The Russian manufacturer of the military aircraft said a delegation from Syria was recently in Moscow to discuss the terms of a new deal.
By Vladimir Isachenkov,?Associated Press / May 31, 2013
In this 2012 file photo, a Russian MIG-29 plane flies during a celebration marking the Russian air force's 100th anniversary in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia.
Misha Japaridze/AP/File
Enlarge
Russia's MiG aircraft maker said Friday it plans to sign a new agreement to ship at least 10 fighter jets to Syria, a move that comes amid international criticism of earlier Russian weapons deals with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
MiG's director general, Sergei Korotkov, said a Syrian delegation was in Moscow to discuss the details of a new contract for the delivery of MiG-29 M/M2 fighters. In remarks carried by Russian news agencies, he said Syria wants to buy "more than 10" such fighters, but wouldn't give the exact number.
Russia has said it's only providing Assad with weapons intended to protect Syria from a foreign invasion, such as air defense missile systems. It has claimed it is not delivering weapons that could be used in Syria's two-year civil war, which has killed more 70,000 people and sent millions fleeing the country.
But the delivery of MiGs would contradict that claim and expose Russia to global criticism, so the Kremlin might think twice before giving the go-ahead.
A MiG spokesman wouldn't comment on Korotkov's statement, and the MiG chief could be referring to a deal the company previously negotiated with Syria that apparently has been put on hold amid the civil war.
Moscow has shipped billions of dollars' worth of missiles, combat jets, tanks, artillery and other military gear to Syria over more than four decades. Syria now is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East and hosts the only naval base Moscow has outside the former Soviet Union.
Russia has shielded Assad from U.N. sanctions and has continued to provide his regime with weapons despite the uprising against him that began in March 2011.
Russian media reports say Syria placed an order a few years ago for 12 MiG-29 M/M2 fighters with an option of buying another 12. The Stockholm Peace Research Institute also has reported that Russia planned to provide Syria with 24 of the aircraft.
The MiG-29 M/M2 is an advanced version of the MiG-29 twin-engine fighter jet, which has been a mainstay of the Soviet and Russian air force since mid-1980s. Syria had about 20 fighters of the original make among scores of other Soviet- and Russian-built aircraft.
Other Russian weapons deals have apparently been put on hold during Syria's civil war, including a recent contract to deliver Yak-130 combat training jets that could also be used for ground attacks.
May 31, 2013 ? A Facebook profile is an ideal version of self, full of photos and posts curated for the eyes of family, friends and acquaintances. A new study shows that this version of self can provide beneficial psychological effects and influence behavior.
Catalina Toma, a UW-Madison assistant professor of communication arts, used the Implicit Association Test to measure Facebook users' self-esteem after they spent time looking at their profiles, the first time the social psychology research tool has been used to examine the effects of Facebook. The test showed that after participants spent just five minutes examining their own Facebook profiles, they experienced a significant boost in self-esteem. The test measures how quickly participants associate positive or negative adjectives with words such as me, my, I and myself.
"If you have high self-esteem, then you can very quickly associate words related to yourself with positive evaluations but have a difficult time associating words related to yourself with negative evaluations," Toma says. "But if you have low self-esteem, the opposite is true."
Toma opted to use the Implicit Association Test because it cannot be faked, unlike more traditional self-reporting tools.
"Our culture places great value on having high self-esteem. For this reason, people typically inflate their level of self-esteem in self-report questionnaires," she says. "The Implicit Association Test removes this bias."
Additionally, Toma investigated whether exposure to one's own Facebook profile affects behavior.
"We wanted to know if there are any additional psychological effects that stem from viewing your own self-enhancing profile," says Toma, whose work will be published in the June issue of Media Psychology. "Does engaging with your own Facebook profile affect behavior?"
The behavior examined in the study was performance in a serial subtraction task, assessing how quickly and accurately participants could count down from a large number by intervals of seven. Toma found that self-esteem boost that came from looking at their profiles ultimately diminished participants' performance in the follow-up task by decreasing their motivation to perform well.
After people spent time on their own profile they attempted fewer answers during the allotted time than people in a control group, but their error rate was not any worse. Toma says the results are consistent with self-affirmation theory, which claims that people constantly try to manage their feelings of self-worth.
"Performing well in a task can boost feelings of self-worth," Toma says. "However, if you already feel good about yourself because you looked at your Facebook profile, there is no psychological need to increase your self-worth by doing well in a laboratory task."
But Toma cautions against drawing broad conclusions about Facebook's impact on motivation and performance based on this particular study, as it examines just one facet of Facebook use.
"This study shows that exposure to your own Facebook profile reduces motivation to perform well in a simple, hypothetical task," she says. "It does not show that Facebook use negatively affects college students' grades, for example. Future work is necessary to investigate the psychological effects of other Facebook activities, such as examining others' profiles or reading the newsfeed."
RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATE CROP - Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally stretches out its tongue in its quarantine room at the new home in an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATE CROP - Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally stretches out its tongue in its quarantine room at the new home in an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally plays in its quarantine room at the new home in an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally feeds a grape in its quarantine room at the new home in an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally stretches out its tongue in its quarantine room at the new home in an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
Canadian singer Justin Bieber's former pet the capuchin monkey named Mally looks out of its quarantine room at his new home at an animal park near Hodenhagen, northern Germany, Friday, May 31, 2013. Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour. (AP Photo/dpa, Holger Hollemann)
BERLIN (AP) ? Justin Bieber's former pet, Mally the Monkey, is getting ready to meet new playmates at his new home in Germany.
The 23-week-old animal was presented to photographers at the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, in northern Germany, on Friday. He faces another 25 days in quarantine before he can join his new family: the zoo's six capuchin monkeys, three male and three female ? including baby Molly, born in February.
