Sea surface temperatures reach highest level in 150 years on Northeast continental shelf

Apr. 26, 2013 ? Sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem during 2012 were the highest recorded in 150 years, according to the latest Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). These high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are the latest in a trend of above average temperature seen during the spring and summer seasons, and part of a pattern of elevated temperatures occurring in the Northwest Atlantic, but not seen elsewhere in the ocean basin over the past century.

The advisory reports on conditions in the second half of 2012.

Sea surface temperature for the Northeast Shelf Ecosystem reached a record high of 14 degrees Celsius (57.2?F) in 2012, exceeding the previous record high in 1951. Average SST has typically been lower than 12.4 C (54.3 F) over the past three decades.

Sea surface temperature in the region is based on both contemporary satellite remote-sensing data and long-term ship-board measurements, with historical SST conditions based on ship-board measurements dating back to 1854. The temperature increase in 2012 was the highest jump in temperature seen in the time series and one of only five times temperature has changed by more than 1 C (1.8 F).

The Northeast Shelf's warm water thermal habitat was also at a record high level during 2012, while cold water habitat was at a record low level. Early winter mixing of the water column went to extreme depths, which will impact the spring 2013 plankton bloom. Mixing redistributes nutrients and affects stratification of the water column as the bloom develops.

Temperature is also affecting distributions of fish and shellfish on the Northeast Shelf. The advisory provides data on changes in distribution, or shifts in the center of the population, of seven key fishery species over time. The four southern species -- black sea bass, summer flounder, longfin squid and butterfish -- all showed a northeastward or upshelf shift. American lobster has shifted upshelf over time but at a slower rate than the southern species. Atlantic cod and haddock have shifted downshelf."

"Many factors are involved in these shifts, including temperature, population size, and the distributions of both prey and predators," said Jon Hare, a scientist in the NEFSC's Oceanography Branch. A number of recent studies have documented changing distributions of fish and shellfish, further supporting NEFSC work reported in 2009 that found about half of the 36 fish stocks studied in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the past four decades.

The Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The NEFSC has monitored this ecosystem with comprehensive sampling programs since1977. Prior to 1977, this ecosystem was monitored by the NEFSC through a series of separate, coordinated programs dating back decades.

Warming conditions on the Northeast Shelf in the spring of 2012 continued into September, with the most consistent warming conditions seen in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank. Temperatures cooled by October and were below average in the Middle Atlantic Bight in November, perhaps due to Superstorm Sandy, but had returned to above average conditions by December.

"Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing and strength of spring and fall plankton blooms could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature," Kevin Friedland, a scientist in the NEFSC Ecosystem Assessment Program, said. He noted that the contrast between years with, and without, a fall bloom is emerging as an important driver of the shelf's ecology. "The size of the spring plankton bloom was so large that the annual chlorophyll concentration remained high in 2012 despite low fall activity. These changes will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem."

Michael Fogarty, who heads the Ecosystem Assessment Program, says the abundance of fish and shellfish is controlled by a complex set of factors, and that increasing temperatures in the ecosystem make it essential to monitor the distribution of many species, some of them migratory and others not.

"It isn't always easy to understand the big picture when you are looking at one specific part of it at one specific point in time," Fogarty said, a comparison similar to not seeing the forest when looking at a single tree in it. "We now have information on the ecosystem from a variety of sources collected over a long period of time, and are adding more data to clarify specific details. The data clearly show a relationship between all of these factors."

"What these latest findings mean for the Northeast Shelf ecosystem and its marine life is unknown," Fogarty said. "What is known is that the ecosystem is changing, and we need to continue monitoring and adapting to these changes."

Ecosystem advisories have been issued twice a year by the NEFSC's Ecosystem Assessment Program since 2006 as a way to routinely summarize overall conditions in the region. The reports show the effects of changing coastal and ocean temperatures on fisheries from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border. The advisories provide a snapshot of the ecosystem for the fishery management councils and also a broad range of stakeholders from fishermen to researchers.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/OO7wc-3mfWU/130426115614.htm

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Internet sales tax bill cruising through Senate but will hit roadblock in ...

