US, Turkey plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, top right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meet with Syrian refugees in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, top right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pose for a photograph with Syrian refugees after meeting with the group in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, at far right, meets with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, at far left, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

(AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday that their countries are creating a formal structure to plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria, including a possible chemical weapons attack on regime opponents.

Clinton and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said their two nations would set up a working group to respond to the crisis in Syria as conditions there deteriorate. They said the group will coordinate military, intelligence and political responses to the potential fallout in the case of a chemical attack, which would result in medical emergencies and a likely rise in the number of refugees fleeing Syria.

"We have been closely coordinating over the course of this conflict, but now we need to get into the real details of such operational planning. It needs to be across both of our governments," Clinton said.

She said the U.S. State Department and Turkey's Foreign Ministry had already been working together on the issue but that the new working group would increase the involvement of the intelligence services and militaries of both countries.

Among the contingencies that the U.S. and Turkey agree on the need to plan for is "the horrible event" that chemical weapons are used, Clinton said.

"What would that mean in terms of response, humanitarian and medical emergency assistance and, of course, what needs to be done to secure those stocks from ever being used or falling into the wrong hands?" Clinton said.

In July, Syria's foreign ministry spokesman threatened the use of chemical and biological weapons in case of a foreign attack, assuring that government would never use them against its own citizens. It was the first acknowledgement that Syria possesses weapons of mass destruction, something that's long been suspected.

Later, the Syrian government attempted to back away from the announcement and revert to its previous position of neither confirming nor denying the existence of unconventional weapons.

Syria is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas, Scud missiles capable of delivering lethal chemicals and a variety of advanced conventional arms, including portable anti-aircraft missiles.

Clinton said it was important not to take actions that could "catalyze even greater and more horrible kinds of assaults," and that she and Davutoglu discussed a "very long list" of issues on Syria.

"We have to be very careful and we have to do it in a way that always keeps in mind our goal ? number one is to hasten the end of the bloodshed and the Assad regime," she said.

Davutoglu hinted at the possibility of setting up a so-called "safe zone" inside Syria if the humanitarian crisis, which has already claimed thousands of lives, triggers a massive flow of refugees who are vulnerable to attack by regime forces. He said 55,000 Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring Turkey, and that 2,000-3,000 were arriving daily. Recent arrivals came from the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo and surrounding villages, while others have come from Idlib and Latakia. Many more have fled to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

"If there is a huge wave of refugee migration, then we need to maybe establish a mechanism within Syria in order to ensure humanitarian protection," he said. "Of course, we might try to protect people if they seek refuge in our territory, but if they have to live under continuous bombardment every day, if they are exposed to air strikes every day, and bombardment every day, this might even be considered a war crime."

Davutoglu said without elaborating: "In such a case, the international community can no longer keep its silence and there are certain measures that need to be taken up ... We need to brace for impact."

In addition to planning for potential catastrophes, Clinton and Davutoglu stressed the importance of preparing for a political transition that does not compromise state institutions that will be needed to maintain security and provide key services under a new leadership that would replace President Bashar Assad. Clinton said a new Syria will need to protect the rights of all Syrians regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity.

Both nations are concerned about extremist groups taking advantage of any power vacuum in Syria that could follow Assad's eventual departure. The Turks are particularly concerned about the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which already has bases in northern Iraq, from which it launches cross-border attacks on Turkish targets in its campaign for autonomy for the ethnic minority.

"We share Turkey's determination that Syria must not become a haven for PKK terrorists whether now or after the departure of the Assad regime," Clinton said.

Before they spoke to reporters, Clinton and Davutoglu met Syrian refugees to discuss their needs and Clinton met separately with six opposition activists, including three who fled the country within the past month. She said she came away from the meeting impressed with their desire to build a democratic society in Syria.