Mally was transferred to the zoo last weekend after living at a Munich animal shelter since he was seized by German customs March 28.
Bieber failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after arriving for a European tour. Mally's ownership was transferred to the German state May 21 after the singer missed a deadline to send the documents.
May 29, 2013 ? In a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, a team of researchers led by NJIT Associate Professor Gareth Russell has applied a novel method for linking large-scale habitat fragmentation to population sustainability.
"Our goal was to assess the extinction risk for bird species in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, a global 'hotspot' of bird diversity," said Russell. "Based on elevation restrictions and forest type requirements, as well as ongoing tropical deforestation, we already knew that most species have access to far less habitat than typically assumed. But what habitat remains is also highly fragmented. Looking at area alone is not enough."
Other researchers included Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology, Duke University; Grant Harris, chief of biological sciences (Southwest region), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Jessica Schnell, recently graduated, now at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany.
More accurate habitat maps show the extent of fragmentation, but researchers still must link the particular habitat distribution of a species to its extinction risk in an objective and consistent manner.
In a recent, more technical publication in the journal Conservation Biology, the same authors showed that a modified version of a metric called meta-population capacity has the right characteristics to assess the impact of fragmentation. Meta-population capacity takes information about the sizes of fragments and the distances separating them and summarizes the influence of these geographic factors on long-term population persistence.
The current study applied this metric to 127 forest-dependent passerine birds inhabiting the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, an area that has lost over 90 percent of its original forest. There were two key results:
First, the species fell into two distinct groups: those where the fragmentation impact was severe, and those where it was relatively mild. There were few species in the middle. This immediately suggests a straightforward way in which fragmentation patterns can contribute to threat assessment.
The authors also found that out of 58 species that have severely fragmented habitat, 28 are not currently considered to be threatened, according to the latest red list published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Taking these results into consideration, the authors recommend that the classification of these species be reexamined.
Russell also hopes this work will have a broader impact. "Assessing extinction risk is enormously challenging, and the dedicated teams that do this work are faced with many unknowns," he said. "The most endangered species are often the most rare, and therefore also the hardest to find and study. Our approach requires only basic knowledge about a species, but optimizes that information by linking it to the recent flood of data about the environment."
The researchers believe that their work could be applied widely, helping to identify at-risk species from many different groups and from many regions of the planet.
The robot helps a human accomplish a task it has anticipated they are attempting (putting something inside a refrigerator).
It's a sci-fi trope that's been used in dozens of movies and books: The robot with the high-precision eyes, blazing-fast silicon brain, and lightning-quick limbs that detects what someone is doing as soon as they start ? and usually stops them. But what if that robot wasn't bent on the destruction of the human race, but just wanted to help you put away your groceries?
That's what Cornell University's Personal Robotics lab is working on: A robot that sees what you're doing and comes to your aid, whether that means opening a door, pouring a drink or just moving out of your way.
Cornell University
The robot constantly reviews the scene, identifies objects, and then calculates likely interactions.
It works by viewing its environment through images and depth-mapping hardware ? in this case, hacker favorite the Microsoft Kinect. The system views the room and categorizes objects: Tabletop, container, wall and so on. When a human enters the scene, the robot doesn't just "think" of him or her as an object, however, but as something that moves other objects around.
"Our algorithm makes a guess on what the person has been doing in the past, and considers several possible activities that the person may be doing in the future," professor Ashutosh Saxena, who is developing the system with Ph.D. student Hema Koppula, told NBC News in an email.
By weighing different options for what's likely to happen given where a person is and how they're moving, the system makes guesses about your next action. If you're by a table with a glass on it, it will look and guess that you're more likely to pick up the glass than the table. And once you have the glass, you might just put it back down, but you might put it in the dishwasher, which the robot has also mapped out as a potential target.
The challenge, according to Saxena, is "visual complexity in the environment." The more stuff there is, the harder it is to categorize and parse all those objects. But better "eyes" could help there, and Saxena acknowledged that the new version of the Kinect could "tremendously" improve the system's ability to understand its surroundings, as well as track multiple people.
Once it has a pretty good idea of what you're going to do, it can either help or adjust its own actions. It could help by opening the dishwasher for you, for instance ? physically or remotely. Or if it was going to pour you some coffee, it might wait until you're done moving things around the table.
If it's not sure what you're up to, then it will keep on watching until it figures it out. "The anticipations become more accurate as more observations are made," notes Saxena in this demonstration video:
But it's flexible as well: Though it's trained by watching videos of people doing various actions (lifting, pouring, opening doors), it can put those together in novel ways and predict an action it has never actually seen done before.
The system could be hugely helpful for robots which may in the future help out elderly and disabled folks in their own homes. It would be a pain, after all, to have to constantly announce what you want your household robot to do.
And while the project looked first into household tasks at a human size and time scale, the robot could just as easily "anticipate" the trajectory of a ball or car, or even identify objects in the environment that could harm it or others.
Saxena and Koppula will be presenting their work at the International Conference of Machine Learning, which takes place in Atlanta in June, and then at the "Robotics: Science and Systems"conference in Berlin later that month.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
A person?s mane is considered his or her crowing glory. But once a person experience hair loss, this is no longer the case. Majority of the people who are going through this problem cannot help but feel shame once they pass through this certain stage.
Many of them try to conceal it using wigs or many undergo through medical treatments and process such as hair transplants in order to bring back their so-called ?crowning glory.? Although it is quite inevitable to feel shame once one experiences hair loss, this should not prevent him or her to lose self-confidence totally.
