Kate Winslet, Kenneth Branagh get royal honors

LONDON (AP) ? Kate Winslet has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her titanic contribution to the arts.

The actress, who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for "The Reader" and made her breakthrough as the feisty Rose in 1997 blockbuster "Titanic," has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in the queen's Birthday Honors List, published Saturday.

Winslet said the honor made her "very proud to be a Brit."

"I am both surprised and honored to stand alongside so many men and woman who have achieved great things for our country," the 36-year-old star said.

Actor and director Kenneth Branagh was made a knight and will be known as Sir Kenneth. A respected Shakespearean actor whose films as a director range from "Henry V" and "Hamlet" to the comic-book fantasy "Thor," Branagh said he felt "humble, elated, and incredibly lucky" to get the honor. It puts him in a pantheon of theatrical knights alongside the late Sir Laurence Olivier, whom Branagh played in "My Life With Marilyn."

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team," said the Belfast-born, 51-year-old actor. "I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt, and my heart's fit to burst."

The honors are bestowed by twice yearly by the queen ? at New Year's and on her official birthday in June ? but recipients are selected by civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.

Most go to people who are not in the limelight, for services to their community or industry, but they also reward a sprinkling of famous faces.

Songwriter and philanthropist Richard Stilgoe, who wrote lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats," ''Starlight Express" and "The Phantom Of The Opera," was awarded a knighthood, while golfer Luke Donald was recognized for spending almost a year at the top of golf's world rankings.

The Englishman, who has spent 48 weeks as No. 1 since May last year, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

"I am truly honored to be awarded an MBE by Her Majesty, particularly in her Jubilee year," Donald said Friday from the U.S. Open in San Francisco.

Those becoming dames ? the female equivalent of a knight ? include Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, who designed the Aquatic Center for the 2012 London Olympics, and Labour Party politician Tessa Jowell, who was Olympics minister until 2010.

Musician Gary Barlow, who organized a Diamond Jubilee concert for the queen this month featuring Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Elton John, was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, for his services to entertainment and to charity.

Sarah Burton, who designed Kate Middleton's dress for her royal wedding to Prince William last year, received an OBE for services to fashion.

In descending order, the honors are knighthoods, CBE, OBE and MBE. Knights are addressed as "sir" or "dame." Recipients of the other honors have no title but can put the letters after their names.

Choirmaster Gareth Malone, who inspired thousands to sing with TV shows such as "The Choir" and assembled the best-selling Military Wives singing group, was awarded an OBE, as was actress and 1970s heartthrob Jenny Agutter.

Actress and campaigner April Ashley, one of the first Britons to undergo sex-change surgery, was awarded an OBE "for services to transgender equality."

Also receiving an OBE was Jimmy Carlson, a former soldier who spent 23 years sleeping on the streets before becoming an advocate for the homeless. The same honor went to Armando Iannucci, the writer and producer behind expletive-laden British political satire "The Thick of It" and White House comedy "Veep."

"I just hope it's not an attempt by the government to stop me, because that's not going to happen," he said.

Among the hundreds of others honored was Margaret Jackson, who received an MBE "for services to netball" and Kerry Michael and Michelle Michael, awarded the same honor "for services to the restoration of Weston Super Mare's pier."

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Analyzing Climate Change On Carbon Rich Peat Bogs

We've done a lot worse than just burn the coal and oil. Hell, most of the substances we use everyday just do not exist in nature and there are billions of pieces of plastic floating in the oceans that weren't there 50 years ago. You don't get mercury pouring into the oceans if you just leave a planet without intelligent life.

But, that aside, just what precisely do you think will change? You're going to stop the world using oils, plastics and fuels before they run out anyway? Not a chance. It will not happen. It took decades to convince people not to use CFC's in large quantities but we still use them, and only converted because it was legislated, enforced and (to be honest) wasn't that much of a hassle in the first place. Cutting out the large items is actually orders-of-magnitude more difficult and unlikely to happen. And, actually, enforcing a "veggie-only" law and outlawing meat for everyone would actually do more, be cheaper and be accepted just as much (i.e. virtually zero).