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WASHINGTON ? A bill to require Internet shoppers to pay sales taxes for online purchases may be cruising through the Senate but it will soon hit a roadblock in the House.

?There?s a lot of political difficulty getting through the fog of it looking like a tax increase,? said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., one of the main sponsors of the bill in the House.

The bill would empower states to reach outside their borders and compel online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

Womack says the bill is not a tax increase. Instead, he says, it simply gives states a mechanism to enforce current taxes.

In many states, shoppers are required to pay unpaid sales taxes when they file state tax returns. But governors complain that few people comply.

The Senate voted 63-30 Thursday to end debate on the bill, though senators delayed a final vote on passage until May 6, when they return from a weeklong vacation. Opponents hope senators hear from angry constituents over the next week, but they acknowledged they have a steep hill to climb to defeat the bill in the Senate.

President Barack Obama supports the bill.

Senate Democratic leaders wanted to finish work on the bill this week, before leaving town for the recess. But they were blocked by a handful of senators from states without sales taxes.

Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire and Delaware have no sales taxes, though the two senators from Delaware support the bill.

?I think it?s going to be interesting for senators to get a response from constituents over this upcoming week,? said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. ?I?m not sure that the country knows that something like this coerces businesses all around America to collect other people?s sales taxes.?

The bill pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart against online services such as eBay. The National Retail Federation supports it. And Amazon.com, which initially fought efforts in some states to make it collect sales taxes, supports it, too.

Retailers who have lobbied in favour of the bill celebrated Thursday?s vote.

?The special treatment of big online businesses at the expense of retailers on Main Street will soon be a thing of the past,? said Bill Hughes of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. ?The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for levelling the playing field is rare in today?s political environment and paves the way for a level playing field once and for all.?

Supporters say the bill is about fairness for local businesses that already collect sales taxes and for states that lose revenue. Opponents say the bill would impose complicated regulations on retailers and doesn?t have enough protections for small businesses. Businesses with less than $1 million a year in online sales would be exempt.

Many of the nation?s governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales.

The issue is getting bigger for states as more people make purchases online. Last year, Internet sales in the U.S. totalled $226 billion, up nearly 16 per cent from the previous year, according to Commerce Department estimates.

The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that states lost $23 billion last year because they couldn?t collect taxes on out-of-state sales.

Anti-tax groups have labeled the bill a tax increase. But it gets support from many Senate Republicans who have pledged not to increase taxes. The bill?s main sponsor is Sen. Mike Enzi, a conservative Republican from Wyoming. He has worked closely with Sen. Dick Durbin, a liberal Democrat from Illinois.

Under the bill, states that want to collect online sales taxes must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate the taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don?t have to send them to individual counties or cities.

?Obviously, there?s a lot of consumers out there that have been accustomed to not having to pay any taxes, believing that they don?t have to pay any taxes,? Womack said. ?I totally understand that.?

But, he added, ?It?s not a tax increase and states can easily employ the proper software for the people to pay. At the end of the day it becomes more or less a political decision, and I?m not real sure where the House is going to be on it.?

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Source: http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/04/26/internet-sales-tax-bill-cruising-through-senate-but-will-hit-roadblock-in-gop-led-house/

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Bombing Suspect's Mom on Terrorism List (ABC News)

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Researcher studies hormone levels and sexual motivation among young women

Friday, April 26, 2013

Feeling frisky? If so, chances are greater your estrogen level ?? and, perhaps, fertility ?? are hitting their monthly peak. If not, you're more likely experiencing a profusion of desire-deadening progesterone, and the less fertile time in your cycle. Oh, the power of hormones.

Researchers have long suspected a correlation between hormone levels and libido, but now scientists at UC Santa Barbara, led by James Roney, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, have actually demonstrated hormonal predictors for sexual desire. Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior.

"We found two hormonal signals that had opposite effects on sexual motivation," said Roney, the article's lead author. "Estrogen was having a positive effect, but with a two-day lag. Progesterone was having a persistent negative effect, both for current day, day before, and two days earlier." When hormone levels and sexual desire were factored against the menstrual cycles of test subjects ?? in this case, undergraduate students ?? the researchers saw a measurable increase in progesterone levels at the same time the subjects noted decreases in sexual motivation. Progesterone, the researchers say, is mediating this drop in desire from the fertile window to the luteal phase ?? the second half of the menstrual cycle.