Hair loss basics
People?regardless of their age, gender or status?can experience hair loss due to several factors. If you are one of those who are experiencing this problem, it is a must that you know the basics of hair loss to give you an idea what to do. Knowing the basics can help you determine the status of your condition, can give you an idea when to seek medical attention, can help you decide which hair loss treatments to use and can even help you prevent it if you are prone to the condition.
One of the misconceptions about hair loss is that age solely causes it. While it is true that age primarily causes it because of the cells that are already giving up, there are other factors that might cause it. These include heredity especially if your family has a long running history of baldness, taking in certain medications for a specific condition and an underlying medical condition that weakens the person overall system such as cancer and other terminal illnesses.
A person who is undernourished can also experience hair loss being he or she is not getting the right nutrients to keep the hair grow healthy. People, who are into switching hairstyles that puts too much pressure on the scalp, may also experience hair loss because the pulling on the hair such as those in braids or dreadlocks can weaken the roots of the hair.
Temporary hair loss can also be caused by too much stress since people don?t have enough time to take care of their mane. It can also be caused by pregnancy since women tend to lose nutrients for themselves for the growing baby inside. Because of these causes, it is inevitable that everyone can be prone to losing their hair.
Aside from the probable causes, the next thing that you should pay attention to is the symptoms. Many people experience the greater effect and burden of hair loss because they did not pay to much attention to it when it was just starting.
Experts say that it is common for people to lose at least 100 strands of their hair everyday. This is because these strands are meant to be replaced by new set of strands over time. People who are losing more than this estimated number of strands should worry that they have greater chances of losing their hair.
People who are losing more than a hundred strands per day should analyze what might cause it. Once the cause is determined, she or he can do some lifestyle changes to improve on it. If these modifications in lifestyle did not work, one should visit a doctor immediately to know what causes this abnormal amount of hair loss. Going to specialist is very important because aside from telling you what the cause of the condition is, the doctor will know what treatment will work for you.
Texas Rangers grounds crew employees fight strong winds and rain as they attempt to lay out a tarp as a storm passed through the area before a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers grounds crew employees fight strong winds and rain as they attempt to lay out a tarp as a storm passed through the area before a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Security personnel member Michael Benninger brings items off the field as a severe thunder storm passes through the area before a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, left, poses for a photo with United States Army Staff Sgt. Reggie Rhodes, of the McKinney, Texas, recruiting station, as the Rangers take batting practice before a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? The Texas Rangers postponed their game Wednesday night against Arizona due to unplayable field conditions caused by a severe thunderstorm just more than an hour before the game was scheduled to start.
During the storm that included gusty winds and heavy rains, the infield was soaked while the grounds crew struggled to get the tarp on the field.
Though the rain stopped and the grounds crew had been working on the field, Rangers officials announced the postponement just about an hour after the scheduled start.
That decision was made after Rangers manager Ron Washington and Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson gathered with other officials to survey the field.
Arizona and Texas will play a single game as scheduled Thursday. The game postponed Wednesday will be made up at a later date.
May 29, 2013 ? Millions of people with type 1 diabetes depend on daily insulin injections to survive. They would die without the shots because their immune system attacks the very insulin-producing cells it was designed to protect. Now, a University of Missouri scientist has discovered that this attack causes more damage than scientists realized. The revelation is leading to a potential cure that combines adult stem cells with a promising new drug.
The discovery is reported in the current online issue of Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association's flagship research publication. Habib Zaghouani, PhD, J. Lavenia Edwards Chair in Pediatrics, leads the research with his team at the MU School of Medicine.
"We discovered that type 1 diabetes destroys not only insulin-producing cells but also blood vessels that support them," Zaghouani said. "When we realized how important the blood vessels were to insulin production, we developed a cure that combines a drug we created with adult stem cells from bone marrow. The drug stops the immune system attack, and the stem cells generate new blood vessels that help insulin-producing cells to multiply and thrive."
Surrounded by an army of students and a colony of mice, Zaghouani has spent the past 12 years in his lab at MU studying autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes. Often called juvenile diabetes, the disease can lead to numerous complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, osteoporosis and blindness.
Type 1 diabetes attacks the pancreas. The organ, which is about the size of a hand and located in the abdomen, houses cell clusters called islets. Islets contain beta cells that make insulin, which controls blood sugar levels. In people with type 1 diabetes, beta cells no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them.
When the immune system strikes the beta cells, the attack causes collateral damage to capillaries that carry blood to and from the islets. The damage done to the tiny blood vessels led Zaghouani on a new path toward a cure.
In previous studies, Zaghouani and his team developed a drug against type 1 diabetes called Ig-GAD2. They found that treatment with the drug stopped the immune system from attacking beta cells, but too few beta cells survived the attack to reverse the disease. In his latest study, Zaghouani used Ig-GAD2 and then injected adult stem cells from bone marrow into the pancreas in the hope that the stem cells would evolve into beta cells.
"The combination of Ig-GAD2 and bone marrow cells did result in production of new beta cells, but not in the way we expected," Zaghouani said. "We thought the bone marrow cells would evolve directly into beta cells. Instead, the bone marrow cells led to growth of new blood vessels, and it was the blood vessels that facilitated reproduction of new beta cells. In other words, we discovered that to cure type 1 diabetes, we need to repair the blood vessels that allow the subject's beta cells to grow and distribute insulin throughout the body."
Zaghouani is pursuing a patent for his promising treatment and hopes to translate his discovery from use in mice to humans. He is continuing his research with funding from the National Institutes of Health and MU.
"This is extremely exciting for our research team," he said. "Our discovery about the importance of restoring blood vessels has the potential to be applied not only to type 1 diabetes but also a number of other autoimmune diseases."
May 30, 2013 ? Procedures like angioplasty, stenting and bypass surgery may save lives, but they also cause excessive inflammation and scarring, which ultimately can lead to permanent disability and even death. A new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal, shows that naturally derived compounds from polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3s) may reduce the inflammation associated with these procedures to help arteries more fully and completely heal.