Anything we build to replace those plastics and oil that we used will also require HUGE quantities of exactly those at first in order to scale up to the point where we replace them. Don't believe the hype about "sustainable" plastics because they are pretty much unusable for all the things we NEED to use plastics for, and cost SO MUCH ENERGY we can only supply it by burning fossil fuels or uranium. It's the "electric car" phenomenon all over again - you're just shifting the use of those materials and energies somewhere else instead, not actually "saving" anything.

Pretty much the only viable solution, when you take human nature into account (and not just ordinary individuals, who can do more eco-friendly things than governments ever do, but just the fact that you can't convince a country to stop using oil any more than you can outlaw meat), is to let them burn it all off.

Do the damage now. Do it as fast as possible. Run it out. Leave us with nothing. Then the 200 years of damage is unlikely to do much (on geological scales) to the planet at all long-term, and we won't have any excuse for not doing things differently. We'd actually lose quite a lot of things we take for granted up to and including our own lives in some cases (you can't sustain population numbers like we have now without the medicine and energy use we currently have). But that's the only "logical" outcome when you look at how the world works.

Stop faffing about pretending that an extra few years of oil before we suddenly make everything eco-friendly is going to make ANY difference at all. Just burn the stuff now. All of it. Run out the plastics until the prices rises to stupendous levels and we're forced to go back to older ways (which included chopping down and burning tress, I'd like to point out), reduce the population, or revert society back to an age where people couldn't guarantee food for themselves, let alone homes.

The problems of eco-destruction are nothing to do with climate change, animal extinctions or anything else. The problem is that when we run out, you have instantaneous anarchy and a dark-ages effect of not being able to do 1% of the things we take for granted. But actually, the BIGGEST problem is that our population would be decimated worldwide almost overnight. We can't grow, transport, store and treat enough food to feed people without consuming oil and oil-products galore. And have you seen the amount of fertile land it takes to sustain one person in even a third-world country? There simply isn't enough.

So stop TRYING to pretend we can actually do anything practical which doesn't lead to the same population decimation +/- 5 years anyway, accept it and burn the damn stuff up now finding alternatives. Hell, if that means space missions to find more resources (e.g. methane or something else we can burn) and other places to live, then do it. Do it now. Stop hanging around and pissing away resources on eco-initiatives that DO NOT WORK while waiting until the point that there isn't enough f

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Guy on jet pack catches glimpses of perfecto

You knew this was not going to be an ordinary day when you saw Matt Cain taking early swings at AT&T Park ? with a golf club. He parked a Titleist in McCovey Cove from home plate ? estimated distance 310 yards ? and then proceeded to club Astros hitters in similar fashion for the first perfect game in Giants franchise history. That dates to when they broke into the National League as the New York Gothams in 1883, by the way. Honest John Clapp and Tip O?Neill, this one was for you.

Speaking of McCovey Cove, one fan made like James Bond and took periodic peeks at the game above the outfield wall with some kind of a water-powered jet pack.

Video here.

source:

source:

Seems that Jet Pack Guy is already an internet meme. Ha.

source:

Jet Pack Guy: Patron Saint of Perfect Games.

What was even more amazing to me than the perfect game was the fact that the Giants had 15 hits and 10 runs, with three homers. That?s easily a month?s worth of offense for this team.

Oh, and bite me, East Coast Bias:

source:

But here?s another great thing about the perfect game: plenty of shots of Cain?s wife, Chelsea.

source: AP

Photo: Associated Press

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New solar active region spitting out flares

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) ? An active region on the sun, numbered AR 1504, rotated into view over the left side of the sun on June 10, 2012. The region fired off two M-class flares and two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on June 13 and June 14, 2012. The first flare lasted for a relatively long three hours, peaking on June 13, 2012 at 9:17 AM EDT. The associated CME traveled at approximately 375 miles per second and is directed toward Earth, though due to its slow speed, the effect on Earth is expected to be minimal.

