amount of energy to operate. Durability is another potential asset; nanites might last for centuries before breaking down. The main challenge lies in the methods of manufacture. It has been suggested that some nanomachines might be grown in a manner similar to the way plants evolve from seeds.

Nano Technology :: Nano Chips (2)

A nanochip is an integrated circuit ( IC ) that is so small, in physical terms, that individual particles of matter play major roles. Miniaturization of electronic and computer components has always been a primary goal of engineers. The smaller an electronic system can be made, the more processing power can fit into a given physical volume, the less energy is required to run it, and the faster it can work (because distances among components are reduced, minimizing charge-carrier transit time).

The earliest computers, built in the middle of the 20th century, used vacuum tube s for switching. These machines were so massive and bulky, and demanded so much electricity to operate, that they required buildings and power plants of their own. Today, such a computer can be placed inside a microscopic capsule. The trend toward miniaturization shows no sign of slowing until some limit is forced on the manufacturing process. The scale of this limit ultimately depends only on the structure of matter.

Traditional methods of IC manufacture involve etching unwanted semiconductor material from a preexisting chip, in the same way a sculptor carves a statue. Futurists suggest that, rather than etching switches and logic gate s into semiconductor material, chips ought to be mechanically assembled one molecule at a time. Some scientists believe ICs can be grown from biological seeds, just as a plant reproduces cells to create a defined structure such as a tree. Both of these processes involve nanotechnology , and would result in the greatest possible number of switches per unit volume of material substance.

Nanochip is also the name of a nanotechnology research-and-development corporation based in San Jose, California as well as the trade name for a molecular biology workstation manufactured by Nanogen of San Diego, California.

 

Nano Interconnections

Interconnection is another important part of nano chips.
This involves the logical and mathematical operations and the wiring between the transmitters to make their interaction possible. Nanotubes and wires as narrow as one nanometer are used to link the transistors together. Some transistors have nanowires in them.

Nano Architecture

Architecture involves the way that the transistors are interconnected.
The circuit can then plug into a computer or other system and operate independently of the lower-level details.

Although they are destined for errors and defects, the architecture has built-in redundancy and interconnections with the ability to reconfigure structures at several levels on a chip. The redundancy helps avoid more problems and errors in the system.

 

 

 

 

Computer :: AMAX Intros HPC Servers with New Kepler GPUs

FREMONT, Calif., May 15 -- AMAX, a leading innovator of High Performance Computing (HPC), dynamic Enterprise IT, and custom Appliance Manufacturing solutions, today announced the next generation of AMAX ClusterMax SuperG GPU cluster solutions and ServMax GPU server platforms optimized for the latest NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Accelerator.  The new AMAX high performance GPU solutions powered by the Tesla K10 GPUs deliver 4.58 Teraflops of single precision floating point performance within a 225W power envelope, providing unprecedented real-world compute performance and breakthrough power-efficiency specifically targeting signal processing, imaging, video analytics, as well as oil & gas applications like Reverse Time Migration (RTM) and Kirchoff Time Migration (KTM).

The new Tesla K10 GPU Accelerator, featuring 2x GK104 Kepler GPUs, boosts core count to an incredible 3,072 CUDA cores and 8GB of high-speed on-board memory that deliver 4.58 Teraflops of single precision performance and 320GB/s of memory bandwidth over a PCI-Express Generation 3 system bus, providing AMAX's comprehensive line of highly scalable HPC solutions with more than 3x the muscle to tackle larger, increasingly complex, highly-parallel applications, significantly outperforming previous generation systems while maintaining overall power efficiency.  With the extraordinary performance of NVIDIA's latest GPU technology, combined with the proven quality and reliability of AMAX HPC systems, AMAX is ushering in a new generation of extreme performance and parallel computing capability and empowering oil & gas, defense and video analytics markets to do more, faster.

"By combining NVIDIA's powerful and efficient K10 GPU architecture with AMAX's dynamic solution designs, AMAX is able to deliver breakthrough performance and compute efficiency for single precision performance applications," said James Huang, Product Marketing Manager at AMAX. "The performance increase we've seen in signal processing, imaging and video analytics applications have simply been staggering and we are excited to partner with NVIDIA to bring these solutions to market."
The latest AMAX systems designed for the Telsa K10 GPU Accelerator include:

• AMAX SuperG GPU Cluster:  387,072 CUDA cores and 1,008GB of dedicated GPU memory delivering over 577 Teraflops of single precision performance per 42U rack.  This GPU cluster features FDR (56Gb/s) Infiniband interconnect and NVIDIA GPUDirect technology for high-speed cluster communication, the latest Intel Xeon E5-2600 series processors, and integrated cluster management software to intelligently manage and monitor cluster & GPU resources.