However, some of the recent arrivals in Turkey expressed concern about an apparent lack of unity among opposition leaders outside Syria.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-11-EU-Syria-Diplomacy/id-ecbf87295c7b4cb3b6de0e36a5468fdf

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This Apple Commercial Was Too Self-Congratulatory To Run

Screen shot 2012-08-10 at 9.42.52 AMIt's not quite fair that this commercial featuring Apple greats Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, George Crow, Bill Atkinson, and Mike Murray never aired, but it's easy to see why. In it you meet some of the creators of the Mac who go on to offer some insight on the design process and end with the tagline "Insanely Great." Arguably, this sort of self-promotion is a little gauche, but it's definitely nice to see these boys in their prime, talking about something they loved.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/vvS62Y3WGgY/

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Sports scores not showing up in Google Now, Customized S3 [From the Forums]

From the Forums

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

We've got nearly 1 million members helping members and nearly 2 million posts in our Android Forums. Are you one of them? Join today!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/bvY1aB6ShX4/story01.htm

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South Korea's Hwang retains women's -67kg title

South Korea's Hwang Kyung-Seon retained her Olympic taekwondo women's under-67kg title on Friday at the ExCel Arena here.

The two-time world champion dominated second seed Nur Tatar of Turkey 12-5 in the final.

"It feels like flying. The other players prepared well, but I think I had a lot of luck," said Hwang after taking Korea's first gold of the taekwondo competition.

"It's very precious for me personally and for the country. I've done something special for the country and it makes me very proud."

American Paige McPherson beat world champion Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain 5-1 in the first round and then defeated Slovenia's Franka Anic 8-3 for the first bronze medal.

Germany's former European champion Helena Fromm beat Carmen Marton of Australia 8-2 for the other bronze.

Although Tatar was seeded one place higher than Hwang, there was no doubt who the favourite was going into the final.

Taekwondo has a peculiar seeding procedure which meant Hwang was only third with African champion Seham Elsawalhy of Egypt, who was beaten easily 6-0 by Elin Johansson of Sweden in the first round, the top seed.

While Elsawalhy's flop wasn't exactly a huge shock, Stevenson's first round loss was, although having lost both her parents to cancer over the last 18 months and fought little due to injury, she was perhaps not in the best shape.

Hwang was tested in the early rounds but she beat Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast 4-1 and then ousted Germany's Helena Fromm 8-4.

She went into the final round of her semi against Anic scoreless but soon picked up three points with a head kick, setting her on the way to a 7-0 victory.

And it was a three-point head-kick in a dominant second round against Tatar that ensured she opened up a big gap the Turk was never likely to close.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/champion-hwang-taekwondo-final-181621761.html

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Weekend Horoscopes From Astrologer Susan Miller ? CBS New York

Astrologer Susan Miller, author of The Year Ahead, 2012 And Beyond, visited The Couch to offer horoscopes for the weekend. Here?s what she had to say.

This coming weekend, August 11-12, will be divinely relaxed and perfect for travel ? for everyone.

Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, will conjoin the moon, making it a remarkably happy time for everyone to travel short distances ? to the beach or mountains ? or to work on improving a writing project.

More: The 7 Best Weekend Getaways In The Tri-State Area

Ideas will be superb and your ease for self-expression will flow so well that you may feel like you want to keep on going! Finish that report or manuscript! You?ll be proud!

A new moon is like a door that opens wide that allows you to take advantage of opportunities that have not been present before or that you had no time to take advantage of previously. You will always have two weeks AFTER a new moon appears to plant seeds of change. Options will arise that are new and exciting! The actions you take in the two weeks that follows can affect you for a year or more into the future, until the next new moon has time to come by, in this case at the end of July 2013.

See Also: Mercury Retrograde: What The Astrological Glitch Means For You With Astrologer Susan Miller

Aries ? This new moon, August 17 is all about enjoying LOVE! If single circulate l in the two weeks! Married? You and your partner can have more fun. Plans for your children can take shape, and a creative project can take flight. Want to have a baby?get serious now!

Taurus ? You can make enormous strides in regard to YOUR RESIDENCE or other living space. You can find the perfect place to move house, or start to fix up your present space with renovations, decoration, painting, repairing, de-cluttering and so forth. Also if you are concerned over the welfare of a parent, you can find options you like to help your beloved relative.

