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Source: http://www.facebook.com/anchoragedailynews/posts/10151699167389194
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Pentax K-50
The Pentax K-50 ($699.95 direct, body only) is a solid midrange D-SLR camera, which happens to be available in any of 120 color combinations. Despite the fact that it can be had in a lilac and pink color scheme, it's a serious photographic tool. Cosmetics aside, it's the same body as last year's K-30, offering weather sealing, a 16-megapixel APS-C image sensor, a pentaprism viewfinder, and fast 5.9fps burst shooting. It's not quite as well-rounded a camera as our Editors' Choice Nikon D5200, which is a better SLR for recording video thanks to superior autofocus and a hinged rear LCD. But if video isn't a concern, the Pentax K-50 is good alternative for shutterbugs who enjoy taking photos in inclement weather and for discerning shooters who are underwhelmed by the D5200's pentamirror viewfinder.
Design and Features
The K-50 is fairly compact, measuring just 3.8 by 5.1 by 2.8 inches (HWD) and weighing in at 1.4 pounds. It's a smidge smaller than the Canon EOS Rebel T5i (3.9 by 5.2 by 3.1 inches), but the T5i is lighter at just 1.1 pounds. One of the reasons that the K-50 is heavy is that its viewfinder is a solid glass pentaprism. It covers 100 percent of the frame, so your exact frame in the finder, and it's a bit larger and brighter than the pentamirror finders found in the T5i, D5200, and most other sub-$1,000 cameras. Another factor is the weather sealing; each button and dial is protected by a gasket, so you can shoot in very rough weather. You can't submerge the camera in water, since it's not rated for that, but feel free to go out and shoot photos in a blizzard or hurricane with the K-50 when it's paired with a sealed lens.
Also setting the camera apart from others in this class is a dual dial control system with programmable functionality. Advanced shooters will love the ability to assign EV compensation, ISO control, and other common shooting settings to a dial that would normally go unused when shooting in aperture or shutter priority modes. If you're not as knowledgeable about the ins and outs of photography, you can set the K-50 to operate in auto or program mode and fire away as it takes control of settings. There are also a number of Scene modes available. These aren't quite as user-friendly as the Guide Mode found on the Nikon D3200, but do give some explanation as to when they are applicable.
There are enough physical controls packed into the K-50's compact body to keep advanced shooters happy, though not as many as the Pentax K-5 II?a more advanced camera that features a PC flash sync connector and a dedicated control to select the active AF point, both of which are absent from the K-50. You'll find buttons that adjust the ISO, activate exposure lock, control the flash, set the self-timer and drive mode, and control white balance on the rear, as well as a reprogrammable Raw button and a switch to toggle between autofocus modes on its left side.
The rear LCD is 3 inches in size and has a 921k-dot resolution. It's fixed, unlike the tilting display found on the Sony Alpha 65, which makes it a bit harder to use the camera if you need to shoot from an odd angle. The display is extremely sharp, though, and when you activate live view mode you have the option of using focus peaking as a focusing aid. This feature highlights in-focus areas of your frame to improve accuracy when focusing manually. Peaking works for stills only?the camera's processor isn't quite up to the task of keeping it active during video recording?but is a boon to anyone with a library of older, manual focus Pentax lenses. Like the company's other D-SLRs, you can use any K-mount lens without the need for adapters?that's close to 40 years worth of glass at your disposal. Like other Pentax SLRs, the shake reduction is built into the body, not into the lens, so any glass that you attach will benefit from stabilization.
The K-50 can be had as a body only, but only in a few of the 120 color combinations. In order to customize it completely you'll need to order it with the DA-L 18-55mm WR kit lens, which increases the price to $779.95. The WR designation means that the lens is sealed against weather as well, and this particular version of the lens (which features a plastic mount rather than a metal one) is only available when purchased along with a body. There's also a two-lens kit, which adds the telephoto zoom DA-L 50-200mm WR lens; that sells for $879.95. If shooting in bad weather isn't a concern, but you still like the K-50, you can save some money by opting for the K-500. It's the same camera, minus the sealing and minus a rechargeable battery; it is powered by standard AA cells. It's compatible with the same rechargeable battery that ships with the K-50; you'll just have to spend a bit and buy it and a charger separately if AA batteries aren't for you. The K-500 can be had for $599.95 with an 18-55mm lens, or for $699.95 with an 18-55mm and 50-200mm two-lens kit.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/lm-8c16NiS0/0,2817,2421854,00.asp
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Monday, July 22, 2013
Detroit not alone under mountain of long-term debt: By Some Measures Chicago Is In Worse Shape Financially Than Detroit
The total link site for the news and information junkie: Libertarianism. Property Rights. Government Corruption. Chicago Mob. Struggle Against Socialism. Union Corruption. Pension Meltdown. Blacked Out History. New York Mob. Higher Education rip-offs. Housing Crash. Rent-seeking. Obama-Chicago Democratic Machine. Gun Control Monopolists. The Ron Paul Revolution. Organized Crime...Other Politically Incorrect matters of interest.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/wHtV/~3/JSCWHArKBnY/detroit-not-alone-under-mountain-of.html
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A career round gives Mickelson a claret jug
Phil Mickelson of the United States holds up the Claret Jug trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Phil Mickelson of the United States holds up the Claret Jug trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Phil Mickelson of the United States gestures as he holds up the Claret Jug trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Phil Mickelson of the United States celebrates after his final putt on the 18th green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Phil Mickelson of the United States celebrates after his final putt on the 18th green with his caddie Jim Mackay during the final round of the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Phil Mickelson of the United States gestures as he holds the Claret Jug trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday July 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
GULLANE, Scotland (AP) ? Phil Mickelson is mystified no more by links golf. He has his name etched in a silver claret jug to prove it.