• AMAX Xr-1301Gk1: This 1U server supports up to 3 double-width K10 GPU Accelerators and dual Intel Xeon E5-2600 series processors to deliver 13.74 Teraflops of single precision floating point performance.  With space for 4 hot-swap 2.5¡± SAS/SATA drive bays and up to 128GB DDR 1600Mhz memory, the AMAX Xr-1301Gk1 GPU server offers plenty of high speed storage and ultra fast system memory for best in-class density and performance.


• AMAX Xr-2401Gk1:  With support for 4x K10 GPU Accelerators and dual Intel® Xeon® E5-2600 series processors, this compact 2U GPU server is home to 12,288 GPU cores that drive over 18 Teraflops of single precision floating point performance.  The 2U form factor allows for additional high-speed storage with up to 10 hot-swap 2.5¡± SAS/SATA drive bays and an 1800W Platinum-level power supply for maximum flexibility and efficiency.
AMAX's GPU solutions optimized for the new NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Accelerators, including cluster and server solutions, are available immediately.  For more information on AMAX products and services, please visit: http://www.amax.com .


About AMAX
Founded in 1979, AMAX is a leading innovator of High Performance Computing (HPC) server, storage and cluster solutions, Enterprise IT and Appliance Manufacturing solutions. The company applies a unique combination of hardware and software engineering expertise with an open standards-based approach to dramatically increase performance and ROI for the most demanding applications. Global organizations, including some of the world's best-known brands, use AMAX offerings to solve complex computing challenges, meet product development demands, reduce energy consumption, and stay competitive. AMAX is proud to be ISO 9001 Certified and China Compulsory Certified. The company headquarters is in Fremont, CA with offices in Richardson, TX, and Suzhou and Shanghai, China.

Nano Technology :: Nano Chips

Nano chips are electrical circuits the size of nanometers.
This is equivalent to 10-9 meters or a row of ten hydrogen atoms.
With circuits becoming smaller, the items they serve can become smaller, too. Smaller things will be able to perform more complex functions using less power and at a faster speed than ever before. Nano chips are organized into transistors, interconnections and architecture-all made on a nano scale.

How nano chips are made

One of the fundamental points of nano chips is known as Moore’s Law.

This law relates to the number of transistors that can be fabricated on a silicon integrated circuit is doubling every 18-24 months.

The more transistors that fit on a circuit, the faster the computer will be. This is why scientists are working so hard to produce nanocircuits that have millions and perhaps billions of transistors are able to fit on a chip.
Unfortunately, when the circuits are so tiny, they tend to have more problems than larger circuits, e.g., many different defects. Nanoscale chips are more sensitive to temperature changes, cosmic rays and electromagnetic interference than larger circuits. Phenomena like stray signals are more common on nano chips and there is a greater need to dissipate the heat from such closely packed nano devices.

Some believe that the cost of making nano chips will be greater than it will be worth to produce and the speed of computers will reach a maximum. For these and other reasons, many believe that Moore’s Law will not hold on forever and will eventually reach a peak.

The first part of their organization begins with the silicon-based transistors. Transistors control the flow of electricity and transform weak electrical signals to strong ones. They also control the electrical current as they can turn it on or off and even can amplify signals. Circuits use silicon as a transistor because it can easily be switched between conducting and nonconducting states.

In nanoelectronics, transistors might be organic molecules or can be nanoscale inorganic structures. Semiconductors, part transistors, are also being made of organic molecules in the nanostate.

 

Computer :: SGI Adds Kepler GPU-Accelerated Servers to Rackable Line

FREMONT, Calif., May 15 — SGI (NASDAQ: SGI), the trusted leader in technical computing, today announced the availability of a complete, managed GPU solution of its SGI Rackable servers with the new high-performance NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Computing Accelerator. Coupled with SGI Management and Performance Suite software, the solution is built, completely integrated, and tested in SGI's manufacturing facility so that it can be installed at the customer site and begin running application codes in less than a day.
The next-generation NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Accelerator is designed for throughput and performance per watt. It features two ultra-efficient GK104 GPUs that provide up to 2X performance per watt for single precision applications than its predecessor, the M2090. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 features two GK104 GPUs with 1536 CUDA cores each and 4GB of memory operating at 160 GB/second per GPU. These GPUs are shown to be particularly well suited to single high precision workloads, including seismic processing, signal, image and video analysis, and radio astronomy.

"The research team at the Swinburne University of Technology has benefited from significant improvements in processing power and research output since our SGI Rackable system was installed in July 2011," said Dr. Jarrod Hurley, manager of Swinburne's supercomputer. "That system was over ten times more powerful than its predecessor, and with the introduction of the new NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Computing Accelerator we'll look forward to building even greater functionality and performance into our own system as our requirements evolve."