"Our study suggests that biologically active, naturally occurring compounds derived from omega-3 PUFAs reduce inflammation and improve the healing of blood vessels after injury," said Michael S. Conte, M.D., a researcher involved in the work from Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Heart and Vascular Center at the University of California, in San Francisco, CA. "They suggest a new opportunity to improve the long-term results of cardiovascular procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasty by the therapeutic application of this class of agents or their dietary precursors."
To make this discovery, Conte and colleagues studied the effects of the compounds (resolvin or RvD) first in cultured vascular cells taken from patients who had undergone bypass operations, and then in rabbits who were treated with a balloon angioplasty procedure in the arteries of the hind limb. In the human cells, treatment with RvD dramatically reduced features that are associated with the typical vascular injury response -- inflammation, cell migration, and cell growth in vascular smooth muscle cells. The potency of these compounds corresponds to concentrations that have been measured in the blood of human subjects taking high dose fish oil supplements for short periods of time. In rabbits, researchers treated the artery with RvD at the time of the balloon angioplasty procedure by infusing the drug directly into the vessel, and found that this one-time treatment reduced inflammation and subsequent scarring of the vessel after one month.
"If successful in further studies, this finding could be a huge benefit to patients undergoing these procedures," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "What's even better, is that these potentially lifesaving compounds are already available in any fish market or grocery store."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
T. Miyahara, S. Runge, A. Chatterjee, M. Chen, G. Mottola, J. M. Fitzgerald, C. N. Serhan, M. S. Conte. D-series resolvin attenuates vascular smooth muscle cell activation and neointimal hyperplasia following vascular injury. The FASEB Journal, 2013; 27 (6): 2220 DOI: 10.1096/fj.12-225615
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's defense minister on Tuesday signaled that his military is prepared to strike shipments of advanced Russian weapons to Syria, in a rare implied threat to Moscow.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon issued his warning shortly after a top Russian official said his government reserves the right to provide Syria with state-of-the-art S-300 air defense missiles.
Israel has been lobbying Moscow to drop the sale, fearing the missiles would upset the balance of power in the region and could slip into the hands of hostile groups, including the Lebanese militant Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian regime.
"As far as we are concerned, that is a threat," Yaalon told reporters when asked about the S300s.
"At this stage I can't say there is an escalation. The shipments have not been sent on their way yet. And I hope that they will not be sent," he said. But "if God forbid they do reach Syria, we will know what to do."
Since Syria's civil war erupted in March 2011, Israel has repeatedly voiced concerns that Syria's sophisticated arsenal, including chemical weapons, could either be transferred to Hezbollah, a bitter enemy of Israel, or fall into the hands of rebels battling Syrian President Bashar Assad. The rebels include al-Qaida-affiliated groups that Israel believes could turn their attention toward Israel if they topple Assad.
Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria that are believed to have destroyed weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah. Israel has not confirmed carrying out the attacks. The delivery of the Russian missiles to Syria could limit the Israeli air force's ability to act.
In Moscow, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, wouldn't say whether Russia has shipped any of the long-range S-300 air defense missile systems, but insisted that Moscow isn't going to abandon the deal despite strong Western and Israeli criticism.
"We understand the concerns and signals sent to us from different capitals. We realize that many of our partners are concerned about the issue," Ryabkov said. "We have no reason to revise our stance."
He said the missiles could be a deterrent against foreign intervention in Syria and would not be used against Syrian rebels, who do not have an air force.
"We believe that such steps to a large extent help restrain some 'hotheads' considering a scenario to give an international dimension to this conflict," he said.
Russia has been the key ally of the Syrian regime, protecting it from United Nations sanctions and providing it with weapons despite the civil war there that has claimed over 70,000 lives.
It is unclear if Moscow has already provided Damascus with any of the S-300s missiles, which have a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and the capability to track and strike multiple targets simultaneously.
Ryabkov's statement came a day after European Union's decision to lift an arms embargo against Syrian rebels. He criticized the EU decision, saying it would help fuel the conflict.
Israel's defense chief spoke at an annual civil defense drill to prepare for missile attacks on Israel. This year's exercise comes at a time of heightened concerns that Israel could be dragged into the Syrian civil war.
A number of mortar shells from the fighting in Syria have landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. While Israel believes most of the fire has been errant, it has accused Syria of firing intentionally at Israeli targets on several occasions, and last week the sides briefly exchanged fire.
Israel's civil defense chief, Home Front Minister Gilad Erdan, said this week's drill was not specifically connected to the tensions with Syria.
"But of course we must take into consideration that something like that might happen in the near future because of what we see in Syria, and because we know that chemical weapons exist in Syria and might fall to the hands of radical Muslim terror groups," he said.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australian officials on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny whether Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints of a new spy agency headquarters as a news report claims. A tiny party essential to the ruling coalition's government demanded an inquiry into how much damage may have been done.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. television reported on Monday night that the plans for the 630 million Australian dollar ($608 million) Australian Security Intelligence Organization building had been stolen through a cyberattack on a building contractor. Blueprints that included details such as communications cabling, server locations and security systems had been traced to a Chinese server, the network reported.
Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, said China could use the blueprints to bug the building, which is nearing completion in Canberra, the capital, after lengthy construction delays.
Ball told the ABC that given the breach, ASIO would either have to operate with "utmost sensitivity" within its own building or simply "rip the whole insides out and ... start again."
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, the minister in charge of the spy agency, on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny the report, citing a longstanding government policy of declining to comment on security matters.
He later said the lakeside glass and concrete structure did not need to be redesigned, and that ASIO will move in this year.
