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Thursday, May 3, 2012
'Friday Night Lights' Movie Holdup? 'Ask Jason Katims,' Says Peter Berg
Another day, another update about the seemingly pie-in-the-sky potential of the "Friday Night Lights" movie. Here's the thing, everyone keeps saying they're on board if the right idea comes along, so what's the holdup? "It?s on [showrunner] Jason Katims," director Peter Berg told MTV News during the press day for his upcoming blockbuster "Battleship." "If [...]
'Avengers' Captain America Sees Bromance Potential With Agent Coulson
Chris Evans tells MTV News, 'There's a history there; there's a respect.'
By Kara Warner
Chris Evans as Captain America In "The Avengers"
Photo: Walt Disney Studios
With each passing day, we inch closer and closer to the U.S. release date of "Marvel's The Avengers," this summer's next big thing. Thanks to a slew of positive reviews and impressive box office numbers overseas, we're pretty sure we know enough about the film to be both excited and highly optimistic about what we'll see onscreen.
But not so much that we aren't loving reading and watching everything the cast has to say about the film, like Scarlett Johansson's hope for more Black Widow and Hawkeye action and Chris Evans' thoughts about who his isolated and slightly lonely Captain America would look to for friendship.
"I'd say [Agent] Coulson (Clark Gregg), because I think he looks up to Cap. There's a history there; there's a respect," Evans told MTV News. "It felt more of a common ground. Everyone else in the film is coming from such [different places]. [Bruce] Banner has been off the grid, Thor is from another world, Iron Man does his own thing. It just felt like Coulson was the one welcoming into the group."
Although Captain America and Thor aren't necessarily best friends in the film, it's obvious that Evans and his co-star Chris Hemsworth bonded during filming, particularly over the fact that they both had to adhere to strict diet and exercise regimens to stay in their characters' impressive fighting shape. We asked the actors to reveal how many fun calories they actually consumed on a daily basis to do so.
"It's not the fun calories," Hemsworth explained.
Evans chimed in: "It's not donuts and pizzas."
Hemsworth insisted, "It's dried chicken breasts and brown rice and broccoli. Try eating 10 of them a day; that combination is not fun."
And while those foods are definitely healthy, Hemsworth is right: They're not fun.
Check out everything we've got on "Marvel's The Avengers."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
BlackBerry 10 developer toolkit released in beta, adds Native and WebWorks SDKs for app-building flexibility
Will BlackBerry 10 be the hallowed OS that heals Waterloo's recent wounds or yet another RIM-shot to highlight its foibles? Only the fickle tide of consumer interest will certainly tell. But while the success and awareness of that new platform undoubtedly rests on the company's shoulders, a great deal of it also hinges upon crucial developer support. To spur things along in that latter department, RIM's released its developer toolkit in beta today. The tools, launched ahead of forthcoming BB 10 devices and the nascent ecosystem that they'll depend upon, are designed for flexibility, allowing third parties to choose between the Native SDK with its OS-specific APIs or the WebWorks SDK for HTML5 and CSS. The company's even gotten a head-start and partnered with the likes of Gameloft, which has already committed to optimizing 11 of its software titles for use on the platform. There's still a long road to US recovery ahead for the ailing BlackBerry brand, so let's hope this latest call-to-arms isn't lost on the dev community. Click on past the break for the official PR.
BlackBerry 10 developer toolkit released in beta, adds Native and WebWorks SDKs for app-building flexibility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Congress Wants To Resurrect Laser-Wielding 747
The United States is incredibly dependent on its space assets in support of national objectives. Directed energy weapons can not only provide offensive ASAT capabilities, but can serve as a significant defense against missile- or even space-based kinetic ASAT weapons. The advantage of a directed energy weapon is that it has the ability to travel at the speed of light and target missiles during their vulnerable boost phase within seconds. During the 1990s and 2000s, the United States pursued directed energy weapons based on megawatt-class chemical lasers. Two of systems, the Airborne Laser (ABL) and Space-Based Laser (SBL), were complementary, but never made it beyond the early testing phase.
The concept of the Airborne Laser came to fruition on a modified Boeing 747 known as the YAL-1A Airborne Laser Testbed (ABLT). In early 2010, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced that ABLT successfully destroyed two test missiles [reuters.com], saying at the time that "The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers, and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies." Unfortunately, ABLT was $4 billion over budget and eight years behind schedule. Political and economic realities meant that the US could "no longer continue to do everything and explore every potential technology". On February 14, 2012, MDA announced that the ABLT program was terminated [mda.mil], transitioning into long-term storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis Monthan AFB ? "the Boneyard".