Mickelson delivered his best closing round ever in a major Sunday ? at the British Open, of all places ? when he ran off four birdies over the last six holes for a 5-under 66 at Muirfield to win the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
"This is such an accomplishment for me because I just never knew if I'd be able to develop the game to play links golf effectively," Mickelson said. "To play the best round arguably of my career, to putt better than I've ever putted, to shoot the round of my life ... it feels amazing to win the claret jug."
At the end of a rough-and-tumble week along the Firth of Forth, Mickelson was the only player under par. He wound up with a three-shot win over Henrik Stenson, one of four players atop the leaderboard during a final round that was up for grabs until Mickelson seized control in the final hour.
Lee Westwood, who started Sunday with a two-shot lead, fell behind for the first time all day with a bogey on the 13th and never recovered. He closed with a 75. Masters champion Adam Scott took the lead with a 4-foot birdie on the 11th, and closed as sloppily as he did last year. He made four bogeys starting at the 13th, and a final bogey on the 18th gave him a 72. At least he has a green jacket from the Masters to console him this year.
Tiger Woods, in his best position to win a major since the crisis in his personal life, stumbled badly on his way to a 74 and was never a serious challenger.
Westwood said he didn't play all that badly. Instead, he paid tribute to what will be remembered as one of the great closing rounds in major championship history.
"When you birdie four of the last six of a round any day, that's good going," Westwood said. "With a decent breeze blowing and some tough flags out there, it's obviously a pretty good experience. When you do it in a major championship, it's an even better experience."
But this major championship? Phil Mickelson?
He had only contended twice in two decades at golf's oldest championship. One week after he won the Scottish Open in a playoff on the links-styled course of Castle Stuart, Mickelson was simply magical on the back nine of a brown, brittle Muirfield course that hasn't played this tough since 1966.
Tied for the lead, Mickelson smashed a 3-wood onto the green at the par-5 17th to about 25 feet for a two-putt birdie, and finished in style with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th to match the lowest score of this championship.
Mickelson figured a par on the 18th would be tough for anyone to catch him. When the ball dropped in the center of the cup, he raised both arms in the air to celebrate his fifth career major, tying him with the likes of Seve Ballesteros and Byron Nelson.
"Best round I've ever seen him play," said his caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay. Mickelson shared a long hug with his caddie and whispered in his ear, "I did it."
His final surge was right about the time Westwood and Scott began to fold.
Scott, trying to join an exclusive list of players who have won a green jacket and a claret jug in the same year, made a remarkable recovery from the dunes right of the par-3 13th hole, only to miss the 7-foot par putt. He took three putts for bogeys on the next two holes ? from long range on the 14th, and from 20 feet on the 15th ? and found a bunker on the next.
Westwood started to lose his grip on the jug with bogeys on the seventh and eighth, and failing to birdie the downwind, par-5 ninth. Presented with birdie chances early on the back nine, his putting stroke began to look tentative. He hit into the dunes on the right side of the 13th to make bogey and never caught up.
Westwood and Scott tied for third with Ian Poulter, who played a four-hole stretch in 5-under around the turn and closed with a 67. At 1-over 285, he canceled a flight home in case of a playoff. Moments later, with Mickelson pulling away, the outcome was clear.
Making this even sweeter for Mickelson is that just one month ago he lost out on yet another chance to win the U.S. Open, the missing link of a career Grand Slam. Mickelson twice made bogey with wedge in his hand on the back nine at Merion and had his record sixth runner-up finish.
Mickelson joins an elite list of winners at Muirfield, which is considered the fairest of the links on the British Open rotation. All but two of the Open champions at Muirfield are in the World Hall of Fame. Mickelson is the only winner who already has been inducted.
It was the 43rd win of his PGA Tour career. The guy who once couldn't win the big one now has five majors in the last nine years. This one returns him to No. 2 in the world ranking for the first time in nearly three years.
Woods, meanwhile, now has gone 17 majors without winning, and that pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his benchmark of 18 majors ? Woods is stuck on 14 ? doesn't look any closer. He three-putted twice in four holes and looked like just another contender on this Sunday.
He attributed his round to not getting the right pace on the greens, which he said were progressively slower.
"I felt like I was really playing well today, actually the whole week, " said Woods, who has not broken 70 in the final round of his last seven majors. "I really hit so many good shots and really had control of my ball this week. As I said, it was just trying to get the speed, and I just didn't get it."
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Sunday, July 21, 2013
'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Sequel Announced At Epic Marvel Panel
Joss Whedon took to the Comic-Con stage to introduce the follow-up to the 2012 blockbuster.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
"The Avengers"
Photo: Marvel
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1710960/marvel-panel-2013-san-diego-comic-con.jhtml
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Israelis, Palestinians skeptical about peace talks
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israeli and Palestinian officials voiced skepticism Sunday that they can move toward a peace deal, as the sides inched toward what may be the first round of significant negotiations in five years.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced late last week that an agreement has been reached that establishes the basis for resuming peace talks. He cautioned that such an agreement still needs to be formalized, suggesting that gaps remain.
In his first on-camera comment Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to lower expectations by saying the talks will be tough and any agreement would have to be ratified by Israelis in a national referendum.
Netanyahu pledged to insist on Israel's security needs above all ? saying his main guiding principles will be to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel and avoid a future Palestinian state in the West Bank becoming an Iranian-backed "terror state."
A lifelong hawk, Netanyahu has been a reluctant latecomer to the idea of Palestinian statehood, and his critics say he uses the pretext of security to avoid engaging in good-faith negotiations.
"I am committed to two objectives that must guide the result ? if there will be a result. And if there will be a result, it will be put to a national referendum," he said at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting. "It won't be easy. But we are entering the talks with integrity, honesty, and hope that this process is handled responsibly, seriously and to the point."
Hardliners have floated referendum proposals before, usually as an attempt to add an additional obstacle to any efforts to cede war-won territories as part of a future peace agreement.
Palestinian officials were silent Sunday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not spoken about the possible resumption of negotiations since Kerry's announcement Friday. In an attempt to restrict official Palestinian comment, Abbas' office said only two top aides, Nabil Abu Rdeneh and Yasser Abed Rabbo would be allowed to speak to reporters. Neither was available Sunday.
Abbas had previously refused to negotiate with Israel so long as settlement construction continued in part of his hoped-for state. Netanyahu countered by saying he would only enter talks without preconditions.
The two sides are now set to hold more talks in Washington in coming days or weeks on the framework of negotiations, meaning a resumption of talks is not yet assured.
Gaps remain on three issues Palestinians say need to be settled before talks can begin ? the baseline for border talks, the extent of a possible Israeli settlement slowdown and a timetable for releasing veteran Palestinian prisoners.
The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Abbas seeks a commitment from Netanyahu that Israel's pre-1967 border will serve as a baseline for negotiations, but the Israeli leader has refused to do so. Previous rounds of negotiations were conducted on those lines.
Two Palestinian officials said Saturday that Abbas agreed to resume talks only after Kerry gave him a letter guaranteeing that the pre-1967 borders would serve as a baseline. The officials, privy to internal discussions, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
A Western official denied the 1967 borders would be the starting point for negotiators.
Israel has said it will release some Palestinian prisoners as a good will gesture, but there are few other official details to emerge about the framework of the talks.
The actual talks are to produce a deal on the borders between Israel and a future Palestine, a partition of Jerusalem, the fate of refugees and security arrangements.
While a majority of Israelis support a two-state solution with the Palestinians, polls suggest there is less support for a partition of Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as their future capital. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and the territory has since been taken over by the Islamic militant Hamas group that does not accept Abbas' authority.
Israel and the Palestinians have engaged in several rounds of negotiations since Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization recognized each other in 1993.
At least twice, in 2001 and in 2008, the two sides reportedly made significant progress. Since then, many on both sides have become skeptical about a possible deal.
Palestinians suspect Netanyahu is interested in the process of negotiations, as a diplomatic cover, but not in an actual deal. Israelis fear territory they hand over to a weak Abbas could quickly turn into a staging ground for attacks on them by Palestinian militants, as happened in Gaza.
"The chances for a permanent solution are not high," Interior Minister Gideon Saar told Israel Radio. "The Palestinians are not ready to make the historic decision to end the conflict between them and us."
The Palestinians, too, were hardly optimistic.
"We are skeptical about these talks because the Israelis are not going to stop building in the settlements and because they didn't accept the '67 borders," said Tawfiq Tirawi, a member of Abbas' Fatah Party. "What we got in return for going back to negotiations is an American pledge that the talks will be on the '67 borders, and historically the Americans always gave us such pledges but they never abided by these pledges."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israelis-palestinians-skeptical-peace-talks-131855792.html
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