"This building is a very secure, state-of-the-art facility," said Dreyfus, adding that the ABC report contained "unsubstantiated allegations."
"I'm not going to comment on operational matters involving the Australian Security Intelligence Organization or any security matters," he said.
Questioned about the alleged security breach in Parliament, Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the ABC report as "inaccurate" but refused to go into detail.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China opposed hacking in any form and questioned what evidence the ABC report relied on.
"Since it is technically untraceable, it is very difficult to find the source and identify the hacker," Hong said. "Therefore we have no idea what is the evidence for their report in which they make the claim with such certainty."
He said countries needed to cooperate to fight hacking. "Groundless accusations won't solve the problem," Hong said.
The minor Greens party, which the center-left Labor Party relies on to maintain its minority government, has demanded an inquiry into the future of the troubled building, which has been plagued by cost blowouts from an original budget of 460 million Australian dollars.
"It is time that we had an independent inquiry into the whole sorry history of the ASIO building and the extent to which the current hacking has compromised its capacity to ever be the building and serve the purpose for which it was intended," Greens leader Christine Milne told reporters.
She said no more money should be spent on the building until an inquiry was held into the truth of the hacking allegation and the extent of the alleged security compromise.
The alleged hacking would appear to be "an extremely serious breach" to Australia's intelligence-sharing allies, including the United States, Milne said.
Dreyfus didn't immediately respond to the Greens' call for an inquiry.
ASIO, Australia's main spy agency, has grown rapidly since the al-Qaida attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and needs the new headquarters to house its growing staff that has trebled to almost 1,800 in a decade.
Tobias Feakin, a security analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that if a security breach has occurred, it could affect intelligence sharing with allies.
"There is no doubt that instances like this, if proved true, create a period of difficulty," Feakin said. "But one thing that would happen is that there would be mutual assistance provided to be able to plug that gap and no intelligence agency could possibly allow that kind of breach to continue."
Foreign Minister Bob Carr refused to discuss the allegations but said the claims do not jeopardize Australia's ties with its most important trading partner, China.
"It's got absolutely no implications for a strategic partnership," Carr said. "We have enormous areas of cooperation with China."
____
AP researcher Zhao Liang contributed to this report from Beijing
I have some really big news, you guys! It turns out that if you ask people whether they want to leave their wallets at home, 83 percent of them will say yes! And sometimes, people won't have cash with them, so they can't make a purchase ? in fact, that's what happened to a whopping 75 percent of Canadians! What a crazy, backwards world we live in! Even more astounding: If you buy a meal for a friend, it's possible that they won't pay you back! Shockingly, 54 percent of Americans say that they've been "stiffed" at some point in their lives!
Memorial Day Commemorated At Arlington National Cemetery
ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 27: U.S. President Barack Obama and Major Gen. Michael S. Linnington stand before a wreath ceremony on Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. For Memorial Day President Obama is paying tribute to military veterans past and present who have served and sacrificed their lives for their country. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Memorial Day Commemorated At Arlington National Cemetery
ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 27: U.S. President Barack Obama positions a commemorative wreath during a ceremony on Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. For Memorial Day President Obama is paying tribute to military veterans past and present who have served and sacrificed their lives for their country. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Memorial Day Commemorated At Arlington National Cemetery
ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 27: U.S. President Barack Obama positions a commemorative wreath during a ceremony on Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. For Memorial Day President Obama is paying tribute to military veterans past and present who have served and sacrificed their lives for their country. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Members of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, place flags in front of graves in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A US military veteran stencils the name of a fallen comrade at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on May 25, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Women in traditional Vietnamese garb fly the flag of the former South Vietnam as members of the US military veterans' Rolling Thunder bikers group parade in Washington on May 26, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A man salutes as members of the US military veterans' Rolling Thunder bikers group ride past in Washington on May 26, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Members of the US military veterans' Rolling Thunder bikers group parade in Washington on May 26, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Two women hold up signs thanking the troops as members of the US military veterans' Rolling Thunder bikers group ride past in Washington on May 26, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A woman looks at the grave of a soldier who fell during World War II, during services to mark US Memorial Day at the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio in Manila on May 26, 2013. At least 17,000 graves are in the park that pays tribute to US and Philippines soldiers that fought side-by-side during World War II. The US marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS (Photo credit should read NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A woman walks amongst the graves of soldiers who fell during World War II, searching for a grave of a relative during a service to mark US Memorial Day at the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio in Manila on May 26, 2013. At least 17,000 graves are in the park that pays tribute to US and Philippines soldiers that fought side-by-side during World War II. The US marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS (Photo credit should read NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
US war veteran Ken Fuller (C-in wheelchair) is helped by relatives as he visits the halls displaying engraved names of soldiers who fell during World War II, at services to mark US Memorial Day at the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio in the Philippine capital Manila on May 26, 2013. At least 17,000 graves are in the park that pays tribute to US and Philippines soldiers that fought side-by-side during World War II. The US marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS (Photo credit should read NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
US military veterans gather to pay their respects to fallen comrades at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on May 25, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
People gather to pay their respects at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on May 25, 2013 as the country marks Memorial Day on May 27. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A Vietnam war veteran points to a name on the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington on May 24, 2013 as the country prepares to celebrate Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
People gather at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on May 24, 2013 as the country prepares to celebrate Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A US war veteran pays his respects at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on May 24, 2013 as the country prepares to celebrate Memorial Day. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Staff Sergeant Karrin Kampa (L) of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, place flags in front of graves at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Members of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, place flags in front of graves at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A member of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, places flags in front of graves at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Staff Sergeant Joelle Monroe (R) of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, place flags in front of a grave at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
Staff Sergeant Joelle Monroe (L) of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, placees flags in front of a graves at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A member of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, salutes after placing a flag infront of a grave in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A member of the Third US Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, places a flag infront of a grave in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on May 23, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia ahead of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is in honor of those who died while serving in the armed forces of the US. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