The Space-Based Laser (SBL) concept is the notion of locating a high-powered laser in space, with a similar ability to target missiles in their boost phase. A constellation of 20 SBLs would be able to provide continuous global coverage, and target nearly any launch -- including ASAT weapons. A test firing of a Space-Based Laser Integrated Flight Experiment (SBL-IFX) was originally schedule for 2012 to demonstrate SBL's capabilities. This project became so complex and expensive that MDA suspended research and development in 2002 [missilethreat.com] ? another victim of economic priorities, and a desire to focus resources on existing, proven kinetic systems.
If such systems are thought to have so much potential and capability, why are they no longer pursued? The answer is primarily one of cost. Further, if the US possessed such a comprehensive anti-missile and anti-ASAT capability, it is unlikely that an adversary would use a kinetic ASAT weapon. As adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran turn to cyber, it becomes more likely that cyber, conventional jamming, and EW capabilities would be used to target US space systems. It is reasonable that the US response should be in kind. One example: China is currently fielding the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). Instead of using complicated missile defense systems or directed energy weapons to target it, and the current US strategy is indeed one of jam, spoof ? and then shoot, if necessary [wired.com], with the idea being to "break as many links as possible" in the chain, including via cyber and EW. Cyber can act as a significant force multiplier against even conventional weapons systems ? which can work both for and against us. China has already demonstrated [guardian.co.uk] the potential effectiveness of cyber capabilities against US space systems. Resources devoted to enhancing our offensive and defensive cyber capabilities in the context of space systems and missile defense is money well spent.
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Samsung Canada begins rollout of ICS today
Continue reading Samsung Canada begins rollout of ICS today
Samsung Canada begins rollout of ICS today originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
China, US in talks to allow Chen to leave: activist
Beijing and Washington are working on a deal to allow rights activist Chen Guangcheng to leave China for the United States with his family after he fled house arrest, a fellow activist said Tuesday.
Bob Fu, who runs the US-based group China Aid and has been in close contact with Chen and his supporters, said both sides were keen for a swift agreement ahead of key US-China talks that start on Thursday in Beijing.
Chen had initially been reluctant to leave China, but now accepted that it would be difficult for him to stay, and was prepared to go into exile in the United States as long as his family could accompany him, Fu said.
"The situation has changed on the past few days. He understands that there is no way he could return to Dongshigu now," Fu told AFP by telephone, referring to Chen's hometown.
"But he won't leave without his family -- if he had thought about that he would already have gone.
"The most viable scenario is to negotiate a quick deal to allow China to make a face-saving agreement."
That could involve China allowing the family to leave for medical treatment in the United States, said Fu, a former Tiananmen Square democracy activist who fled China in 1996 and now lives in Texas.
Fu did not reveal who his sources were, but said he had contacts with officials in China and Washington who said both sides were "working very actively to find a solution".
Chen, 40, a self-taught lawyer, escaped from house arrest in the eastern province of Shandong on April 22, and is now said to be under US protection in Beijing. His wife and young daughter are believed still to be in Dongshigu.
The affair threatens to overshadow key talks between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and their Chinese counterparts scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Neither the United States nor China has so far commented on Chen's whereabouts, underscoring the sensitivity of the situation.
But Clinton has in the past repeatedly criticised China's treatment of Chen, who won worldwide acclaim for exposing forced sterilisations and late-term abortions under China's policy restricting the size of most families.
He and his family were put under round-the-clock house arrest after he completed a four-year jail sentence in September 2010. He has said he was being punished for defiantly continuing to speak out.
Kenneth Lieberthal, a China expert who was a top aide to president Bill Clinton, said he believed the United States wanted a solution that is "the least embarrassing to China and to do so as expeditiously as possible."
"The question to my mind is whether in China this turns into a political football in a very political season. I think it's more likely to be resolved than to turn into a political football, but you never can predict this stuff," said Lieberthal, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
China is preparing for a once-in-a-decade political handover, with the communist leadership extremely keen to avoid any embarrassments as Vice President Xi Jinping prepares to succeed President Hu Jintao.
The facade of a smooth transition was already shattered when rising star Bo Xilai was dramatically ousted from China's inner circle in a scandal that involved his right-hand man seeking refuge, unsuccessfully, at a US consulate.
With the 2012 campaign well under way in the US, White House hopeful Mitt Romney has criticized Obama's China policy, saying he should challenge the rising Asian power more aggressively over its human rights record, trade practices and military expansion.
He has urged the administration to take "every measure" to protect Chen and his family.
Chen addressed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in a defiant video released after he somehow escaped from under heavy guard at his home, saying "Dear Premier Wen, I finally escaped."
He went on to detail the harsh conditions of his house arrest, beatings of his wife and mother at the behest of local officials in his hometown, and demanded an investigation.
Fellow dissident Hu Jia, who says he met with Chen following his escape, said Monday that Chen was "not seeking political asylum" but intended to stay in China and fight for protection of legal rights.
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Children's Benefits from Recreation | Making of a Mom
Every child loves to play in his or her own way, and very often that natural tendency leads them to sports and organized recreation. There may seem nothing quite so quaint and innocent as a handful of kids tossing the ball around after school, but the real benefits of athletic activity are undeniable. In this age of 24-hour entertainment, ubiquitous cell phones, and handheld gadgets with constant connectivity, the need for that ?old-fashioned? exercise is all the more acute.
Organized Sports
There are, of course, many different kinds of sports kids can become involved with. Traditional team sports include basketball, football, soccer, rugby, baseball, and lacrosse, and are invaluable as vehicles both of physical exercise and complex social interaction. But other modes of exercise can be equally fulfilling. From swimming, tennis, and track-and-field to golf and martial arts, individual sports have their own special gamesmanship. Outdoor recreation and athletics?skiing, snowboarding, archery, backpacking, extreme hiking, orienteering?constitute a particularly unique brand of sports, offering kids the added attraction of exercising out in nature.
Settings
Physical-education classes usually expose kids to the rules and techniques of basic sports, and?with a regular slot in the academic schedule?do much to provide a recreational output. Kids can also participate, of course, in leagues administered by the school or by some community organization. For outdoor experiences, there are many clubs offering wilderness outings, and the time-honored tradition of summer camp tends to include a lot of rustic exercise and sport.
Don?t underestimate, however, the unstructured, spontaneous, chaotic, and otherwise child-directed play of recess, after-school and weekend play. The ?scratch game? of basketball or football may not always emphasize the official rules to the strictest degree?a lesson better delivered in phy-ed or by a coach?but the camaraderie, sheer energy, and opportunities for creativity and leadership are real.
Physical Benefits
Most obviously, sports and recreation help develop and maintain healthy bodies. Athletics bolster everything from hand-eye coordination to endurance and agility. There?s no question that regular, vigorous physical exercise combats against childhood obesity, an intensifying issue in many countries. With the array of technological distractions more available than ever to young people, warding against an excessively sedentary lifestyle is that much more crucial.
Social Benefits
Much evidence suggests participating in athletics confers benefits well beyond strengthened muscles and greater flexibility. Kids who participate in athletics tend to have higher rates of self-esteem, perform better in academics, and are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. The Women?s Sports Foundation suggests female athletes have lower incidences of pregnancy and depression.
Character Building and Interpersonal Skills
Team sports in particular have long been considered wonderful classrooms for working on interpersonal communication. Athletes learn how to work together to achieve a common goal, accepting that everyone has something to offer and no single individual can do everything without help. The competitive situations both team and individual athletes regularly face are hugely life-shaping. They help impart a strong sense of fair play, of respect for one?s opponent, and of a healthy humbleness even alongside a justified satisfaction in one?s own physical and mental abilities.
Critically, athletics can foster a strong sense of self-reliance and problem-solving. A kid learns that coaches and teammates have much to teach, but at certain key moments it?s up to them to perform and harness all the power of their abilities in the process.
Whether it?s learning the real meaning of winning, practicing the art of well-oiled teamwork, or mustering that extra nugget of resolve and mental fortitude when all other energies are depleted, sports and recreation provide unparalleled opportunities for physical, psychological, and emotional advancement in children. With all this in mind, don?t forget, too, that these activities are, at heart, just plain old fun?and without that ingredient they aren?t worth pursuing.
By Ryan Avila ? Content writer for US Alarm.
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