The baseline server for the solution is the SGI Rackable C1104G-RP5, a 1U standard depth chassis, and the SGI 2110-RP5, a 2U standard depth chassis. Each server features one dual-socket server powered by two Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 series, and 8 DIMM slots. The C1104 can accommodate up to four 2.5 inch hard disk drives, three PCI-E 3.0 x 16 double-width expansion slots and dual-port GigE networking controllers, while the C2110 can accommodate up to ten 2.5 inch hard drives, four internal PCI-E 3.0 x 16 double-width expansion slots and dual-port GigE controllers. SGI is also announcing the availability of the SGI GPU Starter Kit with NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Accelerator offering a pre-configured bundle of 10 nodes.

"As a leader in design-to-order high performance computing (HPC) solutions with over three decades of experience in accelerators applied to high precision workloads, SGI is uniquely positioned to bring its customers hybrid solutions of industry-standard microprocessors with GPU accelerators," said Bill Mannel, vice president of product marketing at SGI. "Our GPU clusters are all you need for a powerful deployment. We're also announcing the SGI GPU Starter Kit, a 10-server cluster with 20 NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPUs for those who want to start enjoying the benefits of CUDA programming today in a cost-effective solution."
"Adding GPUs to a server delivers significant application acceleration, and this is having a profound effect on many important industry segments," said Sumit Gupta, senior director of the Tesla business at NVIDIA. "SGI's new K10-enabled SGI Rackable servers provide researchers with a powerful and flexible platform upon which to innovate."


Availability
The NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU is available in the SGI Rackable C1104G and C2110G server product lines. The SGI GPU Starter Kit with NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Accelerator is available in the SGI Rackable C1104G server product line. All are available for order today.


About SGI
SGI, the trusted leader in technical computing, is focused on helping customers solve their most demanding business and technology challenges. Visit sgi.com for more information.

Selebriti :: HTI: Lady Gaga Bertentangan dengan Pancasila

Sebelum kita membaca cerita di bawah, mari kita yang satu ini.
Di negara kita ini, bukan suatu rahasia umum lagi, bahwa begitu banyak rakyat Indonesia yang menduakan ALLAH, seperti : meminta jimat kepada dukun, menyembah pepohonan, pergi semedi ke gunung-gunung yang dianggap keramat walaupun di KTP tertera agama dan kepercayaan yang di anut.
Pertanyaan :

• Apakah perilaku seperti di atas tidak bertengangan dengan Pancasila?
• Apakah perilaku seperti di atas bukan aliran sesat ?

Bloger sendiri tidaklah orang yang begitu berminat atau tertarik terlaksana atau tidaknya pertunjukan lady gaga. Hanya saja, bloger memandang dari sisi Devisa ataupun Pendapatan serta Meningkatnya Minat Pariwisata di Indonesia.

Bila Lady Gaga, katakanlah "Dihakimi" (seperti saat ini begitu banyak muncul hakim-hakim yang menghakimi lady gaga) oleh karena terkenalnya dia akan segala tindak tanduk yang di lakukannya serta popularitas namanya. Mengapa artis - artis lain, seperti Justin Beiber, artis bule lainnya tidak ada pelarangan?
Bukan dirahasiakan, banyak (secara umum) artis bule (terutama rocker) menganut Free Sex, mengapa tidak ada pelarangan? 

Mengapa perilaku penyembah-penyembah Setan (meminta jimat kepada roh-roh orang mati, dan gunung-gunung, dan sebagainya tidak ada pelarangan ataupun demonstrasi? :) :D
Mari kita merenungkan semuanya itu. Mudah-mudahan bermanfaat.



JAKARTA

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) mengaku menolak konser Lady Gaga demi membentengi generasi muda dari kebudayaan yang merusak moral. Sebab, Lady Gaga sudah bertentangan dengan dasar negara yakni Pancasila.

"Yang pasti dia (Lady Gaga) bertentangan dengan Pancasila, yang berbau pornografi karena kita negara Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa. Ditambah lagi di media juga ditulis besar-besar dan anak-anak juga bisa melihat artinya ini tidak sebatas konser tapi ada liberalisasi kebudayaan," kata Ketua Umum HTI, Muhammad Rahmat Kurnia di Mapolda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Rabu(23/5/2012).

Saat ditanya apakah konser yang berdurasi dua jam itu sangat mengancam moral anak bangsa, dikatakan Rahmat itu tidak menyangkut masalah durasi.

"Ini bukan masalah dua jam atau tidak, kita hanya membentengi generasi muda supaya tidak ada liberalisasi kebudayaan karen bisa merusak moral bangsa," ucap Rahmat.