President Barack Obama speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day Observance, Sunday, May 27, 2013, in Arlington, Va, (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Memorial Day 2013
First lady Michelle Obama, right, waves as she arrives to take her seat for the Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, May 27, 2013, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Memorial Day 2013
President Barack Obama speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day Observance, Sunday, May 27, 2013, in Arlington, Va, (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Memorial Day 2013
A young spectator shields her eyes from the sun with an American flag during a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, Monday, May 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Memorial Day 2013
Seamen from the Navy Operational Support Center of New York City march through a crowd of spectators after a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, Monday, May 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Memorial Day 2013
Seaman Daniel Odoi of the Navy Operational Support Center of New York City presents the American flag during a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, Monday, May 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Memorial Day 2013
Navy Petty Officer Mark Jones of the Navy Operational Support Center of New York City rolls the American flag after a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, Monday, May 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Memorial Day 2013
Arlington National Cemetery is ready for President Barack Obama's Memorial Day address in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Memorial Day 2013
Marine Staff Sgt. Travis Hassell, center, and his son Issac show off Francis Slate's, left, Honorable Discharge Card from the U.S. Army Dec. 3, 1945, as they wait for President Barack Obama to deliver his Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Memorial Day 2013
An Army officer walks up the steps of the Ampitheater where President Barack Obama will delivers his Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Memorial Day 2013
A US Marine walks alongside a woman through Section 60, the area of the cemetery primarily for members of the military killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, during Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, May 27, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
A woman carries flowers past grave markers in Section 60, the area of the cemetery primarily for members of the military killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, during Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, May 27, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Memorial Day 2013
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau a Florida Keys manatee mailbox in Islamorada, Fla., is decorated in red, white and blue Sunday, May 26, 2013, to honor Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman)
Memorial Day 2013
A boy rides his bike past crosses that bear the names of College Point veterans during the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Faith Roesch, 6, participates in the the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Joe Schulmann pauses in prayer over a cross bearing the name of his neighbor, Michael Wick, who was killed during the Vietnam War, at the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Carol Brandt, 3, right, talks with her father Matthew Brandt arms during the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
A fife and drum band participates in the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Sisters Lucia, 6, right, and Adriana, 2, DiPiano watch as a fife and drum band pass by during the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
A float passes by during the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Lilly Shirin, 8, takes pictures during the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Bob Lewis looks over a field of crosses with names while participating in the College Point Memorial Day Parade in New York, Sunday, May 26, 2013. Lewis made the crosses, 137, for all the service members from College Point that were killed from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memorial Day 2013
Rows of U.S. flags frame the moon above the Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Wrightstown, N.J., Sunday, May 26, 2013. On Friday, Boy Scouts placed thousands of flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Memorial Day 2013
A veteran takes photographs of the wall of the the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, ahead of Memorial Day in Washington, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Memorial Day 2013
A rose is placed at the wall of the the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, ahead of Memorial Day in Washington, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
A veteran looks at the names of those who died etched into the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, ahead of Memorial Day in Washington, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Memorial Day 2013
Two-year-old Benjamin Pontes helps his mom Cindy place flags on veterans' graves at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, Calif., on Saturday, May 25, 2013. They were with Anaheim Police Officer Brennan Leininger's group of several volunteers. (AP Photo/The Orange County Register, Mindy Schauer) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT.
our dear friends, jeff and erica, are having their first baby soon(these are the talented people who made that incredible video sharing our marriage story). they're the kind of people that act like they have kids, even though they haven't had any. need a babysitter? they'll come right over. overnight? no big deal! not afraid of newborns, naughty children, or dirty diapers.?ok, scratch that, we're all afraid of what we might find in a diaper.too far?
my B. let's talk about the party.
(erica is singing a song about her new baby in this picture. it was such a sweet song and she followed it with a tap dance. none of that actually happened, but that would have been awesome)
invitations:
i printed off a template like these onto a cream color paper and cut them out. i found little envelopes at hobby lobby and they fit right in. and twine is never a bad idea.
my secret goal for this shower was to not use book paper everything. it's tempting. but i wanted to do something different. it kind of stretches you to not rely on things that seem obvious to do. although i did throw some oversized book paper confetti on the table because i couldn't help myself.
the other goal was not to torture the men. guys generally aren't into baby showers...we must bribe them with drinks and a fire pit. it's the right thing to do.
and something shower atypical is having the party in your front yard. it just sounded fun and inviting, so we did it. there's something special about pulling up and seeing the festivities right there. it breeds excitement... and also, people aren't in your house so the mess stays outside!
oh hey, why not bring a coffee table out to the yard while you're at it?
onto the details. let's talk about napkins! borrrrring. ha. but seriously, let's discuss. ?you can set a napkin out and it's perfectly great. but if you roll the napkin diagonally and tie it with ribbon/twine or tape it with some washi, it makes it feel really special. and it takes up more visual space.
in the spirit of being resourceful, i already had this fabric for the runner, and just cut it in half to make a longer runner. you've seen the cake plates?from minted.com before! and hey, you've seen this kind of cake before just last week at penelope's elephant party. same idea, different theme! build on what you already have. buy some white tablecloths if you host often...great investment. anyway, changing something old to make it new is kind to your wallet and makes you think a new thought.
dripping icing down tiers is easier that actually icing the cake so naturally i will choose to take the easy way out.?
i did craft a little book to put on the top. it's totally jimmy rigged, but that is why hot glue is your friend. it just needs to last a night, not for years. and it's simply made with scrap paper.?
don't worry about these leaning pencils. the idea is cute, the cake plate wasn't really wide enough. oh well. go with it.
i bought a bunch of reading glasses at the dollar store and use them to hang on things or just set on the table. if you have all your old glasses then yay for you, you saved yourself $5!?
i recovered old books with craft paper and then used books that had hard covers which coordinated with my colors scheme. mix and match!
for the menu: school themed food -fancy grilled cheese option 1: gruyere cheese, caramelized apples and onions, chopped figs option 2: chipoltle gouda and bacon option 3: surprise me. a little of this and that from all of the above
always prep your ingredients earlier in the day. you can caramelize apples and onions the day before and cook your bacon. then just assemble before guests arrive. i used the recipe, grilled cheese for a crowd so that i wouldn't have to stand over a hot stove. it really is genius!