Gemini ? This new moon can help you hone your writing skills. Most Gemini excel in communication, and now you may get a new assignment to help you showcase those talents. Travel is likely in coming weeks, and those trips will make you very happy!

Cancer ? Your earning power is high! Ask for your raise in the days following August 17.Don?t be shy?this is your best time in 2012 to do so for you are likely to get your request approved. If self-employed, look for a new client, as you can reel in a top, prestigious one.

Leo - Think of this new moon as your annual birthday gift certificate to use toward achieving a goal dear to your heart, in any area of your life you choose. Leo is a sign that rules creativity, design, and all the arts, so those matters, as well as matters involving children, glitter.

Virgo - In the second half of August, after the new moon, take time to rest. You will move into a very important career phase, but you need to be strong and healthy when things start to pop in September. Rest up, and review your list of goals. If you have outgrown some desires, make new goals and delete a few old ones. Prioritize!

Libra ? This new moon will be deliciously social for you. Friend will begin to be in touch by sending invitations, and you may have at least one big event to get ready for this week that will occur after August 17. At events you will make Think about redoing your Facebook or Twitter page, or start to get involved with social media. If you belong to a club, get active. You may make an important new friend this month.

Scorpio ? The new moon August 17 will be your best in 2012 to find a new top level career position. It is critical that you are ready to roll once it appears, so start dusting off your resume and bio, and redo your portfolio if you are creative. Start calling friends, get tips on new openings that others may not know about. Scan job listings too. Don?t be on vacation!

Sagittarius ? A wonderful time to travel far and wide. Get out those frequent flier miles. Are you thinking of going back to graduate school? The new moon August 17 and the days that follow is the time to send in your application to take your main exams, or to interview / begin to apply to grad school. Do you have to defend your thesis? You could not wish for a better time to schedule that big meeting.

Capricorn ? Its time to review your finances. Meet with your financial broker and review your investment portfolio. Also, review all recurring payments, like health insurance, and cable/ cell phone/ Internet provider plans to be sure you have the right one. Call your credit card companies to see if you qualify for a better interest rate Look into getting a better rate for your mortgage too.

Aquarius ? It?s a great time to get engaged, or to seal a deal with a business associate for a partnership. Sign papers if you like! One-on-one collaborations are magic. Also, you can hire a professional, such as a new doctor, lawyer or accountant now, with results that please you.

Pisces ? New assignments will be coming like mad! It?s also time to get on the fitness wagon and get fit and sleek. This is the best new moon of the year for improving health, overall conditioning and looks.

Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/08/10/weekend-horoscopes-from-astrologer-susan-miller/

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Reference: Astronomers Release the Largest Ever Three ...

From the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics:

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III(SDSS-III) has released the largest three-dimensional map of massive galaxies and distant black holes ever created. The new map pinpoints the locations and distances of over a million galaxies. It covers a total volume equivalent to that of a cube four billion light-years on a side.

?We want to map the largest volume of the universe yet, and to use that map to understand how the expansion of the universe is accelerating,? said Daniel Eisenstein (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), the director of SDSS-III.

The map is the centerpiece of Data Release 9 (DR9), which publicly releases the data from the first two years of a six-year survey project. The release includes images of 200 million galaxies and spectra of 1.35 million galaxies. (Spectra take more time to collect than photographs, but provide the crucial third dimension by letting astronomers measure galaxy distances.)

[Clip]

All the data are available now on the Data Release 9 website at http://www.sdss3.org/dr9. The new data are being made available to astronomers, as well as students, teachers, and the public. The SkyServer website includes lesson plans for teachers that use DR9 data to teach astronomy and other topics in science, technology, and math. DR9 data will also feature in a new release of the Galaxy Zoo citizen science project, which allows online volunteers to contribute to cutting-edge astronomy research.

Read the Complete Announcement

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Source: http://www.infodocket.com/2012/08/10/reference-astronomers-release-the-largest-ever-three-dimensional-map-of-the-sky/

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T-Mobile myTouch (Mid-2012)

By Alex Colon

T-Mobile's myTouch brand started out on the high end, with smartphones?like HTC's myTouch 4G. Since then, it has changed to represent affordable, midrange phones for first-timers. Huawei's entry, the new $49.99 T-Mobile myTouch , is not to be confused with LG's model of the same name, released late last year. Thankfully, Huawei's myTouch boasts some modest improvements over?LG's?myTouch?, and remains a good buy for smartphone beginners.

Design and Call Quality
The myTouch measures 4.8 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches (HWD), which is the same size as the previous model, but this one weighs a heftier 4.9 ounces (LG's version is just 3.8 ounces). But that difference in weight isn't a big deal, and the myTouch feels surprisingly well built. The back of the phone is made out of a graphite-colored, rubberized black plastic, while the minimal amounts of plastic surrounding the display and on the phone's chin are shiny. It's also available in dark red. There's a myTouch logo at the top of the device, along with some T-Mobile branding and a myTouch logo on the back. The only way you'd know this phone is made by Huawei is from the battery and charging brick.

The 4-inch display features 800-by-480-pixel resolution. It looks nice and bright, but that's the same resolution as the previous model, which has a 3.8-inch display, so you're actually getting less pixels per inch (and thus less sharpness) here. There are four haptic feedback-enabled touch keys beneath the phone's display, and I was able to type on the Swype-enabled on-screen keyboard without a problem. But if you really like to message, you may want to check out the keyboarded, but otherwise identical, new myTouch Q .

The myTouch is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual-band HSPA+ 14 (1700/2100 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. It also supports T-Mobile's UMA-based Wi-Fi calling, which is a great fallback in areas with less-than-optimal T-Mobile coverage and a good way to save some money on your phone plan. Data speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 14.4 network were good, but no match for HSPA+ 42. The myTouch saw an average 3.8Mbps for downloads and 1.1Mbps for uploads.

Voices sound clear and rich in the phone's earpiece. Calls made with the phone sound a little muffled, but otherwise strong, with average noise cancellation. Calls sounded good through a?Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset. When you trigger voice dialing over Bluetooth, it activates the phone's Genius button, which lets you issue a number of voice-based commands. The speakerphone sounds fine, and should be loud enough for most outdoor situations. Wi-Fi-based calls also sound good. Battery life was excellent, at 8 hours and 3 minutes of talk time.

Android and Apps
The myTouch runs Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread) along with some pretty extensive customizations from Huawei. This is a big disappointment, as there are already two new versions of Android?4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and 4.1 (Jelly Bean)?available. Shipping the new myTouch with Android 4.0 would've put it ahead of other midrange devices, and helped to differentiate it from LG's version, which also runs Gingerbread.

As it stands, Huawei's customizations to Gingerbread aren't so bad. They definitely won't please Android purists, but this phone isn't made for them. If you're using an Android phone for the first time, Huawei has made it look a little more user-friendly here. The icons and menus are bigger and brighter, and thankfully, it doesn't seem to have an impact on performance.

There are five customizable home screens you can swipe between, but unfortunately, the phone comes preloaded with a ton of undeletable bloatware. On the plus side, you get free Google Maps Navigation for voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions, and TeleNav's own GPS Navigator app. As mentioned earlier, the Nuance Dragon-powered Genius button is back, and better than ever. It allows you to issue voice commands to make calls, send emails and texts, launch apps, or search the Web. And it works pretty well, though it's no Siri or S-Voice.

The phone is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8255 processor, which is a decent bump up from the previous myTouch. Benchmark scores were solid, but don't expect anything approaching dual-core performance. You shouldn't have trouble running most of the 500,000+ apps in the Google Play store, but this isn't a high-end gaming machine.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
The myTouch comes with 1.97GB of free internal storage along with 754MB of free system storage. My 32 and 64GB SanDisk microSD cards worked fine in the slot underneath the battery cover. A standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack sits on the top edge of the phone, and music sounded good through wired earbuds as well as Altec Lansing Backbeat?Bluetooth headphones. The phone was able to play AAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA test files, but not FLAC. For video, H.264 and MPEG-4 files played back at resolutions up to 720p, but AVI files didn't work.

The myTouch comes equipped with a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera and LED flash. Shutter speeds are quick, at 0.5 second. Photos are on par with the previous myTouch. Colors and detail are average, though images can skew a bit soft and noisy. The video camera has improved, though, as the new myTouch can record 720p video at a relatively smooth 21 frames per second indoors and 29 frames outside. There's also a VGA front-facing camera for video chat.

If you're trying to decide between spending $50 on this phone, or getting LG's earlier model for free, I'd suggest you spend the money. The new myTouch is a little faster and records better video. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G ?is another decent budget option, but the myTouch has a better camera, faster processor, and voice dialing over Bluetooth. If you're willing to spend more, the HTC One S ?gets you a larger, sharper display, dual-core processor, Android 4.0, and faster HSPA+ 42 speeds. But if you're trying to stick to a budget, the new T-Mobile myTouch is a good bet.

More Cell Phone Reviews:
??? T-Mobile myTouch (Mid-2012)
??? T-Mobile myTouch Q (Mid-2012)
??? Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G (MetroPCS)
??? Samsung Galaxy S III (U.S. Cellular)
??? Pantech Renue (AT&T)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/bK9sHfXBfqY/0,2817,2408215,00.asp

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Self Help And Improvement Tips And Techniques ...

Generalizations are the enemy of your self-improvement and success. Examine your thought processes to see what negative, general beliefs you hold about yourself. If you say in your mind that you ?always fail,? etc., this is not accurate. Even if it was only one time, you have succeeded in the past! Remind yourself that the future is bright and self-improvement is possible.

You should always be exacting. If personal development is a goal for you, you need to be precise at all times. Having high expectations for yourself is really just having a high confidence in your ability. Being precise will bring you closer to your goals with each small step you take towards them.

Visualization will help you stay focused on your goal. Whenever possible put a picture of what you want in an area that you will see every day. A picture of a flat stomach on the fridge will help steer you towards healthy food choices, while a picture of a vacation destination on your desk will help you save money.

There are many kinds of musical instruments that you can focus on in order to improve yourself, and you don?t have to feel guilty for this. Research shows that people who take the time to learn music, often have better attention spans, concentration, and critical thinking skills. So your musicality can translate into improved work!

Figure out what is the thing that is holding you back from attaining your goals. Once you have pointed out the most significant thing, then try to find some reading material that will help you through this process. There are many books out there that concentrate on self-help for all different sorts of issues.

List all of your obstacles in life, both major and minor, long-term and short-term. These can be hurdles from the past, present, or future. Explore the different ways that you were able to overcome past adversity, all of the possible solutions for your current issues or problems, and how you might prevent future hurdles or develop a contingency plan.

If you are working towards a goal to better yourself, just picture yourself at the end of the journey. As an example, if you wish to lose weight, you don?t keep repeating to yourself that you are fat. In fact, you should visualize and repeat to yourself that you are slim. Having positive thoughts will lead you to your goals quicker than putting yourself down.

To be successful learn how to deal with change. The world is constantly changing and if you learn how to adapt to changes you can move right along with it. Embrace new ideas with enthusiasm and give them a fair chance; if you find that the new ideas don?t work out, than you can always go back to the tried and true.

Take control of your body. When you want something, ask yourself if this is something that could make you happier or something that your body needs. For instance, smokers often experience the need to smoke a cigarette and yet they do not feel any better when they are done. These desires are controlled by the body: learn how to recognize them.

Improve your life by cleaning up ?your world.? Avoid being messy and living and working in a cluttered environment. By keeping your spaces clean and in an orderly fashion, you can find everything you need. You will no longer stress out about things being lost. This can bring a sense of calm and peace to your mind.

No matter how hard it may seem to achieve your goals, do not give up. Life is all about having patience, so by sticking out through the tough times, you will be rewarded in the end. Just picture the end goal in your head and keep it there when times seem hard.

Keep studying personal development resources to identify new ideas, maintain focus and get inspiration. There are tons of books, tapes and videos out there to assist you in reaching your goals. By making a habit of reviewing these resources you can pick up new tips and tricks to make your own personal development routine more successful.

So many wonderful things to learn and do! Human possibilities are almost infinite. We hope these tips will give you new ideas and a new impetus to the unfolding of your talents. Time is the only limit, once you have set a course toward realizing your full capacities.

Neomi Holka specializes in magic of making up review

Source: http://globaldailychronicle.com/?p=230543

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Use of Computers in Agriculture | Technology News

Technological advances have brought about drastic changes in farming and animal husbandry resulting in tremendous increase in production capacity. The most common use of computers has been in replacing human effort and intervention in traditional farming machinery and other equipment. In addition, even the support functions for farming such as delivery of machinery,?fertilizers and production of raw products have been successfully automated. But all these are just the labor-saving, basic uses that have been around even before the turn of the century. If computers have changed the ways of farming, then the Internet has only doubled that pace of change.


Applications of Computing Technologies in Agriculture

In today's times, agriculture is not just about crop production or livestock farming and associated activities. The challenges brought forth by ecological factors affecting the environment need to be a major consideration for any kind of farming activity. Farmers need to preempt environmental impact due to climate change and this is where modern technology comes to the rescue.

Farmland Assessment
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)?are being used for developing ranking systems that evaluate land and provide a site assessment to aid what is now known asprecision agriculture. These hi-tech, interactive systems provide information based on a variety of factors such as soil conditions, drainage and slope conditions, soil pH and nutrient status, etc. Prior to the use of these systems, farmers were often in the dark about soil output, and unpredictable weather conditions affecting crop quality and profitability. Precision agriculture provides farmers with control by predicting vital information including fertilizer application and problems with drainage, insects, and weeds. Most government websites provide this kind of information free of cost, covering agricultural land masses across the United States. Global Positioning System (GPS) based technologies also help to monitor irrigation, field mapping, soil sampling, tractor guidance and crop scouting. This kind of technology equips farmers with enough information to increase crop yield in a manner that is consistent with the best environmental practices for sustainable agriculture.

Autonomous Farm Equipment and Tractors
Automated farm equipment, needless to say, scores over human controlled equipment in terms of consistency and reliability. Engine and machine functions such as transmission and hydraulic power output are controlled using microchips built into the equipment.?Guidance technology?is already being widely used in self-propelled equipment to aid crop seeding and fertilizer application. Automated feeding systems, computerized milk collection and milking machines have been around since the late 20th century, resulting in better economic yield for the dairy industry as well as livestock production. Automated tractors are probably not far away.

Farm Software
With regard to livestock farming, ready-made computer applications are available to track individual animals, storing and evaluating information such as age, health records, milk production, offspring productivity, and reproductive cycle status. This is often called?herd recording. Similarly, most farm accounting software and other computer applications in agriculture provide services for record keeping, simulation of prediction-based models using that data, revenue and productivity estimation and reporting to aid in making decisions. Most farm software vendors provide you with an option to customize their applications to the specific needs of your farm or ranch.

Internet Forums, Social Networking and Online Knowledge Bases
Any business in the world that you can think of, has benefited from the advent and global reach of the Internet and related communication technologies (mobile computing, e-commerce etc.). Agriculture is no different. Imagine leveraging the power of the Internet to connect with farmers, agriculturists and agricultural scientists and other experts spread across the globe from the comfort of your own farmland or ranch. There are several forums and social networking sites on the Internet where farmers can connect with other farmers and farming experts and exchange know-how. In addition, there are several learning repositories serving as knowledge bases to provide information on a wide variety of agricultural topics. These avenues serve to reduce the rural digital divide, influence public policies, foster partnerships and connect all stakeholders across the agricultural value chain. For instance, a farmer can easily seek out and connect with an agricultural entrepreneur and begin the exchange of ideas or business proposals. Information such as price review for grain and livestock, pest information, real-time weather information (precipitation, temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, soil moisture and soil temperature) in any part of the world is literally available on one's fingertips.

E-agriculture
An emerging field of agricultural practices, e-agriculture focuses on coming up with innovative ways and best practices to use the existing information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable agricultural development and food safety standards, particularly in rural areas. E-agriculture encompasses other related technological fields such as agricultural informatics, agricultural development and business. It aims to deploy all available technologies (computers, mobile computing, satellite systems, smart cards) for the empowerment of farmers and strengthening of partnerships across the food value chain.

The uses of computers in agriculture do have some real constraints such as, the lack of hardware and software infrastructure, training and skills, and research priorities. However, once these are overcome, the use of computers transcends automation and software application. In fact, it could be instrumental in bridging the rural digital divide and bringing prosperity to agriculturists not only in the United States, but also in other developing and emerging economies around the world.

Source: http://update-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/08/use-of-computers-in-agriculture.html

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How To Spice Up Your Relationship - Ayushveda

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Tips for Spice up your relationshipAny relationship needs three strong pillars; faith, love and care. Even if one staggers, there are chances that the relationship is moving towards the unimaginable. Professional tensions add more woe to your personal issues. Balancing both is not all easy.

And if a personal relationship is falling apart, chances are that your productivity at work decreases. A popular misconception is that matured people can take care of themselves. Individuals tend to take themselves for granted for which they later repent in life. In relationships, both the partners should take care of each other. The word ?compromise? should exist in both partner?s dictionaries.

Ways To Spice Up Your Relationship

Gift An Unlikely Present

Spare a weekend and think about various things that your partner would love to have. Try to be innovative and gift something purposeful. They will appreciate this lovely gesture as it will make them feel that they are wanted more.

Plan Something Unique

Don?t you love your weekends? Of course yes! It gives you leisurely space from the dreary and daily schedule of life. Every relationship needs a break too! Get out of the house and get cozy at a far away motel. Ignite the lost romance and revive your relationship.

Spice up your relationship

Follow that up a scrumptious dinner accompanied with exquisite wine. You can also book tickets of an old movie, which you both saw together. Hold hands and bask in the wonderful memories. If you both share a common passion for dancing, try enrolling for Salsa/Waltz classes. Spending a routine amount of time definitely helps you express more and understand each other better.

Stay Fit

No matter what, dedicate some quality time at a fitness center. This not only keeps you nice and healthy, but also enhances your look. And what?s more, your partner will be spellbound by your changed appearance. He/she will take pride in walking besides you, as people bathe you with envious stares.

Reinvent Your Looks

Spice up your relationship

It?s a fact that everyone loves a surprise every now and then! Try to delight your partner with a new hairstyle on their birthday. Visit a famous salon and get an expensive hairdo with the works. It is sure to enchant them, as well as, the guests.

Also Read

Spice Up Your Relationship
Tips To Spice Up Your Relationship
How To Add More Spice To A Long Lasting Relationship

Do Long Forgotten Things

Greetings cards are a rarity, except for birthdays and anniversaries. Gift your partner a loving card. Write a personal note and place some flowers on it. Place it where he/she is more likely to see it the next day. They will love and adore you for it. Try to cook some exotic dinner to excite your partner?s taste buds. The gratitude will be overwhelming and you?ll be beaming with joy the next day.

Maintain Clarity

Last but not the least, get in to the habit of speaking up! In times of dwindling relationships and divorces, it?s easy for misunderstandings to creep in between couples. Most of the times, unwanted jealousy and baseless doubts are the culprits that create havoc in relationships.

Spice up your relationship

Try to counter that by maintaining a clear communication with your partner about any instance/situation. By doing this, you are assured your relationship going great guns and has no unnecessary breaks in between.

How To Spice Up Your Relationship, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Source: http://www.ayushveda.com/magazine/how-to-spice-up-your-relationship/

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