Rahmat juga menambahkan, jika di Filipina penolakan terhadap Lady Gaga dinyatakan melalui doa, namun HTI sendiri akan turun ke jalan

Computer :: Mercury Computer Systems Develops Sensor Stream Delivery Application

CHELMSFORD, Mass., May 10 -- Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., a trusted provider of commercially developed application-ready ISR and EW subsystems for defense prime contractors, announced StreamDirect^™, a highly efficient method for delivering streams of sensor data directly to specialized coprocessors such as general purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs). StreamDirect increases the efficiency of GPGPU-based embedded computing systems, resulting in a three times performance improvement over previous generation GPGPU systems. StreamDirect increases performance by enabling terabytes of raw sensor data to be processed in real-time by optimizing the transfers from the I/O sensors to the GPGPUs, supporting over 10 teraflops (TFLOPS) of processing capability in a rugged OpenVPX^™ system. Mercury has previously deployed StreamDirect in a number of programs and it is now being made available in Mercury’s standard product – the 6U OpenVPX GSC6201. The GSC6201 is a carrier card that incorporates industry-standard GPGPU MXMs and is designed to accept those based on the NVIDIA Fermi^™ and recently launched Kepler^™ architectures.

Mercury’s StreamDirect enables direct communication of data from the source, such as a sensor input device, into a coprocessor’s memory, such as a GPGPU, without intermediate storage in the CPU. Previously, systems that used GPGPUs had to first pass the data to a CPU’s memory and then transfer the same data from the CPU’s memory to the GPGPU, a cumbersome two-step process. StreamDirect eliminates this copy step, creating a direct, high-bandwidth DMA channel between the sensor and the GPGPU. StreamDirect leverages Mercury’s POET^™/ICS technology and NVIDIA^® GPUDirect to provide a system-wide communication capability that enables applications such as EO/IR, radar, cyber and electronic warfare to benefit from faster intelligence.

“The GSC6201 is our third generation OpenVPX MXM-based GPGPU carrier card, building upon our eight year track record of deployed GPGPU solutions,” said Scott Thieret, Technical Director at Mercury Computer Systems. “With StreamDirect, we can now configure GSC6201-based systems with three times the performance of previous generation systems by eliminating intermediate data store-and-forward steps and enabling sensors to communicate directly with NVIDIA GPGPUs. Additionally, the combination of StreamDirect and the GSC6201 allows multiple GPGPU carrier cards to be hosted by a single CPU, significantly improving the overall system SWaP and GFLOPS/Watt.”

To keep pace with the rapid advances in GPGPU innovations, Mercury adopted the industry standard MXM form factor to quickly deliver the latest GPGPU technology in a modular, rugged OpenVPX module. While the GSC6201 is available today with NVIDIA’s embedded EXMF104 Fermi GPGPU, it can be quickly and easily upgraded to the latest GPGPU architectures as soon as they are available, such as the embedded Kepler MXM. The modular GPGPU MXM design enables customers to preserve their software and IP investments while accelerating their program development schedules and reducing program risk.

“The latest fighter jets and drone aircraft incorporate new sensors that demand huge amounts of real-time processing, making them ideally suited for NVIDIA’s newest GPGPUs,” said Vineet Gupta, Vice President of Global Automotive and Embedded Solutions at NVIDIA. “Mercury Computer Systems’ StreamDirect unleashes the potential of multi-GPGPU systems, bringing leading-edge performance to defense-based systems when using the latest NVIDIA GPGPUs.”

NVIDIA CUDA^®, OpenCL^™ and Mercury’s Scientific Algorithm Library (SAL^™) software development platforms are supported on the GSC6201, providing highly optimized processing functions based on open standards, cross-platform support, and porting of legacy applications to leverage massively parallel stream processing with GPGPUs.

StreamDirect for NVIDIA GPGPUs is available now. The GSC6201 is available now in commercial and rugged versions including air- and conduction-cooled configurations.

For more information on StreamDirect and the GSC6201, visit www.mc.com/gpgpu, or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951 or info@mc.com.


About Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.
Mercury Computer Systems (www.mc.com, NASDAQ: MRCY) is a best-of-breed provider of open, commercially developed, application-ready, multi-INT subsystems for defense prime contractors. With over 30 years of experience in embedded computing, superior domain expertise in radar, EW, EO/IR, C4I and sonar applications, and more than 300 successful program deployments including Aegis, Global Hawk and Predator, Mercury’s Services and Systems Integration (SSI) team leads the industry in partnering with customers to design and integrate system-level solutions that minimize program risk, maximize application portability, and accelerate customers’ time to market.