The second M-class flare was also a long-duration flare, and it peaked on June 14, 2012 at 10:08 AM EDT. The CME associated with this flare is traveling much faster -- preliminary analysis at Goddard's Space Weather Center indicates it is traveling at speeds of approximately 800 miles per second. It is traveling toward Earth, and could also impact Mars and the Spitzer spacecraft.

The Space Weather Center models estimate that both CMEs will arrive on June 16.

NASA will provide updates if AR1504 generates additional space weather.

What is a prominence? What is a solar flare? What is a coronal mass ejection?

For answers to these and other space weather questions, please visit the Spaceweather Frequently Asked Questions page (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/spaceweather/index.html)

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Boil water advisories lifted for Tornado, Washington PSDs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia American Water has lifted a boil-water advisory for approximately 200 residential customers in the Tornado and Washington Public Service District areas of Kanawha County.

The advisory was issued June 12 for Smith Creek Road, Ferrell Road including Sexton Road and other side streets, Thomas Hollow Road, Hudson Valley Drive from Smith Creek Road to Lucy Lane and Greenview Road.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia American Water has lifted a boil-water advisory for approximately 200 residential customers in the Tornado and Washington Public Service District areas of Kanawha County.

The advisory was issued June 12 for Smith Creek Road, Ferrell Road including Sexton Road and other side streets, Thomas Hollow Road, Hudson Valley Drive from Smith Creek Road to Lucy Lane and Greenview Road.

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Getting Your Business Online with a Search Engine Marketing Agency

?

The best advice any business owner can take is to leave the job to the professionals as they see better results in the long-term. Hiring a search engine marketing agency to do the job for you will mean that your time is freed up to focus on running your business. Although a lot of people can make a fair attempt at Internet marketing, the amount of knowledge you will need to learn and getting it right means that you need a lot of time on your hands. For good results you will probably need to dedicate at least three hours a day for around six months. For a complete beginner you may need to add another hour or two a day because you will need to read up on techniques that are used.

One example could be when Google recently changed their algorithms, a lot of SEO companies were prepared for it and were quickly able to keep their customers ranking high in the search engine results.

For someone who is new at Internet marketing this can be extremely difficult and you will find that you may have to spend yet more time on your website.

A search engine marketing agency will also be able to outsource work for you like web design and article writing so you don?t have to spend time doing this. They would know where to go and who to hire whereas if this is done on your own you will have to go through a trial and error process of finding out which people are reliable and which aren?t. This can cost a lot of money and also you will learn from your mistakes it will still be taking up a lot of your time which could be better spent improving your own business.

Also by choosing a local?Search Engine Marketing Agency?they will have in-depth knowledge of the local market and customers. You know where to visit them and get your ideas across of how you want your online presence to be, they will also be able to help you choose the right marketing methods that are suited to your business and industry. For example there are paid adverts that are powered by all of the major search engines that can easily increase the amount of customers that you have. It is simply like putting an advertising board on search engine results.

There are probably more methods for you to choose from to promote your business online then you could possibly research. That is why using asearch engine marketing agency would be advantageous not only to you but also your business. It is important to let the professionals get on and do their job leaving you to concentrate on your specialised field of running your business.

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Karzai: U.S. failed to consult Afghans on airstrike

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghanistan's president said Saturday that the United States failed to consult Afghan forces when calling in an airstrike that killed 18 civilians, and warned that in the future his government will consider such actions as violating the country's pact with Washington.

In the east, meanwhile, a Taliban suicide bomber disguised as a woman wearing a burqa killed four French soldiers when he blew himself up in a market.

Both Karzai's condemnation of the U.S. operation and the French deaths as that country rushes to pull out its combat forces were reminders that the international exit from Afghanistan is going to be far from orderly. As more agreements are signed promising Afghan sovereignty and more NATO troops are assigned the role of trainers or advisers, the international mission in the county is becoming increasingly muddled.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said that President Hamid Karzai met with investigators earlier in the day and concluded that U.S. troops had called in Wednesday's strike without coordinating with Afghan units.

The incident occurred during a nighttime raid on militants taking cover in a village. These raids are a major irritant in Afghan President Hamid Karzai's relationship with the international military coalition. Karzai says the raids put civilians at risk of injury or death. Military officials say such operations are key to capturing and killing Taliban leaders.

The U.S. and Afghanistan signed an agreement in April that put the Afghan government in charge of most such "special operations" ? a move designed to resolve some of the longstanding tensions.

But when villagers in Logar province displayed the bodies of 18 civilians killed in a U.S. airstrike on Wednesday, Karzai quickly called on the international coalition to explain itself. Faizi said that the investigators told the president that Afghan forces had surrounded the house in question but that the U.S. troops decided not to wait for them to try to flush out the militants and called in aircraft instead. They only discovered later that there had also been women, children and old men inside.

"This airstrike was a one-sided decision, and not coordinated with Afghan security forces," Faizi said. He said that Karzai and his advisers decided after hearing the investigators' report that they would consider such actions in the future as a breach of the special operations pact.

"The continuation of uncoordinated operations and civilian casualties are against the recent decisions made between Afghanistan and the United States," Faizi said. He said the Afghan government felt that the United States was betraying the promises it made in the night raids pact and a larger strategic partnership agreement signed afterwards.

"The expectation of the Afghan government and the Afghan people was that a new page would open between Afghanistan and the United States," Faizi said.

The U.S. commander in Afghanistan apologized for the civilian deaths on Friday and a NATO investigation ruled that the coalition forces were responsible for the unintended deaths of civilians. However, NATO officials have not said that they acted against the special operations agreement.

A spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan declined to comment on the Afghan findings. NATO forces "are going to wait until the final results from the investigation team come out until we make any comment on that," said Col. Gary Kolb. Both Kolb and U.S. Embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall declined to comment on whether the pact on special operations had been violated in the Logar incident.

The attack on the French forces took place as they were responding to a report of a bomb planted under a bridge in the main market area of Kapisa province's Nijrab district, said Qais Qadri, a spokesman for the provincial government.

The bomber walked up to the soldiers and detonated his explosives, Qadri said. France's defense ministry confirmed the nationality of the dead and said another five French troops were wounded in blast. The ministry said they were on an operation supporting the Afghan army but did not provide details.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in an email.

Qadri said four Afghan civilians were also wounded.

The Kapisa bombing was the second deadly attack on NATO troops reported on Saturday. NATO forces said earlier in the day that a service member was killed in a bomb attack in the east. A spokesman for the international coalition, Maj. Martyn Crighton, said the attacks were not related and happened in different parts of the east.

The latest deaths bring to 13 the number of international troops killed in June. So far this year, 189 international service members have been killed in Afghanistan.

French President Francois Hollande said he has asked his defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the chief of staff of the French army Edouard Guillaud to travel to Afghanistan Sunday in a show of support for France's troops there.

Speaking on French television from Tulle, France, Hollande said an aircraft has already left to fly to Afghanistan and repatriate the wounded as soon as possible.

The recently elected Hollande campaigned on a promise to pull all of France's combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year ? well before the 2014 goal for the majority of NATO combat troops to have left the country.

Last month, Hollande announced that 2,000 combat troops would be withdrawn, but that he would leave around 1,400 soldiers behind to help with training and logistics.

France now has 3,400 troops and 150 gendarmes in Afghanistan. Under Hollande's plan, some would stay behind to help send military equipment back to France, and others would help train the Afghan army and police. He did not provide a breakdown for the roles of the 1,400 soldiers who will remain past 2012 or how long they would stay.

Hollande said Saturday that the drawdown of French troops in Afghanistan will begin in July and finish by the end of the year.

Kapisa province has been a particularly deadly posting for French troops. In January, an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops on a base in the province.

____

Associated Press writer Greg Keller contributed to this report from Paris

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Somalia progress: US official visits Mogadishu

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