"Progesterone acting as a potential stop signal within cycles is a novel finding in humans," noted Roney. "We know in rhesus monkeys there is a strong negative correlation with progesterone and a positive correlation with estrogen. The patterns are actually comparable to what you see in non-human primates, but hadn't been shown in humans."

The researchers' findings have potential implications on the treatment of low sexual desire and how hormone replacement trials are done. "We're not controlling hormones the way they do in the hormone replacement literature, so, in a sense, that literature is more directly applicable in terms of medical applications," said Roney. "But in the long run, it would be good to have a model of the combination of signals that operates in the natural cycle. The way hormone replacement trials are done now, there's no model of the natural signals, so they're sort of random ?? let's give estrogen, let's give testosterone, let's combine them this way or that way."

Roney noted that his findings don't present a full model, and he'd like to replicate his results with women of different age groups. "Undergraduates might be unique for a lot of reasons," he said. "Their hormone levels tend to be a bit different from those of women even just a little bit older. And married women in their 30's are likely to be more consistently sexually active, and that might change the patterns in some ways. They also tend to have higher hormone secretion and more regular cycles than younger women," he said

Eventually, Roney continued, the goal would be to have a better model of the signals in a natural cycle that might then inform medical research.

Another interesting finding, according to Roney, was the impact ?? or lack thereof ?? of testosterone on the women's sexual motivation. "There's a common belief in the medical literature that testosterone is the main regulator of women's libido," he explained. "Doctors tend to believe that, though the evidence isn't that strong in humans. In the natural cycles, we weren't finding effects of testosterone. It wasn't significantly predicting outcomes."

Roney doesn't deny that testosterone does seem to have a positive effect in hormone replacement therapy, but suggests the effects may be pharmacological. "Testosterone has those effects if you inject it externally in women who are menopausal, and there are a lot of reasons that might be the case," he said. "For example, testosterone can be converted to estrogen through a particular enzyme. If you inject menopausal women with testosterone, it might be acting as a device that's delivering estrogen to the target cells. So the fact that it works doesn't necessarily mean it's an important signal in the natural cycle."

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University of California - Santa Barbara: http://www.ucsb.edu

Thanks to University of California - Santa Barbara for this article.

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Ace Technology Partners Wins Huge Air Force NETCENTS II Contract

CHICAGO (PRWEB) April 23, 2013

Ace Technology Partners, LLC, one of the leading custom computer builders and resellers in the U.S., was recently re-awarded a major contract by the U.S. Air Force through its NETCENTS II initiative. Ace Technology Partners is one of only eight companies to share the $ 7.4 billion contract and triumph in the exhaustive multi-year vetting process. The companys OEM division is Ace Computers.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) chose winners based on product and service quality demonstrated expertise, depth of industry experience, procurement experience, financial stability, and overall value. John Samborski, CEO of Ace Technology Partners said, Obviously we are very, very pleased to win this contract. Not only will this boost our current growth trajectory, but it is the supreme vote of confidence from one of the most prestigious organizations in the world.

Technology products sold through the contract include networking equipment, servers and storage, peripherals, multimedia, software, and identity management/biometric hardware and associated software.

The USAF?s NETCENTS II (Network Centric Solutions II) contract is a collection of acquisitions that will replace the original NETCENTS initiative with seven separate contracts. The purpose of NETCENTS II is to provide the USAF, Department of Defense and other federal agencies with a vetted source for standardized networking equipment, supplies and associated services. NETCENTS II contracts will be the USAF?s main source of IT products, services and solutions. The total value of NETCENTS II, which spans seven years, is more than $ 24 billion.

Ace Technology Partners brilliant track record with federal and state organizations makes it a logical choice for state-of-the-art technology solutions that deliver what they promise.

I hope our clients and prospects know what this means to them, Samborski said. Having come out on top in this very, very thorough vetting process?ahead of top global competitors?we have the experience and expertise; and can offer the highest quality, most cost-effective products and services available in the marketplace.

Multiple award-winning Ace Technology Partners, LLC along with the companys OEM division Ace Computers is a custom technology systems builder and reseller for the public sector as well as the commercial sector. It has been an industry leader since 1983. In addition to some of the finest academic institutions in the U.S., long-term clients include the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense. The company builds custom technology with the same components that top manufacturers use without the premium price. Its principal, recognized industry expert John Samborski, is an alumnus of Intels prestigious board of advisors. In addition to its Greater Chicago headquarters, the company has locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Idaho. To contact the company, call 1-877-223-2667 or 1-847-952-6900 or visit http://www.acetechpartners.com.

###

For media inquiries, contact Jean Van Rensselar at Smart PR Communications;

630-363-8081; jean(at)smartprcommunications(dot)com

For Company Background, visit: http://www.acecomputers.com/aboutus.asp

Multiple award-winning Ace Computers is a custom technology systems builder and reseller for the public sector as well as the commercial sector. It has been an industry leader since 1983. In addition to some of the finest academic institutions in the U.S., long-term clients include the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense. Ace Computers builds custom technology with the same components that top manufacturers use without the premium price. Its principal, recognized industry expert John Samborski, is an alumnus of Intels prestigious board of advisors. In addition to its Greater Chicago headquarters, Ace Computers has locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Idaho. To contact Ace Computers, call 1-877-223-2667 or 1-847-952-6900 or visit http://www.acecomputers.com.

Ace Computers on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/98135?trk=tyah

Ace Computers on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/AceComp

If so, then it is unlikely that the operating system, the application software or the computer hardware is at fault. Rather it might be corruption of the working file data used for favorite applications that can be cleared by use of Time Machine ?
Read more on Naples Daily News

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Source: http://computerhardware.only-the-news.com/ace-technology-partners-wins-huge-air-force-netcents-ii-contract/

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More Sporting Opportunities for People With Disability | Pro Bono ...

The Victorian Government will provide almost $4 million in 2013 to sport and community organisations to deliver services that open up more sporting opportunities for people with disability.

The Government says it has upgraded the Access for All Abilities Program to increase participation?of all Victorians whether as players, coaches, volunteers or administrators.

?Many sporting associations are already doing a great job in creating welcoming environments for people with disability. This renewed program will give more support to sporting associations and their clubs to involve?people with disability,? said Sports MInister, Hugh Delahunty.

Blind Sports Victoria, Tennis Victoria, Basketball Victoria, the Australian Paralympic Committee and Reclink Australia have welcomed the renewed program saying it would help broaden the reach of existing programs for disabled sports and build on the existing strengths.

?There is a significant gap between participation in sport by people with disability and the rest of the Victorian population. The proposed changes to the program will continue to help close that gap, by building stronger?links between the sports sector and people with disability,? Blind Sports Victoria President Maurice Gleeson said.

Chief Executive Officer of Basketball Victoria Nick Honey said sporting organisations like Basketball Victoria were well placed to build the capacity of sporting clubs to help people with disability at the grassroots?level.

?Basketball Victoria has already made significant achievements through our Inclusive Basketball Strategy program, enabling people with disabilities to participate in basketball across all levels of our sport. The model is highly integrated with a major focus on strengthening the capacity of Basketball Victoria and our affiliated associations to create a basketball environment that is healthier, accessible, inclusive, equitable and?welcoming for all people in our community,? Honey said.

?We have 155 Associations and around 130,000 members across the state, and I?m looking forward to encouraging more people with disability to be involved,? he said.

Tennis Victoria CEO Matthew Kennedy said he was glad to be creating more sporting opportunities for people with disability.

?We have already established some successful partnership initiatives with disability sporting organisations, such as Blind Sports Victoria, and this refocussed program will help us to create even more sporting opportunities for people with disability,? Kennedy said.

Tim Matthews from the Australian Paralympic Committee described the new
partnership as an exciting opportunity to build community sport.

?The success of the 2012 London Paralympics continued to raise awareness of what people?with disability are capable of achieving with great structures and support
systems,? Matthews said.

Adrian Panozzo, CEO said Reclink Australia has been an Access for All Abilities provider for many years.

?Our experience is that this program is at its best when it directly engages with community sport to develop and grow sustainable opportunities for people with disability, just as community sport does for the rest of?the community. Giving sport more support to do this is a positive step,? Panozzo said.

Minister Delahunty said the program will include a dedicated service to connect people with disability, with sport and recreation opportunities.?

State Sporting Associations will be eligible for funding to directly build capacity in their clubs.

Disability sports and community organisations will be invited to offer programs and services that complement and support work by State Sporting Associations and Regional Sports Assemblies.

For more information see the government website.?

Source: http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2013/04/more-sporting-opportunities-people-disability

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The Pyongyang power couple behind dynastic dictator Kim

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - Kim Kyong-hui has battled alcoholism and the killing of her lover to stand alongside her nephew, North Korea's youthful leader Kim Jong-un, as a reminder that he is the true heir of the dynasty's blood-line.

The 67-year-old daughter of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung cuts a rare female figure in Pyongyang's male-dominated hierarchy and ranks as a four-star general, often sporting her trademark dark glasses at important events.

She is married to Jang Song-thaek, seen as the second most powerful man in the North, who has survived purges and official displeasure to reach the pinnacle of his career, thanks largely to his sometimes tempestuous marriage to Kim.

This Pyongyang power couple has formed a kind of regency in the obscurantist political world of the North behind its young and mercurial leader, who succeeded his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011.

In recent weeks, the 30-year-old dictator has threatened the United States with nuclear attack, declared a "state of war" with South Korea and announced he was restarting a plutonium reactor at the Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear plant - all on top of conducting a third nuclear test in February and a long-range rocket test in December.

The couple's reach is augmented by their control over the ruling Korean Workers' Party's secret funds that handle the Kim family's finances both at home and abroad, according to An Chan-il, a former North Korean military officer who defected to the South and has become an expert on the North's power elite.

North Korea is one of the most heavily sanctioned states, and uses its diplomats to smuggle cash and contraband, according to South Korean officials and experts on its opaque finances.

BROTHER AND SISTER

Kim Jong-un's aunt rarely appeared in public until it was clear to the Pyongyang elite in 2010 that former ruler Kim Jong-il's health was deteriorating rapidly.

Jang Sung-min, a former South Korean member of parliament who has met Jang Song-thaek, said that while Kim Kyong-hui was a hugely symbolic figure for North Korea as the daughter of the revolutionary leader, she would not otherwise be a public figure. "If Kim Kyong-hui, a woman in a very male dominated society like North Korea, has to go around showing her face on camera, then things must be really desperate," Jang said.

Kyong-hui's mother died in her 30s in 1948. With Kim Il-sung soon plotting the 1950 Korean War and later remarriage, Kyong-hui and her brother Jong-il were left to form close bonds, according to Hwang Jang-yop, a former Workers' Party secretary and the most senior North Korean to defect.

Hwang was an ideologue who helped Kim Il-sung formulate the country's Juche philosophy that fuses Marxism, extreme nationalism and a call for self sufficiency. Hwang, who died in South Korea in 2010, was a close family friend of Jang and Kim, and his son would later marry Jang's niece.

One of Kyong-hui's brothers was reported to have died at a young age in a swimming accident at a family villa in Pyongyang, according to another North defector. "Kim Jong-il is extremely close to Kim Kyong-hui, his little sister," Hwang wrote in a recollection of the ruling family. Other North Koreans confirmed the siblings' closeness and said Kyong-hui occupied a crucial role between her father and brother.

Kim Jong-il supported her when her father opposed her decision to marry, said Jang Jin-song, a North Korean defector who previously worked at the Workers' Party United Front Department, a propaganda unit tasked with destabilizing South Korea. "But she was also very distrustful of him (Kim Jong-il)," Jang said, recalling she was caught in a power struggle between father and son as the junior Kim was being groomed to succeed on Kim Il-sung's death in 1994.

"It's around this time that she started drinking," said Jang, who said he had seen Kim and her husband bicker at public functions while he was working as a state TV reporter. Jang defected to the South in 2004 and now works as a writer.

TROUBLESOME HUSBAND

While the love-hate relationship between Kyong-hui and her late brother can no longer harm North Korea's new leader, her troubled marriage to Jang could, according to defectors and experts on the North.

Jang, 67, has survived purges and been rehabilitated to stand at the peak of power as Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission, the country's top military body, and is a member of the ruling Workers' Party Politburo. Recently, Pak Pong-ju, a close ally of Jang, was appointed prime minister, making a comeback from an earlier purge and further cementing the influential uncle's power. Pak was previously director of the Worker's Party Light Industry Department, where he succeeded Kim Kyong-hui.

"Jang is both the greatest benefactor and the greatest threat (to Kim Jong-un)", said Park Hyeong-jung at the state-run Korea Institute of National Unification in Seoul, who has extensively studied the North's ruling elite.

Kim and Jang met when they were students at Kim Il-sung University. He had good looks and charm, was popular and outgoing, known more for partying and deftness with the accordion than his academic achievements, said Hwang, the senior defector, who was head of the school at the time. "I thought she was just young before, but then realized she was very confident and determined," Hwang said of Kim.

Her future husband's humble background made Jang a less than ideal suitor for the headstrong daughter of North Korea's founder. Yet Kim Kyong-hui did not let her father's objections stop her from marrying - with the help of her brother, said Jang Jin-song, the defector.

The marriage was not a happy one, said Jang Jin-song. As Jang Song-thaek started rising through the ranks of the Workers' Party, he became less attentive to his family. It was an open secret that he partied hard and womanized, said defectors now in Seoul and South Korean politicians who met Jang on a 2002 visit as part of an economic delegation touring the South's industrial successes.

Their daughter Kum-song, died in an apparent suicide while attending school in France, ironically because her parents objected to her boyfriend, according to Jang Jin-song.

DOOMED AFFAIR

Kim Kyong-hui herself had an affair with a young pianist, Kim Song-ho, who taught her daughter, according to Jang, who recalled that a classmate of his at the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance had been a rival for Kim's affections. The piano teacher, a former child prodigy and household name, and who was 10 years younger than his paramour, would soon disappear. Kyong-hui would be told he had committed suicide.

But Jang the defector said Kim knew her husband had her lover killed, one of a vast number of people who fell victim to a reign of terror Jang Song-thaek orchestrated in the late 1990s to bolster the power of his brother-in-law.

Kim and Jang, while never divorcing, would separate.

Before he became the power behind the throne under Kim Jong-un, Jang was ejected from the elite in 2004 for angering Kim Jong-il by hosting lavish parties, according to media reports and assessments by South Korean think-tanks. Two years later, he was back, and in 2011 was widely credited with orchestrating the ouster of Army chief of staff, Ri Yong-ho, a major rival who had been a loyal aide to the father of Pyongyang's current leader.

"It is Jang who is pulling the strings of people," Han Ki-beom, a long-time North Korea specialist at the South's spy agency, wrote in a paper on Kim Jong-un's leadership. Han has been tapped to be deputy director of the National Intelligence Service by South Korean President Park Geun-hye. He declined to be interviewed for this article.

MILITARY PURGES

The power of the husband and wife team at Kim Jong-un's side could spell trouble for their nephew should the army seek revenge for a series of purges of senior military officials over the past year, said Jang Sung-min, the former deputy and aide to former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung - who boosted ties with the North through his Sunshine Policy and visited Pyongyang in 2000 for a summit meeting with Kim Jong-il.

"Kim Kyong-hui's source of power is her blood relationship to Kim Il-sung and being the sister of the 'Dear General' (Kim Jong-il). Jang Song-thaek's source of power is her," said Jang Sung-min.

"When Kim Kyong-hui dies, it will deal a serious blow to the power base of Jang Song-thaek and Kim Jong-un."

(Additional reporting by Narae Kim; Editing by David Chance, Bill Tarrant and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pyongyang-power-couple-behind-dynastic-dictator-kim-210032435.html

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