-fancy homemade mac n' cheese
-fruit cups -spinach, feta, walnut salad (consider a soup if you are doing this in the fall or winter)
-fancy, local chocolate milk dessert: cobbler and cupcakes the favors are just mini journals i bought at a book store for cheap, a pencil, with a stamped message on them and gold washi tape from minted. i already had the stamp, but you can buy them at any craft store.
it was such a fun night! celebrating people we love with people we love.
?parties aren't just about throwing parties. they aren't about making something look awesome to impress other people. parties are really about honoring friends or family who mean so much...seeing their faces light up looking at all the details, it's a tiny bit of thankfulness expressed in cupcakes and decorations and thoughtful details. but really, all it's saying is i love you guys (even though i don't like hugging).?
and also, will you still babysitt my kids when you have your own kid??
and let's get real. i didn't throw this shower by myself. don't do that! you'll stress yourself out. ?thank you ashley and jeremy, steve and maria(you are a grilled cheese master!), and mark nato, my husband who i made craft with me late into the night. you guys are amazing.
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['togglesource'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['toolbar'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['button'] = new Template("
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['menu_item'] = new Template("
#{title}
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['togglesource'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['emoticons_showall'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['emoticon_wrapper'] = new Template("
Emoticons
"); // Add smilies into the mix ipb.editor_values.set( 'show_emoticon_link', false ); ipb.editor_values.set( 'bbcodes', $H({"snapback":{"id":"1","title":"Post Snap Back","desc":"This tag displays a little linked image which links back to a post - used when quoting posts from the board. Opens in same window by default.","tag":"snapback","useoption":"0","example":"[snapback]100[/snapback]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"topic":{"id":"5","title":"Topic Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a topic","tag":"topic","useoption":"1","example":"[topic=1]Click me![/topic]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the topic ID","menu_content_text":"Enter the title for this link","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"post":{"id":"6","title":"Post Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a post.","tag":"post","useoption":"1","example":"[post=1]Click me![/post]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the Post ID","menu_content_text":"Enter the title for this link","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"spoiler":{"id":"7","title":"Spoiler","desc":"Spoiler tag","tag":"spoiler","useoption":"0","example":"[spoiler]Some hidden text[/spoiler]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"Enter the text to be masked","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"acronym":{"id":"8","title":"Acronym","desc":"Allows you to make an acronym that will display a description when moused over","tag":"acronym","useoption":"1","example":"[acronym='Laugh Out Loud']lol[/acronym]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the description for this acronym (EG: Laugh Out Loud)","menu_content_text":"Enter the acronym (EG: lol)","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"hr":{"id":"12","title":"Horizontal Rule","desc":"Adds a horizontal rule to separate text","tag":"hr","useoption":"0","example":"[hr]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"1","optional_option":"0","image":""},"php":{"id":"14","title":"PHP Code","desc":"Allows you to enter PHP code into a formatted/highlighted syntax box","tag":"php","useoption":"0","example":"[php]$variable = true;\n\nprint_r($variable);[/php]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"html":{"id":"15","title":"HTML Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted HTML code","tag":"html","useoption":"0","example":"[html]\n \n[/html]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"sql":{"id":"16","title":"SQL Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted SQL code","tag":"sql","useoption":"0","example":"[sql]SELECT p.*, t.* FROM posts p LEFT JOIN topics t ON t.tid=p.topic_id WHERE t.tid=7[/sql]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"xml":{"id":"17","title":"XML Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted XML code","tag":"xml","useoption":"0","example":"[xml]\n \n Test\n \n[/xml]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"member":{"id":"31","title":"Member","desc":"Given a member name, a link is automatically generated to the member's profile","tag":"member","useoption":"1","example":"[member=skyhawk133] runs this site.","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Input Username of Member","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"1","optional_option":"0","image":"memberbbcode.png"},"extract":{"id":"33","title":"Extract Blog Entry","desc":"This will allow users to define an extract for an entry. Only this piece of the entry will be displayed on the main blog page and will show up in the RSS feed.","tag":"extract","useoption":"0","example":"[extract]This is an example![/extract]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"blog":{"id":"34","title":"Blog Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a blog.","tag":"blog","useoption":"1","example":"[blog=100]Click me![/blog]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"entry":{"id":"35","title":"Blog Entry Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a blog entry.","tag":"entry","useoption":"1","example":"[entry=100]Click me![/entry]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"twitter":{"id":"36","title":"Twitter","desc":"A tag to link to a user's twitter account","tag":"twitter","useoption":"0","example":"[twitter]userName[/twitter]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":"twitter.png"},"inline":{"id":"37","title":"Inline Code","desc":"Formats code inline instead of in a seperate code box. ","tag":"inline","useoption":"0","example":"[inline]style=\"font-size: 12px;\"[/inline]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"il":{"id":"38","title":"Abbreviated Inline (IL)","desc":"Abbreviated version of the [inline] tag. ","tag":"il","useoption":"0","example":"[il]Code Here[/il]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":"il2.png"},"code":{"id":"41","title":"Code","desc":"Allows you to enter general code","tag":"code","useoption":"1","example":"[code]$text = 'Some long code here';[/code]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"1","image":""}}) ); ipb.vars['emoticon_url'] = "http://cdn.dreamincode.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/default"; //Search Setup ipb.vars['search_type'] = 'forum'; ipb.vars['search_type_id'] = 15; ipb.vars['search_type_2'] = 'topic'; ipb.vars['search_type_id_2'] = 321879; //]]>
Why does this code displays a triangle, i'm curious, i'm not sure if it's something related to ASCII table. I'm just starting to learn my first language, and as i've heard from many PRO when you're learning a new language, write, read and play with the code, test new stuff, ask why... So there's my "code"
This post has been edited by GunnerInc: Yesterday, 09:15 PM Reason for edit:: Removed wacky font
Is This A Good Question/Topic? 0
Replies To: Why a triangle
#2 GunnerInc ?
