Cosmic climate change may have stunted black holes

A WARMING of the early universe caused by the greediest of black holes could have stunted the growth of the rest.

Astronomical surveys suggest that supermassive black holes weighing a billion times more than the sun had formed before the universe was a billion years old. The seeds for these behemoths are thought to be black holes weighing just a few tens of solar masses. To get so big in less than a billion years, the seed black holes must have sucked in gas at a colossal rate.

In this scenario, you would expect to see a distribution of black hole masses, with intermediate-sized black holes (those between 105 and 107 solar masses) in numbers orders of magnitude greater than what we see in our local universe. Something must have limited the growth of these black holes. Now Takamitsu Tanaka at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, and colleagues have a climate-based explanation.

They show that a prodigious amount of X-rays emitted as the supermassive black holes gulped gas would have heated up the universe. Black holes need cool gas to grow so this would have slowed down the growth of other black holes in smaller protogalaxies, even as the growth of black holes in the most massive protogalaxies continued apace (arxiv.org/abs/1205.6467v1).

"This global warming process could have basically quenched the latecomers," says Tanaka. "The early ones end up being the monsters and they prevent the overgrowth of the rest."

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Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 USB Drive (16GB)

Verbatim's Store 'N' Go line of USB drives has grown a little bit larger and more than a little bit faster with the Store 'N' Go V3, a 16GB drive that gets a speed bump, thanks to USB 3.0. It doesn't top other USB 3.0 drives we've reviewed, but if you're used to USB 2.0 speeds, it's a noticeable performance boost. Combine this with one of the most affordable price tags ($20 street for 16GB) and a color selection pulled from a pack of Starbursts, and you've got a decent USB drive.

Design and Features
The Store 'n' Go V3 ?uses a retractable USB connection, and plastic construction. The visual design takes the same candy-colored hues used in the Verbatim Store 'n' Go Clip-it USB Drive ($22 street, 3.5 stars). The black and green color scheme, called Eucalyptus Green, is nice and the brightly colored slider can also be found in several other colors, with names like Volcanic Orange, Hot Pink, Caribbean Blue, Sunkissed Yellow, Violet and the less exciting Grey. The Store 'n' Go V3 is also available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, but only in grey.

The retractable USB connection means there's no cap to lose, but the sliding mechanism isn't as smooth as it probably should be. The sliding mechanism is stiff, and it doesn't provide much traction for your thumb, meaning that you'll often find yourself opening the drive only part way.

The drive offers 16GB of storage, which translates to 14.4GB of usable space. With no software cluttering the drive, you won't need to clean off anything, and the drive is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems thanks to FAT32 formatting. For those who want some additional protection, Verbatim does offer password lock software for the V3, available as a free download through Verbatim's website.

The Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 is available through several online retailers for about $20, putting the 16GB drive at $1.25 per gigabyte. By comparison, all of the higher capacity competitors are more expensive, with Verbatim's own Store 'n' Go Pro USB Flash Drive (64GB) ($117 street, 4 stars) selling for $1.83 per GB, the rugged rubberized Corsair Flash Voyager GT (32GB) ($64.99 direct, 4 stars) for $2.03 per GB, and the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 2 (32GB) ($80 street, 4 stars) sells for $2.35 per GB. Among USB 3.0 flash drives, the Store 'n' Go V3 is the most affordable of the bunch, and Verbatim backs it up with a lifetime warranty on parts and labor.

Performance
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 offered up passable performance in our timed data transfer tests, clocking in with write speeds of 10.7 MBps and read speeds topping out at 79.2 MBps using USB 3.0. While this outpaces USB 2.0 drives by a large margin, it couldn't touch the speed of the leading USB 3.0 drive we've tested, the 32GB Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 2, which had speeds of 61.8 MBps (write) and 99.4 (read). The Corsair Flash Voyager GT ?also topped it, using USB 3.0 to pump out speeds of 36.7 MBps (write) and 95.6 MBps (read).

Drives with only USB 2.0, however, were left behind even when the V3 was connected through a USB 2.0 port. With USB 2.0, the Verbatim V3 scored 10.2 MBps (write) and 33.6 MBps (read). By comparison, the 16GB Duracell Rugged USB only scored 4.1 MBps (write) and 12.5 MBps (read), while the Editors' Choice Kingston DataTravler Locker+ (8GB) ($18 street, 4 stars) scored 9.7 MBps (write) and 24.0 MBps (read).

When all the factors are accounted for, the Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 is a mixed bag, but comes up positive overall. The low price per GB, the option of downloadable password protection, and the bright colors available all combine to balance out middling performance. It won't be replacing our Editors' Choice Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB), but it's still worth a look for straightforward storage with a USB 3.0 boost in speed.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 USB Drive (16GB) with several other flash drives side by side.

More flash drive reviews:
??? Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 USB Drive (16GB)
??? SanDisk Ultra 32GB Flash Drive
??? Verbatim Store 'n' Go Pro USB Flash Drive (64GB)
??? Kingston DataTraveler R400 (4GB)
??? Verbatim Store 'n' Go Car Audio USB Drive
?? more

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S&P ends near flat; China rate cut offset by Bernanke

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PCHR Weekly Report: 3 killed, 23 wounded, including 8 children, by Israeli troops this week

In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 31 May? 06 June 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces launched 10 air strikes on the Gaza Strip, killing 3 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounding 3 others. 10 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, were also injured.

Dairy factory destroyed by Israeli airstrike (PCHR photo)
Dairy factory destroyed by Israeli airstrike (PCHR photo)

A number of animal farms, a factory of dairy products, a workshop, a well, 3 agricultural rooms and a greenhouse were destroyed. 8 houses and a company were damaged.

A Palestinian civilian was seriously wounded by Israeli forces in Hebron. Israeli forces use force to disperse peaceful protest organized by Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. 9 demonstrators, including a child, were wounded.

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

In the Gaza Strip, on 01 June 2012, Israeli forces killed a member of the Palestinian resistance during an armed clash to the east of Khan Yunis. During this confrontation, Israeli aircraft opened fired at Palestinian agricultural areas in the east of the village. Later, Israeli forces declared that an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian gunman were killed. The Palestinian gunman was identified as Ahmed Ahmed Nasser Abu Nasser, 19, from ?Abassan village. Israeli forces delivered his body to the Palestinian side at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing at approximately 17:30 on the same day.

The Israeli airforce also killed another two members of the Palestinian resistance by an air strike that targeted a motorcycle.

During the reporting period, Israeli warplanes launched 10 air strikes against the Gaza Strip, during which they fired at least 19 missiles. As a result, of these air strikes, a number of animal and bird farms, a factory of dairy products, a workshop, a well, 3 barns and a greenhouse were destroyed, and 8 houses and a company were damaged. Ten Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, were also lightly injured.

In one example of this week's ten airstrikes, on Sunday, 03 June 2012, at approximately 01:10, Israeli warplanes fired 3 missiles at a 470-square-meter animal farm belonging to Faraj Hussein Abu Rabee?, 42, in Nasser Project in the northern Gaza Strip. The farm is located nearly 900 meters away from the border between the Gaza Strip. The farm was completely destroyed. A water well of the Municipality of Beit Lahia and two rooms were also destroyed. Additionally, an electricity generator was damaged and 29 sheep and 5,350 chicks were killed.

During the reporting period, Israeli gunboats attacked opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern and central Gaza Strip. Israeli naval troop abducted 3 Palestinian fishers, including a child, and confiscated 3 fishing boats.

Israel has continued to impose a total closure and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

Over the last week, Israeli forces conducted 74 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 25 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a journalist. This number includes 4 Palestinian farmers who attempted to stop an attack by Israeli settlers on a Palestinian shepherd.

Over the last week Israeli forces wounded 9 demonstrators, including two children, during the dispersion of peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and on the 45th anniversary of the beginning of the Israeli occupation. Dozens of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation.

On 04 June 2012, Israeli forces seriously wounded a Palestinian civilian in Hebron, claiming that he stabbed an Israeli soldier near the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Israeli settlement activities:

Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

On 31 May 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from ?Yakir? settlement, northwest of Salfit, razed areas of land in Wadi Qana area to the west of Deir Estia village, and transported the sand to the above settlement.

On 01 June 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from ?Eddi Aad? settlement in the east of Turmos?iya village, north of Ramallah, uprooted 75 almond trees.

On 02 June 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from ?Avihal? settlement, south of Hebron, uprooted 65 olive trees in Yatta village.

On 05 June 2012, Israeli forces moved into al-Maita area near Wadi al-Maleh village in the northern Jordan village, northeast of Tubas. They handed notices to 5 Palestinian families in the area to remove their tents. Later, Israeli forces, accompanied by a bulldozer, arrived at the area again and tore down the 12 tents, and 6 animal farms:

On the same day, a number of Israeli settlers from ?Sham?a? settlement, south of Hebron, set fire to Palestinian agricultural areas planted with wheat and parleys in al-Zahiriya village. At least 20 dunums of agricultural land were burnt.

On the same day, 4 Israeli settlers from ?Eitamar? settlement, which stands on the lands of Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus, attacked a Palestinian shepherd when he was grazing animals. Immediately, a number of Palestinian farmers intervened and the two parties clashed. Soon after, a guard of the above settlement arrived at the area and fired into the air. Israeli forces then arrived at the area and abducted the shepherd and 3 farmers.

Israeli attacks on nonviolent demonstrations:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 7 demonstrators, including a child, were wounded, and dozens of others suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

Following the Friday Prayer on 01 June 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the annexation wall and. They raised the Palestinian flag and called for ending political division. They then moved towards areas of annexation wall. They called through megaphones on Israeli settlers in ?Mitityahu? settlement to leave Palestinian land. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a demonstrator was hit by a tear gas canister to the right hand, and a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 01 June 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards the gate erected by Israeli forces near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters. As a result, 3 demonstrators, including a child, were wounded. Additionally, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

At approximately 13:15 also on Friday, 01 June 2012, Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to the continued closure of the eastern entrance of the village. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. As a result, 3 demonstrators were hit by tear gas canisters and a number of others suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally, 4 olive trees belonging to Waleed ?Ali were burnt.

On Tuesday noon, 05 June 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails organized a peaceful demonstration near ?Ofar Prison, southwest of Ramallah, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israeli forces fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. As a result, two demonstrators were wounded, and other suffered from tear gas inhalation.

At approximately 14:30 also on Tuesday, dozens of Palestinian civilians from Ramallah and al-Bireh gathered near Qalandya refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem. They organized a peaceful demonstration to mark the 45th anniversary of the 1967, which marked the beginning of the Israeli occupation. They moved towards Qalandya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Immediately, Israeli forces closed the checkpoint. The demonstrators set fire to tires at threw stones and empty bottles at Israeli forces. Immediately, Israeli forces fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Recommendations to the international community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that international civil society organizations, including human rights organizations, bar associations and NGOs, participate in the process of exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and urge their governments to bring the perpetrators to justice.

In addition, PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

For the full text of the report, click on the link below:

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Club & Resort Business Interviews Sean O'Brien of Marriott's Hawks ...

June 8, 2012 in Customers, Demo, Pilot Program

Business Casual1 Club & Resort Business Interviews Sean OBrien of Marriotts Hawks Landing

Sean O?Brien, Director of Grounds at the Hawks Landing Golf Course and Marriott?s 2011 Grounds Manager of the Year was recently interviewed by Club & Resort Business Magazine. ?Sean shares some of his experience with the RG3 in the interview.

http://www.clubandresortbusiness.com/2012/06/07/going-for-the-goals/

?

?

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Video: Matthews on dirty, angry money: ?Wisconsin was a bad precedent?

Reader: 'AGT' vet should explain self to judges

??In our comment of the week, a reader would love to see Timothy Michael Poe explain his military background mistakes to Howie, Sharon and Howard. Also: Your thoughts on Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Peter Dinklage and Kristen Stewart.

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Dow leaps 286 points, best day of the year

Getco Securities traders Philip Finale, left, and its floor official Peter Giacchi, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. A 200-point charge Wednesday turned the Dow Jones industrial average positive for the year following a dismal stretch in May (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Getco Securities traders Philip Finale, left, and its floor official Peter Giacchi, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. A 200-point charge Wednesday turned the Dow Jones industrial average positive for the year following a dismal stretch in May (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

(AP) ? The Dow Jones industrial average surged 286 points Wednesday, its best day this year.

The rally started early and gathered force in the afternoon. The charge turned the Dow positive for 2012 and erased the biggest loss of the year less than a week after it happened: the 275-point plunge set off by a dismal U.S. jobs report on Friday.

The Dow gained 2.4 percent to close at 12,414.79.

The big jump follows weeks of losses. Hope that European officials would find ways to ease the region's debt crisis helped launch the rally. News reports said Germany and European Union officials were considering a plan to lend money from the European bailout fund to help rescue Spain's hobbled banks.

Jeff Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial, said the market appeared to be turning on rumors and speculation. But the chatter was enough to convince some traders that the worst was over for now.

As of Monday, worries about Greece and Spain had pulled the Standard & Poor's 500 index down nearly 10 percent from its peak in early April. "The next 10 percent move is not down, it's up," Kleintop said.

LPL has started to pull back on bets against the S&P 500 and the euro. "We've decided it's time to declare victory," Kleintop said.

A speech by a Federal Reserve official also added to speculation that the Fed may take more steps to bolster the U.S. economic recovery. Dennis Lockhart, president of the Fed's Atlanta regional bank, says weak job growth over the past two months highlighted the "halting and tenuous" recovery. If the trend continues, "further monetary actions to support the recovery will certainly need to be considered," he said.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely be asked about more actions to help the economy when he testifies before a congressional committee on Thursday.

Companies whose stocks have been clobbered the most over the past month had the best gains. Homebuilders rallied, helped by a strong earnings report from Hovnanian Enterprises and rising applications for new mortgages. Hovnanian's CEO said he sees signs that the housing industry may be entering the early stages of recovery. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that applications for mortgages rose 1.3 percent last week, largely a result of more people trying to refinance their existing loans.

Hovnanian leapt 18 percent. PulteGroup Inc. surged 7 percent and Lennar Corp. 4 percent.

The gains were spread across the market. Only 11 companies in the S&P 500 dropped, and every industry group in the index rose, led by energy and financial companies. Roughly seven stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Jim Russell, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Cincinnati, Ohio, said it's natural for the market to have a strong day after an extended beat-down. On such days, it's usually the companies that were hit the hardest that fare best.

"In market language, it's called a technical bounce," he said. "There's no bad news today, so the market goes up. Frankly, it's that simple."

U.S. markets followed major European indexes higher. Indexes rose 2.4 percent in the U.K. and France. Borrowing costs eased for Spain, another positive sign.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 rose 29.63 points to 1,315.13. The Nasdaq composite rose 66.61 points to 2,844.72.

A Federal Reserve survey showed growth across the country. Hiring was steady, according to the Fed's "Beige Book." That's in marked contrast to the government's monthly jobs report, which said employers added the fewest jobs in a year last month.

The dollar dipped and Treasury yields rose as investors moved money out of defensive investments. The yield on the benchmark rose to 1.64 percent from 1.57 percent late Tuesday.

Among stocks making big moves:

? Morgan Stanley jumped $1.08, 8 percent, to $13.94 amid reports that the Blackstone Group and other private equity firms may try to buy a stake in the bank's commodities business.

? UnitedHealth Group gained $1.66, 3 percent, to $57.70 after the health insurer said it will raise its quarterly dividend from 16 cents to 21 cents per share . The board also approved a plan to buy back stock.

? Tempur-Pedic International plunged $21.28, 49 percent, to $22.39. The mattress maker said it expects quarterly profits to fall by half compared to last year. Tempur-Pedic blamed its competitors' aggressive marketing campaigns and promotions for hurting its sales.

Associated Press

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Malawi to receive $157 mn IMF loan

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$100K reward offered after 14-month-old's slaying

By msnbc.com staff and news services

LOS ANGELES -- A sign on the fence in front of his family's Hickory Street home reads Angel Mauro Cortez Nava, lists his date of birth and death, displays photos of him as a newborn and on a rocking horse and includes the words "We Love You."

What it does not convey is the outrage the 14-month-old's killing has caused inside and outside the Watts neighborhood where the?child was gunned down by a bicyclist Monday night.


The shooting is "an awful tragedy" that has unsettled the department's highest ranks, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck told the department's oversight board Tuesday.

Teenage assassin
"Gang violence touches everybody," he said. "People have to understand that even though gang members may target each other, victims cross a wide, broad swath. It's extremely unfortunate."

A teenage assassin wearing a hoodie and riding a bicycle killed Angel and injured his father, Mauro Cortez, 24, as the man cradled his son on the sidewalk near his home, police said.

The cyclist fired several shots as he rode by, police said.

The infant was shot in the stomach and died at a hospital following surgery. The father was struck in the shoulder and was released from the hospital Tuesday.

They have not released a motive, but Beck, relatives and neighbors all pointed to the gang feud.

The Los Angeles Times reported?that Cortez was wearing a purple T-shirt reading "I own a Honda, be nice to me" at the time of the shooting.

The attacker was black and the father is Latino, authorities said. Neighbors told the Times they may have been caught in the crossfire of a six-month turf war between Fudgetown, a black gang, and the Hispanic Barrio Grape Street gang, who reportedly use the color purple.

Cortez "didn't know nothing about people killing each other over the color purple," friend Luis Ramos told?the Los Angeles Times. "He barely speaks English."

The city council voted Tuesday to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction.

The Los Angeles Kings, on the verge of winning their first Stanley Cup, doubled the reward by offering their own $50,000, the team announced Tuesday night.

Tim Leiweke, president of the group that owns the Kings, said the team was offering the reward "to make sure everyone knows this is unacceptable in our city."

In an interview with CBS2 Tuesday, Cortez said through a translator that he was devastated. He asked the public for help finding the gunman.

'This has to stop'
The gang feud has resulted in more than a half-dozen killings in the area in the last year, police said.

"I have seen plenty of people pass away here. For a child to go, this has to stop immediately," neighbor Marcus Williams said. "When a child, a child, a baby, this kid didn't have a chance at life. It really hurt. I'm afraid to let my kids play in the yard now. This is right across the street."

Cortez is an immigrant from Jalisco, Mexico, who did odd jobs, friends and relatives told the Times. When he showed up three years ago, the Cervantes family took him in, matriarch Sara Cervantes said.

Cortez had no links?to any gang, neighbors said.

"He was always here playing with the baby. The baby was his life," said Maria Trujillo, another member of the family. "With these shootings going on, you don't feel safe in your own front yard," she added.

The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff?contributed to this report.

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