Friday, May 29, 2009

U.S. man 85 who gave secrets to Israel spared prison

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An 85-year-old former civilian employee of the U.S. Army was fined but avoided prison time on Friday after earlier pleading guilty to giving classified documents to Israel in the 1980s in a case the sentencing judge said was "shrouded in mystery."

Court documents showed that Ben-Ami Kadish, who was fined $50,000 but spared prison time, reported to the same handler as Jonathan Pollard, an American who spied for Israel in the 1980s and triggered a scandal that rocked U.S.-Israeli relations.

"Why it took the government 23 years to charge Mr. Kadish is shrouded in mystery," U.S. District Judge William Pauley said during the sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court. "It is clear the (U.S.) government could have charged Mr. Kadish with far more serious crimes."

Kadish pleaded guilty in December to acting as an unregistered agent of Israel. He was arrested in April 2008 on four counts of conspiracy and espionage. The spying charge, dropped under a plea deal, had carried a possible death sentence.

"I am sorry I made a mistake," a frail-looking Kadish said during the sentencing hearing. "I thought I was helping the state of Israel without harming the United States."

The judge said he gave a lenient sentence due to Kadish's age and infirmity, but said Kadish had committed "a grave offense" and had "abused the trust" of the United States. For much of the hearing, Kadish sat slumped in his chair with heavy eyelids. At one stage, he had to be shaken awake by his lawyer.

MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Prosecutors had recommended no prison time as part of the plea deal. They said between 1980 and 1985 Kadish provided classified documents, including some relating to U.S. missile defense systems, to an Israeli agent, Yosef Yagur, who photographed the documents at Kadish's residence.

Yagur also was Pollard's main Israeli contact. Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to spying for Israel in 1986. Israel gave Pollard citizenship in 1996 and acknowledged he was one of its spies in 1998.

During the hearing, the judge questioned a prosecutor as to why it took so long to charge Kadish when the telephone records on which the case was based were available in the mid-1980s.

"There is no mystery behind it, it's just what happened," said prosecutor Iris Lan, who explained she understood it took the FBI that amount of time to assemble the evidence.

The judge also questioned Kadish's lawyer about how Kadish was able to earn $104,000 in 2007 when he does not work. His lawyer said it was from investments.

Kadish was born in the United States but grew up on a farm in Palestine before the founding of the modern state of Israel. He served in the British and U.S. armies in World War II.

From 1980 to 1985, Yagur asked Kadish to obtain classified documents, which Kadish retrieved from the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey, according to a sworn statement by Kadish. Kadish said he kept up a friendship with Yagur after 1985.

"While Kadish knew he was aiding Israel, an ally to the United States, he also knew his crime compromised the national security," the judge said.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE54S65H20090529

A DEEP VIEW ON NIAGARA


The Niagara Falls is huge waterfalls on the Niagara River, spanning the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (i.e. 27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (i.e. 120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, connecting the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections divided by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which lies on the Canadian side of the border, and American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island.

More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of waterfalls over the crest line every minute in high flow and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most dominant waterfall in North America. The Niagara Falls is renowned both for it beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the stability between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

LATEST DIGITAL PAINTING TECHNIQUE


Digital painting is a rising art form which traditional painting techniques such as watercolor, oils paintings and etc. are applied to computer by means of digital tools, a digitizing tablet and stylus, and software.

Digital painting thrives mostly in invention art. This painting is widely used in theoretical design for film, television and video games. Digital painting software like Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Art Rage, GIMP, and open Canvas give artists a similar atmosphere to a physical painter.

There are different types of digital painting, including impressionism, practicality and watercolor. There are both positive and negative points on digital painting.

In general the digital painting user can create their own brush style using a combination of texture and shape. So as the digital painting allows the artist to work in an organized, mess-free environment.

Still some argues that there should be more control for an artist to hold a physical brush. Some artists believe that something is missing in digital painting compared to other paintings.