Reputation: 723
Posts:1,982
Joined:28-March 11
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Yesterday, 09:16 PM
Why wouldn't it print a triangle, or any other character? You defined an array but did not initialize it, so it will contain whatever garbage is on the stack. It is called undefined behavior.
#3 OwllwO ?
Reputation: 0
Posts:5
Joined:Yesterday, 09:04 PM
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Yesterday, 09:26 PM
Thank you my friend, and sorry, maybe my qeuestio too dumb but i've just started readin Head First C, to learn C as my first language, actually i have done some "code" with Pascal, when i was in my Computer technician course, and i really the programming area, so i'm focusing on it, i've finished my course 2 years ago and i feel like i don't know nothing about programming, maybe due to my compulsion for learning a lot of things at the same time... Thank you
#4 baavgai ?
Reputation: 4895
Posts:11,296
Joined:16-October 07
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 04:49 AM
Simply, you've defined a size 4 char array but didn't initialize it in any way. You then treat is as a string.
That array is filled with random crap. The printf expects a string and will stop printing when it hits '\0'. What this means is that it will start at the address referenced by your variable, which you've allocated four bytes to, and just keep printing, probably past those four bytes.
Given a completely random domain of 0..255, you actually only have a ~2% chance of hitting a particular char. You tend to do much better than that, because computers like to zero things out.
You see diamonds? Please tell me aren't using Turbo-C? If you are, stop.
There are, usually, 240+ visible characters. Less that 100 of those are your basics. The rest are specials for certain languages, but there are usually a few playful symbols. You're most likely seeing this one: ???? ( note, you may or may not see a few diamonds there. )
#5 OwllwO ?
Reputation: 0
Posts:5
Joined:Yesterday, 09:04 PM
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 12:01 PM
baavgai, on 27 May 2013 - 04:49 AM, said:
Simply, you've defined a size 4 char array but didn't initialize it in any way. You then treat is as a string.
That array is filled with random crap. The printf expects a string and will stop printing when it hits '\0'. What this means is that it will start at the address referenced by your variable, which you've allocated four bytes to, and just keep printing, probably past those four bytes.
Given a completely random domain of 0..255, you actually only have a ~2% chance of hitting a particular char. You tend to do much better than that, because computers like to zero things out.
You see diamonds? Please tell me aren't using Turbo-C? If you are, stop.
There are, usually, 240+ visible characters. Less that 100 of those are your basics. The rest are specials for certain languages, but there are usually a few playful symbols. You're most likely seeing this one: ???? ( note, you may or may not see a few diamonds there. )
I'm using gcc and i have DevC++ installed too, but now i'm using just the gcc, everybody says it's good, so i'm trying to get used to it. I'm getting a triangle... Here's my "code" And my triangle By the way, i'm not having any trouble, it just happened by chance and i got interested to it
#6 JackOfAllTrades ?
Reputation: 5679
Posts:22,558
Joined:23-August 08
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 12:13 PM
To find out what's in memory, add this after your printf:
int i = 0; for (; i < sizeof(msg); ++i) printf("%08x ", msg[i]); printf("\n");
What does that print?
#7 OwllwO ?
Reputation: 0
Posts:5
Joined:Yesterday, 09:04 PM
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 12:24 PM
JackOfAllTrades, on 27 May 2013 - 12:13 PM, said:
To find out what's in memory, add this after your printf:
int i = 0; for (; i < sizeof(msg); ++i) printf("%08x ", msg[i]); printf("\n");
What does that print?
See for yourself
#8 JackOfAllTrades ?
Reputation: 5679
Posts:22,558
Joined:23-August 08
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 12:34 PM
That's really all it prints? I would have expected three 8 hex digit numbers. On my Mac:
./test You entered You entered 0000007f 00000000 00000000
#9 ButchDean ?
Reputation: 883
Posts:3,358
Joined:26-November 10
Re: Why a triangle
Posted Today, 01:35 PM
OwllwO, on 27 May 2013 - 01:14 AM, said:
Why does this code displays a triangle, i'm curious, i'm not sure if it's something related to ASCII table. I'm just starting to learn my first language, and as i've heard from many PRO when you're learning a new language, write, read and play with the code, test new stuff, ask why... So there's my "code"
I have some really big news, you guys! It turns out that if you ask people whether they want to leave their wallets at home, 83 percent of them will say yes! And sometimes, people won't have cash with them, so they can't make a purchase ? in fact, that's what happened to a whopping 75 percent of Canadians! What a crazy, backwards world we live in! Even more astounding: If you buy a meal for a friend, it's possible that they won't pay you back! Shockingly, 54 percent of Americans say that they've been "stiffed" at some point in their lives!
baavgai, on 27 May 2013 - 04:49 AM, said:
