Liberty Newspost April-2-2012

Curated News Edition
- 02/04/12
http://www.LibertyNewspost.com
Plane crash in Siberia kills 31 of 43 on board

(USATODAY.com Feed)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:36:57 AM
operated by UTair was flying from Tyumen to the oil town of Surgut with 39 passengers and MOSCOW (AP) A passenger four crew. plane crashed in Siberia shortly The aircraft went down on a after taking off Monday morning, snowy field outside Tyumen, a killing 31 of the 43 people on regional center in Siberia about b o a r d , R u s s i a n e m e r g e n c y 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) officials said. The 12 survivors east of Moscow. The cause of the were hospitalized in serious crash was not immediately clear. condition. UTair published a list of the By Marat Gubaydullin, AP passengers and crew, and none of Russian Emergency ministry them appeared to be foreigners. rescue workers search the site of The Emergency Situations the ATR-72 plane crash outside Ministry gave the figures for the Tyumen, a major regional center dead and for survivors. in Siberia, Russia, on Monday. Russia has seen a string of deadly crashes in recent years. Some By Marat Gubaydullin, AP have been blamed on the use of Russian Emergency ministry aging Soviet-era aircraft, but rescue workers search the site of industry experts point to a number the ATR-72 plane crash outside of other problems, including poor Tyumen, a major regional center crew training, crumbling airports, in Siberia, Russia, on Monday. lax government controls and The ATR-72, a French-Italian- widespread neglect of safety in made twin-engine turboprop, the pursuit of profits. [unable to retrieve full-text content] [unable to retrieve full-text content] [unable to retrieve full-text content]
2010, killing all 68 people on board. Cuban aviation officials said the investigation showed there was nothing wrong with the aircraft. In August 2009, an ATR-72 flown by Bangkok Airways skidded off the runway and crashed into a building after Pilot error was blamed for a landing in stormy weather on the September crash in Yaroslavl, a Thai resort island of Samui, Russian city 250 kilometers (150 killing the pilot and injuring seven miles) northeast of Moscow, that people. killed 44 people, including a Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This professional hockey team. Pilot error and fog also were material may not be published, ruled the main causes of a crash in b r o a d c a s t , r e w r i t t e n o r April 2010 that killed Poland's r e d i s t r i b u t e d . F o r m o r e president and 95 other people as information about reprints & their plane was trying to land near permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and Smolensk, in western Russia. The ATR-72 has been involved clarifications, contact Standards in several accidents in past years. E d i t o r B r e n t J o n e s . F o r Most recently, one went down in publication consideration in the bad weather in Cuba in November newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include
name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Swing States Poll: A shift by women puts Obama in lead

(USATODAY.com Feed)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 7:32:09 AM
The biggest change came among women under 50. In midFebruary, just under half of those By Susan Page, USA TODAY voters supported Obama. Now Updated more than six in 10 do while MILWAUKEE President Romney's support among them Obama has opened the first has dropped by 14 points, to 30%. significant lead of the 2012 The president leads him 2-1 in campaign in the nation's dozen this group. top battleground states, a USA Romney's main advantage is TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, among men 50 and older, boosted by a huge shift of women swamping Obama 56%-38%. to his side. Republicans' traditional strength By Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty among men "won't be good Images President Obama speaks enough if we're losing women by during a campaign event at the nine points or 10 points," says Southern Maine Community Sara Taylor Fagen, a Republican College in Portland, Maine, on strategist and former political Friday. adviser to President George W. Bush. "The focus on By Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty contraception has not been a good Images one for us and Republicans President Obama speaks during a have unfairly taken on water on campaign event at the Southern this issue." Maine Community College in IN WISCONSIN: GOP stances Portland, Maine, on Friday. alienate women, Obama team In the fifth Swing States survey says taken since last fall, Obama leads In the poll, Romney leads among Republican front-runner Mitt all men by a single point, but the R o m n e y 5 1 % - 4 2 % a m o n g president leads among women by registered voters just a month 1 8 . T h a t r e f l e c t s a g r e a t e r after the president had trailed him disparity between the views of by two percentage points. men and women than the 12-point [unable to retrieve full-text content]
gender gap in the 2008 election. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina says Romney's promise to "end Planned Parenthood" the former Massachusetts governor says he wants to eliminate federal funding for the group and his endorsement of an amendment that would allow employers to refuse to cover contraception in health care plans have created "severe problems" for him in the general election. "Romney's run to the right may be winning him Tea Party votes," Messina said in an interview, but he says it's demonstrated that "American women can't trust Romney to stand up for them." He adds: "It would be hard for them to win if you have this kind of gender gap." Romney pollster Neil Newhouse
predicts the gender gap will narrow as Romney moves from the pitched battle of the GOP primaries Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia vote Tuesday to a fall election focused on economic issues. "If there's a gender gap, it goes beyond Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum to a partisan gender gap," Newhouse said in an interview. "It's not Romney-specific. I would argue that it's broader than that." While women typically are more likely to identify themselves as Democrats than men are, that difference widens to a chasm in the USA TODAY poll. By 41%24%, women call themselves Democrats; men by 27%-25% say they're Republicans. The survey of 933 registered voters, taken March 20-26, has a margin of error of +/- 4 points. The swing states surveyed are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about reprints &
permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Miller leads Hall of Fame class of 2012

(Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)
Five-time All-Star Reggie Miller coaches and teams that will be and longtime coach Don Nelson inducted into the Naismith are among a dozen players, Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame.
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Buckeye budgeteer: GOP Sen. Rob Portman

(The Front Page)
No sooner had Sen. Rob Portman welcomed HUMAN EVENTS intern Terrance Williams and me to his Senate office March 21 than the freshman Republican from Ohio walked us into an adjoining conference room. Looking down at us from a painting on the wall was Portmans political hero: Ohio Republican Sen. Robert A. Taft. This is the Bob Taft conference room, said Portman, proudly telling us we were in the same conference room used by the revered conservative senator from the Buckeye State (1938-53) who unsuccessfully sought the GOP presidential nomination three times. Aware that young Terrance might not be familiar with Taft, Portman patiently explained why the senator and son of a president was a national leader conservatives admired in the post-World War II years as they later would Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. He spoke of Tafts commitment to a balanced budget, reduced taxes and the landmark labor reform measure that bears his name: the Taft-Hartley Act. Underscoring his admiration for Taft, the 55-year-old Portmans brings out a copy of Mr. Republican, James Pattersons definitive biography of Taft. On the bookshelf to the right of the senators desk sits 1948, historian
David Pietruszas much-praised new book on the election in which Taft made his second bid for the GOP presidential standard. In many ways, Rob Portman is like Robert Taft in his early years as a senator: someone colleagues and Republicans outside Congress look to for guidance and leadership on key issues. As head of the Office of Management and Budget in George W. Bushs second term, Portman is considered one of the premier authorities on spending and budget matters in Congress. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School, the young Portman served as a White House staffer under the elder George Bush. In 1992, when then-Republican Rep. Bill Gradison was considering whether to run again, Portman recalled, thats when [Ohio GOP Rep. and present House Speaker] John Boehner took me out to lunch and said, Get ready. And thats why Im here today, probably, because he got me thinking about running for Congress. Gradison did run again and win in 92, but then resigned to take a private-sector job. With help from some hard-hitting radio commercials by First Lady Barbara Bush, Portman won the special election and held the district until 05, when George W. Bush tapped him to be U.S. trade representative. After that, he became Bushs budget boss.
And that led to our obvious first question: Is the country ever going to get a budget? On the Ryan planand whether we get a budget at all It is unbelievable to me that, in a time of record deficits and debt, were not even doing a budget, Portman told us. The Senate has not done a budget now for three years. We have no blueprint as to how we get out of this mess because the Senate leadership refuses to even bring a budget to the floor for consideration. And Im on the Budget Committee and, frankly, Im a little bored because Im not doing anything in terms of the budget. The reason Congress is not moving forward, insisted Portman, is that the Democratic leadership of the Senate refuses to even begin the process. The House will pass a budget again this year I believe. They passed one last year. I voted for it. Im likely to support it again this year. Do I agree with everything in it? No, you never do in a budget. They are incredibly comprehensive documents, because they deal with both the revenue and the spending side. Turning to Terrance, Portman said, I feel strongly that we need to have a responsible answer to the question that your generation is asking, which is, are we going to leave you holding the bag. Are we going to leave you with a budget deficit that is so significant that you can not have the kind of
opportunities that your parents and grandparents had. Are we going to care more about the next election or the next generation? Thats whats at stake here. With House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) having unveiled the House budget plan just days before our interview, Portman says, without hesitation: I like it. I voted for it last time. I like the idea of the approach to Medicare where you give people a choice. I believe people will choose the private plans because I think theyll offer them more benefits and more flexibility and seniors will make an informed choice. So I think thats the way to go and it also has the advantage of putting Medicare more into a market -based, consumer-oriented or patientcentric system, where private sector plans are competing for their business. Because he is so closely identified with budget and spending issues, Portmans commitment to social conservatism is sometimes questioned. But the senator, who is strongly pro-life, voted a conservative line (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 89 percent) on most issues during his years in the U.S. House. Social issues are very important, he says, But, theyre not, in my view, the central issue of the campaign this year. The central issues are going to be
issues where Congress and an administration can make or break our economy. It is creating the climate for success or the climate for overregulation, higher taxes and failure. I think thats the central challenge of our time: How to get the debt and deficit under control, and how to create an environment for economic success. T hats why weve been on this jobs plan. We had a jobs plan in the campaign. I then brought it to Congress. I got all 47 [Republican] senators to support it. Its a common sense approach saying, tax reform regulatory relief, healthcare cost reduction, energy production. Those are the central issues. Will Portman, like Taft, run nationally after one year? Romney owes Portman bigtime, was a mantra among political junkies that made the rounds on Twitter March 20, the evening of the Ohio presidential primary. In eking out a win over Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney had strong campaign assistance from freshman Sen. Portman and the former Massachusetts governor performed exceptionally well in CincinnatiPortman country, where the senator comes from and where he was a popular congressman for a dozen years. Along with helping Romney to win a key primary and his own impressive resume, Portman is touted as a vice presidential BUCKEYE page 7
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Archives bends under rush for 1940 census records; share your family stories msnbc.com
(Top Stories - Google News)
records to find information about the loved or lost in your family, Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:21:25 PM please post a note in the U p d a t e : T h e N a t i o n a l comments below or on our Open Archives had said it wasn't sure Channel page on Facebook. whether its computers could U.S. Census records for handle the load, and delays were individuals from April 1, 1940, reported. In Springfield, Ohio, protected until now by a 72-year F a c e b o o k u s e r V a l L o u g h privacy law, are now public for commented on our page: " It's the first time, revealing details very sweet of them to put all of about millions of Americans from these records on line. It would be that day, as the country lingered even nicer of them to make the in a Great Depression, still a year records VISIBLE. None of them a w a y f r o m e n t r y i n t o w a r will download, I have a browser i n E u r o p e a n d t h e P a c i f i c . window opening that's 'loading' "I'm so excited!" Gary Robert Del the documents and has been for Carlo of Martinsburg, W.Va., about 20 minutes. You might posted on Facebook. "Maybe for want to find out what their issues the first time ever, I'll be able to are. It would be faster to mail a find out something about my public records request to the father. All I have is my birth National Archives." Many others certificate with his name, date of are tweeting about delays. The birth, state born in, and that he National Archives says it is was in the Army stationed in putting more servers online to Washington State. His military handle the crush. (Hey, you've records burned up in St. Louis in a waited 72 years to see these fire in 1973. They would have records, so what's a little more told me a lot. Wrote for his birth time?) certificate, and there was no A time capsule from 1940 records of his birth. I have done was opened on Monday at 9 a.m. nothing but hit brick walls every ET, and we invite readers to share which way I turn. I'm praying I what they find. If you use the new find something useful tomorrow,
anything." NPR describes the release as the "Super Bowl for Genealogists." Librarians around the country are ready to provide assistance. At the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the staff will be serving cake and providing help. When the 120,000 census takers counted 132,164,569 people living in the country on that day, the information collected included the address, whether the house was owned or rented, value of the home or monthly rent, is it considered a farm, names of adults and children, familiy relationships, sex, race, age, place of birth, citizenship, residence five years earlier, education. And for a small subset of people, about 5 percent, they were asked about place of birth of mother and father, language spoken in the home as a child, veteran status, wars served in, Social Security status, occupation, employment status, occupation, number of weeks worked in 1939, income and, for women, whether they had been married more than once, age at first marriage, and number of children ever born.
There is a catch. As the records go online, they can't be searched by name. For a city it's helpful to know an exact address, but often you can work with a neighborhood (near the corner of Canal and Varrick streets in New York City). Your public library may have old city directories or telephone directories from that period, allowing you to look up people by name to find an address. For a rural area, you need to know at least the county and the name of the town or township. Genealogists, librarians and volunteers will begin the work of indexing the records, which eventually will allow searches by name. Two sites, the commercial Ancestry.com and the Mormon Church's FamilySearch.org, have announced plans to provide indexes to their customers as quickly as possible, with some images going online on Monday. Update: FamilySearch started putting images from the Census files online, beginning with Delaware, then Virginia. But for most of the country, for now, you must know at least an approximate address to get
started. You use that address to find an "enumeration district," which in a big city might be only a few blocks, and would be a larger area in a small town. Another approach, for those interested in a specific place, is to look at all the records for your block or street. If your area was settled in 1940, who lived there then, and what were their lives like? Your goal: With that district number, you can look on the Census website at the online copy of the form filled out by the census taker in 1940. In 70 years, it has gone from paper to microfilm to computer. Here are resources to help you with the search (links open in a new window), though as with most things in life, the key is: Ask a librarian. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Top News/ Business/
Be glad you didn't win the Mega Millions jackpot - Chicago Sun-Times
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:20:51 PM
jackpot in the Mega Millions drawing. Lots of talk about helping out the family and setting B y R I C H A R D R O E P E R up a charity foundation and rroeper@suntimes.com April 2, quitting the job and living the 2012 12:04PM dream. W hen you tell people youre Not so much talk about lawyering sick, you get one of two reactions: up and preparing for an onslaught A. Whats wrong? Can I do of requests for grants, loans, gifts, anything? Hope you feel better partnerships and investment soon. opportunities. Not so much about Or: B. Youre sick, and you the rifts with coworkers or friends came to work? Get away from claiming they should be sharing in me. I dont want to get sick. the jackpot because you always Theres a ittle bit of a character bought tickets together. Not so test there. much about the inevitable The same goes for how people moment when a relative stops respond when you come into good speaking to you because you financial fortune. A. Good for wont give him any more money. you! Thats awesome. If anyone As of Monday morning, lottery deserves it, you do. officials are saying none of the B. Must be nice. Hey, can I talk three winners has come forward to you for a second? If I can just but we already have our first borrow some money, I can get out brewing controversy with the of debt... New York Post report about a 37Last week, half the nation was year-old woman from Maryland indulging in giddy fantasies about who first said shed won and now what they would do if they won is saying shes not sure but if the record-setting $656 million she does indeed have a winning
ticket, its not from the group plan she had with her fellow McDonalds employees. Here we go. Lotto headache From the Post: Mega Millions mania has plunged a Maryland McDonalds into a bubbling cauldron of controversy hotter than a deepfried apple pie. Workers at the fast-food joint who pooled their cash for tickets are furious at a colleague who claims she won with a ticket she bought for herself and has no intention of sharing. According to the story, Mirland Wilson was in charge of buying the tickets for a pool of McDonalds employees. But Wilsons claiming the winning ticket was purchased separately. Good luck with that. If Wilson does have the winning ticket, unless she handed the stack of pool tickets to someone else in the group, took photos of the separate stacks or otherwise took steps BEFORE the drawing to
differentiate between the two, I dont how she wins her claim. And even if it turns out Wilson didnt win, when we talk about odds, heres one probability for you: At least one of the three big winners will either be sued by coworkers saying they deserve a share or will be telling us 10 years from now they wish theyd never won. Thats what Alex Snelius told us last week. In September 2000, the semi-retired truck mechanic from the south suburbs beat 175 million -to-1 odds and won a $64 million jackpot, taking home $18.5 million. Snelius built million-dollar homes for his grown children, started giving away money to charity (For every home run, Alex Snelius makes a $100 donation to White Sox charities in loving memory of his wife Ursula), made loans to friends. Fast forward to last week. The homes are gone. There are myriad family troubles. Snelius isnt
broke, but he estimates if he ever got all the money back that hes loaned out, it would be as much as $8 million. The day before we spoke, hed lent $120,000 to an associate, knowing hed never see it again. You ask if he wish hed never won, and the answer is a resounding yes. I know. Itd be different if you or I won. Wed surround ourselves with the best lawyers, wed set up a charitable foundation run by the best people, wed share our good fortune with family and friends. Wed avoid the pitfalls that trouble so many other megawinners. Who no doubt said the same thing when they were fantasizing about hitting the ultimate jackpot. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
New Housing Program Manager to Focus on Prioritizing, Funding - LoanSafe

(housing - Google News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:58:11 AM
New Housing Program Manager to Focus on Prioritizing, Funding LoanSafe
(MCT) The day after Irene Hart begins work as Hutchinson's first housing program manager
April 16, she'll be stuck in a workshop for cities interested in applying for Community
Development Block Grants. I'm fairly familiar with programs,...
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The debunker: Think ObamaCare will save lives? Think again.

(The Front Page)
Lets compare the actual results of pre-ObamaCare medicine in the U.S. with OECD averages, as As the Supreme Court was reported by the OECD itself. preparing to consider whether the Comparing the most common C o n s t i t u t i o n e m p o w e r s t h e causes of deathheart attack, president to force American s t r o k e a n d c a n c e r y i e l d s citizens to patronize a particular surprising results. Contrary to private industry, the Heritage myth, average mortality rates in F o u n d a t i o n s R o b e r t B l u e y the OECD are actually higher obtained a remarkable White than in the US across a wide H o u s e s t r a t e g y m e m o . range of such risks: A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f f i c i a l s , i t Heart attacks: the rate of inreveals, are coordinating with hospital mortality following acute liberal activist groups to pressure myocardial infarction: 26 percent the court to ignore constitutional higher issues, and to focus instead on real people and real benefits that would be lost if the law were Strokes: 45 percent higher for overturned. women; 54 percent higher for The administrations message is men that the need for ObamaCare is so Cancer: 5 percent higher for urgent that obstacles like the women; 11 percent higher for Constitution must be swept aside. men Such trifles cannot be permitted to For the most common cancers, obstruct the United States from average OECD mortality rates are joining the civilized world of also higher than in the U.S.: socialized medicine. After all, the Prostate cancer: 28 percent U.S. has the most expensive and higher w o r s t m e d i c a l c a r e o f a l l Colorectal cancer: 32 percent industrialized nations, according higher to the Organization for Economic Cervical cancer: 52 percent Cooperation and Development higher (OECD), an international organization of (mostly) western For breast cancer, the 5-year democracies. survival rate in the U.S. is 7 BUNK percent higher than the OECD
average. But perhaps the most perfect comparison is between the U.S. and Canada. In both countries, smoking rates fell from 42 percent in 1965 to 16 percent in 2009, but Canada has a European-style single-payer health system. The result: the mortality rate for men with lung cancer is 5 percent higher in Canada than in the U.S. All this excess mortality under socialized medicine means that many people in the OECD die unnecessarily. ObamaCare, bringing this system to the U.S., means that many Americans will face the same fatealthough these are probably not the real people the administration wants the court to focus on. Okay, so socialized medicine kills people. At least its cheap. Or is it? Has any democracy ever spent less on medical care after increasing government involvement? U.S. government spending on medical care was relatively constant, at about one percent of GDP, until 1965. That year marks a sharp inflection point, ending this period of relative stability and beginning our era of runaway spending. What happened that year? Medicare and Medicaid were enacted.
Indeed, over the last decade real per capita healthcare spending in those OECD countries most frequently mentioned as models for the U.S. to emulate grew at rates comparable to the United States. If future spending in the U.S. follows the pattern of these models, our medical costs under ObamaCare will go up, not down. In sum, if the court sustains ObamaCare, we will have surrendered the constitutional freedom for which generations of Americans have givenand are still givingtheir lives, for the privilege of paying more, so that more Americans can die. Are these what Obama considers real benefits that would be lost if the law were overturned? Mark LaRochelle was editor at the National Journalism Center and contributing editor at Consumers' Research. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
China 'No Comment' Rule Prompts Plenty of Online Chatter Wall Street Journal
(china - Google News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:25:17 AM
USA TODAY China'No Comment' Rule Prompts Plenty of Online Chatter Wall Street Journal By LORETTA CHAO and JOSH CHIN BEIJINGThe Chinese government's latest Internet crackdown has sparked a wave of online criticism over its censorship of political discussion, as authorities grapple with growing dissatisfaction among China's massive base... China answers coup rumors with Web crackdown Detroit Free Press Sina, Renren Shares Survive China Censorship Crackdown Forbes China shuts down 16 websites in effort to curb rumors USA TODAY BusinessWeek- TIME (blog) all 842 news articles
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A Wisconsin win may wrap it up for Romney

(The Front Page)
Atalanta's Masiello arrested in match-fixing claim - SI.com

(Andrea Rossi - Google News)
GOP front-runner will win handily and finally wrap up the Submitted at 4/2/2012 5:00:00 AM Republican presidential When they asked Mitt Romney n o m i n a t i o n . about his ties to Wisconsin, you Despite what many call a poorly would have thought the question run campaign or Romneys was a natural for him. We send occasional awkwardness or the the most athletes of any state to unwillingness of GOP voters to t h e W i n t e r O l y m p i c s a n d fully embrace him, an NBC/ organizing the Winter Olympics Marist College poll shows the was one of the great achievements former Massachusetts governor of his career. Last September, in leading Santorum by a margin of fact, there was a big fundraising 40-to-33 percent among likely event for Romney here and it G O P v o t e r s i n W i s c o n s i n . f e a t u r e d W i s c o n s i n s Marquette Law Schools poll O l y m p i a n s [ c h a m p i o n showed Romney leading speedskaters] Dan Jansen, Casey Santorum 39-to-31 percent, and Fitzrandolph, and Bonnie Blair. Rasmussen calls it 46-to-33 So what does he say his tie to p e r c e n t f o r R o m n e y o v e r Wisconsin is? Its how American S a n t o r u m . Motors had a plant here when his That looks fine, as far as the father ran the company in the R o m n e y c a m p a i g n t e a m i s 1950s and he kept it open by concerned. But, between his closing an outlet in Detroit. campaign and the SuperPAC that That story, related to HUMAN s u p p o r t s h i m , R o m n e y h a s EVENTS by veteran Wisconsin outspent the Santorum campaign R e p u b l i c a n s t r a t e g i s t S c o t t in the state by more than a margin Becher, illustrates why, even with of ten-to-oneroughly $3.5 all polls giving Romney healthy million to $300,000. leads over Rick Santorum in the Moreover, Romney has been Badger States primary Tuesday, successively endorsed by several few are willing to say that the Wisconsin political heavyweights,
most recently Sen. Ron Johnson and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. So why are so many political observers reluctant to say he will run away with Wisconsins 42 national convention delegates in the winner-take-all primary Tuesday? Santorum does not in any way look like a contender who will soon throw in the towel. Following his triumphant appearance at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference March 24, the former senator jetted to Wisconsin to address that states Faith and Freedom Coalition event. At the conclave of fellow cultural conservatives, one observer told us, Santorum was treated like a rock star. In the last two days, Santorum has been ubiquitous in Wisconsin. He was in Green Bay Friday and Platteville Saturday. Ron Paul, relatively quiet in recent weeks, is making a stand in the state. Last week, he drew an overflow crowd of more than 5200 at the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin, long
known as a liberal haven. Overshadowing the primary is what many call the dress rehearsal for the presidential contestnamely, the special election on whether to replace Republican Gov. Scott Walker, which will be on the statewide ballot June 5. Santorum and Newt Gingrich have all declared their solidarity with Walker, and last week Romney worked a phone bank on Walkers behalf at the embattled governors Fitchburg headquarters. All signs today point to a Romney win in Wisconsin tomorrow evening. As to whether it will be the decisive gamechanger he is seeking, thats another story. John Gizzi is Political Editor of HUMAN EVENTS. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
AFP Atalanta's Masiello arrested in match-fixing claim SI.com BARI, Italy (AP) -Atalanta defender Andrea Masiello has been arrested in the ongoing Italian probe into match-fixing, and eight of his former Bari teammates are under investigation. Nine of Bari's matches in Serie A last season are being looked into,... Match fixing scandal rocks Serie A Sport.co.uk Atalanta's Andrea Masiello arrested in match-fixing investigation involving... Washington Post Atalanta player arrested over match-fixing AFP all 214 news articles
BUCKEYE
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candidate because it is widely thought he could guarantee the GOP ticket the Buckeye States 19 electoral votes. Speaking in Pennsylvania last week, veteran pollster and Fox News commentator Frank Luntz listed Portman as one of four possible running mates for Romney who could get a key state that went to BUCKEYE page 8
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Supreme Court OKs strip searches for even minor offenses - Los Angeles Times
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:33:17 AM
BUCKEYE
and taken to jail over an unpaid fine. Albert Florence was held for six The Supreme Court refused days and finally released when he Monday to limit strip searches of showed the fine had already been new jail inmates, even those paid before he was arrested. He arrested for minor traffic offenses. then sued county jail officials for Dividing 5-4 along ideological v i o l a t i n g h i s p r i v a c y a n d lines, the high court said jail subjecting him to a humiliating guards needed the full authority to strip search. closely search everyone who is A judge ruled in his favor, but he entering a jail in order to maintain lost before the U.S. Court of safety and security. Appeals. In delivering his It would be unworkable, said opinion, Kennedy said violent Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, to criminals sometimes are arrested make an exception for persons for minor traffic offenses. who are arrested for minor He cited the example of Timothy offenses. County jails often must McVeigh,the man who bombed process hundreds of new inmates the federal building in Oklahoma a day, he said. City in 1995. He was stopped and "Experience shows that people taken to jail for a traffic violation. arrested for minor offense have Chief Justice John G. Roberts tried to smuggle prohibited items Jr.and Justices Antonin Scalia, into jail," Kennedy said. And Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. officials cannot take such a risk, Alito Jr. joined with Kennedy. he added. In dissent, Justice Stephen G. The decision is a defeat for civil Breyer said it was unreasonable to liberties groups and a New Jersey subject possibly innocent persons man who was strip-searched twice t o h u m i l i a t i n g s e a r c h e s , after he was stopped on a highway particularly when they are not
Recipe Makeover: Creamy Mac and Cheese

(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
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Obama in 08 to flip to the Republican ticket in 12. With one exception1960, when it went for Richard Nixon over John Kennedyhas Ohio not given its electoral votes to a winning candidate for president. (The other three Luntz suggested were Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida [29 suspected of a serious crime. "In my view, such a search of an electoral votes], Rep. Paul Ryan individual arrested for a minor of Wisconsin [10] and Gov. Bob offense that does not involve McDonnell of Virginia [13].) d r u g s o r v i o l e n c e i s a n And to the yes, but rejoinder unreasonable search forbidden by that Portman has served less than the 4th Amendment," he wrote. one year in the Senate, Portman Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, promoters point out that his Sonia Sotomayor and Elena overall credentials are truly giltedged. And, they note, Bob Taft Kagan agreed. The case was Florence vs. Board was so recognized as a leader in o f C h o s e n F r e e h o l d e r s o f the Senate soon after his initial election in 1938 that no one Burlington County. complained about his being there ALSO: Trayvon Martin case prompts too briefly when he made his first bid for the White House in 1940. protest T-shirt subculture Credit card processing company But Portman insists hes not interested in the Veep nod and explains security breach Search for runner Micah True is says that Ohios electoral votes will go for the Republican ticket over; body found in wilderness without him on it. In his words, I david.savage@latimes.com This entry passed through the think the independent voters who Full-Text RSS service if this is will make the difference in a state your content and you're reading it l i k e O h i o a r e i n c r e a s i n g l y on someone else's site, please read concerned about the budget deficit the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- and the economy, and those are only/faq.php#publishers. Five Romneys strengths. As for the Filters recommends: Donate to Republican voters, the senator believes that Republicans are Wikileaks. excited. Theyre excited about replacing Barack Obama. Honestly, If you look at the polling and the focus groups, most comforting dish. of the energy right now and enthusiasm is on our side. So Im not as worried about that this year, in terms of getting people to
the polls. Portman personally likes fellow freshman Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as their partys vice presidential nominee. He also described Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as an interesting choice another former OMB director who understands how to balance budgets. When I reminded him that Calvin Coolidges Vice President Charles Dawes had been head of what was then called the Bureau of the Budget, Portman leaned back, smiled, and said: The history of the job is fascinating. When youre putting together the biggest budget in the world, everybody comes to you and says, I need my thing and you have to say, No, this is how its gonna be. Anyway, its a great learning experience. Spending a morning with Rob Portman will convince just about any visitor that he has indeed just had a great learning experience and that Portman will be teaching his colleagues, his party and the public about spending and budget issues for a long time to come. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Top News/
Faster, higher, deadlier: US plans nuclear drones

RT (News RSS : Today)
Grumman, the Guardian reports. The technology is to deal with three problems facing the US A U.S. Predator unmanned drone current drone arsenal: insufficient armed with a missile. (Reuters / flying time over a potential target, Massoud Hossaini / Pool) lack of power for running The United States is planning on s u r v e i l l a n c e a n d w e a p o n s building nuclear-powered drones. s y s t e m s , a n d l a c k o f The innovation will allow an c o m m u n i c a t i o n s c a p a c i t y . increase in flying time "from days The team looked at numerous to months," leaving more power different power systems for largeavailable for operating equipment. and medium-sized drones before -Research for the project was settling on the nuclear solution. conducted by Sandia National The research summary deems the L a b o r a t o r i e s , t h e U S technology as highly efficient, government's principal nuclear saying the results of the research research and development agency, areto be used in the next and defense contractor Northrop generation of unmanned air
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:38:21 PM
vehicles used for military and intelligence applications." However, there is a big concern over safety as drones have a tendency to crash and should a nuclear-powered drone fall into the hands of terrorists or unfriendly powers, the consequences could be devastating. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
China's Economy Throws Off Mixed Signals - BusinessWeek

March Purchasing Managers' Index, which with a 53.1 reading was at a... Forbes Mixed signals from China's China's Economy Throws Off factories in March Reuters Mixed Signals Is China Worth Trusting? Forbes BusinessWeek China Manufacturing Gain By Dexter Roberts on April 02, Masks Exporter Woes as Easing 2012 What to make of China's Seen San Francisco Chronicle economy? First the good news: New York Times- Wall Street On April 1, China's logistics Journal (blog)- Boston.com federation and the National all 993 news articles Bureau of Statistics released the
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:30:06 AM
Avangard make another step towards Gagarin Cup finals

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:19:00 PM
Traktor forward Konstantin Panov and Avangard forward Dmitry Semin, left to right, at the Gagarin Cup semifinal Kontinental Hockey League match between Avangard Omsk and Tractor Chelyabinsk. (RIA Novosti / Alexey Malgavko)
Avangard have edged regular season winners Traktor, 1-0, to take a lead in their best-of-seven series in the KHL Eastern Conference finals. Second-seed Avangard were without injured forward Roman Cervenka, who is the postseason's points leader in the KHL. The loss didnt turn fatal for the Omsk side, however, as Sergey
Kalinin struck soon after the first interval, his goal ultimately making all the difference to give Avangard the overall series lead, 2-1. It was a high-class game, where both teams had chances to score, but were strict in defense. Besides, both goalies played a good game. As it had happened in the previous games, it was the
details that made the difference, Angard head coach Raimo Summanen told the teams official website after the game. Meanwhile, the Finnish specialist refused to forecast the result of the next game, to be played in Omsk on Wednesday. Every game in the series has been tense and equal, so everything could happen on
Wednesday, he said. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
10
Top News/ Technology/
Moscow City tower catches fire (VIDEO)

Fusione fredda, Rossi: "L'E-Cat da 1MW presto disponibile negli USA" - NextMe
(andrea rossi e-cat - Google News)
of work on the tower and revoked the contractor's license, after a Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:25:00 PM number of technical and fire A fire has broken out at the safety violations were detected. Moscow City business complex. The contractor, Mirax Group -The top floors of the still owned by businessman Sergey incomplete Federation Tower are Polonsky, claimed that the burning. Smoke can be seen from Moscow authorities are inventing as far as ten kilometers away. a pretext to take over the Firemen say about 300 square companys projects. Without a meters are on fire; no injuries license, Mirax will not be able to have been reported. obtain a bank loan and the The Federation Tower has been construction process will be under construction for almost ten frozen. The problem was later years now. Located in the west of solved. Moscow, was planned as part of This entry passed through the Moscow City business center. Full-Text RSS service if this is Once complete, it is set to become your content and you're reading it Europe's tallest building. on someone else's site, please read The building will consist of two the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentthree-sided towers called East only/faq.php#publishers. Five (243 meters high) and West Filters recommends: Donate to (360 meters). Wikileaks. In April 2011, a construction watchdog ordered the suspension
NextMe Fusione fredda, Rossi: "L' E-Cat da 1MW presto disponibile negli USA" NextMe E-Cat, presto uno dei dispositivi da 1 MW creati da Andrea Rossi sar sul mercato. Una nuova pagina sulla fusione fredda sta per
essere scritta dall'ingegnere italiano. Nel corso di un'intervista rilasciata ad Oilprice.com, l'inventore dell' E-Cat ha... Fusione fredda 2012: impianto USA E-Cat Rossi aperto al pubblico, Defkalion... WebMasterPoint.org E-Cat: l'impianto da 1 MW sar presto aperto al pubblico negli USA GreenStyle all 3 news articles
China Sees US as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says New York Times
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:21:44 AM
MotoGP World Championship Kicks Off This Coming Weekend In Qatar - RoadracingWorld.com
(Andrea Rossi - Google News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:42:33 AM
China Sees US as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says New York Times BO'AO, China The senior leadership of the Chinese government increasingly views the competition between the United States and China as a zerosum game, with China the likely long-range winner if the American economy and domestic political system...
RoadracingWorld.com MotoGP World Championship Kicks Off This Coming Weekend In Qatar RoadracingWorld.com Riders Valentino Rossi and
Nicky Hayden will both be hopeful of vastly improved results in their respective 2012 campaigns, as they remain focused on the Italian manufacturer's project and challenging the other two factories. and more
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Business/ Culture/
11
A Brooklyn Chef Shares Her Tips For Young Foodies On A Budget

Jill Krasny (Business Insider)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:31:36 PM
ways that will take the pleasure away from discovery," she adds. Only stock one version of every New York's foodie culture is ingredient."You don't need three thriving, but it takes a lot of different kinds of olive oila money to sample the restaurant light version, one for stir-frying scene and shop at the farmer's and another you only break out m a r k e t , r e p o r t s N e w Y o r k when you have company," she M a g a z i n e ' s M i c h a e l I d o v . said. "Just buy one and make it When asked how much she blows the best you can find." Why use a each month on eating out and nasty wine for cooking and artisinal groceries, Diane Chang, another for tasting, when one 27, confessed she spends roughly obviously trumps the other? 25 percent of her paycheckway Buy in bulk and commit to too much! cooking whatever you purchase at We tapped Ronna Welsh, chef the farmer's market. Hitting the and founder of Brooklyn's Purple market can be fun, but also Kale Kitchenworks, for some wasteful, says Welsh. "You may foodie-approved tips on how to want to indulge, but unless it's an eat well without breaking the item with a two-week run, or bank. something that's new to you, Buy only the best ingredients you you're better off buying in bulk," can afford."By starting with the she adds. The reason? You don't very best ingredients you can want to risk throwing spoiled food afford, cooking becomes much (and money) away, and you'll easier," says Welsh. "You'll have have a clear understanding of how to do less to fix the food and the to cook the item for a variety of r e s u l t s w i l l b e m u c h m o r e dishes, not just one. The way to satisfying." In fact, using high- do the latter, says Welsh, is by quality ingredients will make you making a commitment to cook it. a better cook. "If you start with "You'll understand all the things inferior ingredients, you'll have to you can do with that item." know more about how to cook in At the butcher, buy less than you
think you'll need."I like to encourage people not to think of meat as the center of the plate," Welsh says, adding that there are plenty of ways to do this, from tossing meat in a salad to featuring it as a side dish. "Thinking about the different ways to feature meat in a meal will give you options for buying less of it." To that end, buy less than the norm, but only buy the good stuffit is a splurge, after
all. Scale back on the cheese wheel."You should buy whatever cheese that you want and be able to treat yourself to something really delicious," says Welsh, "but a tiny bit of cheese can go a long way." In fact, cheese actually tastes better in thinner slices, she adds. Consider this the next time you go to lob off a big hunk with the butter knife. Switch up your fish. When
buying fish, it pays to check out your options. "A lot of people defer to salmon, but there are so many other ways to purchase fish that aren't just about the filet," Welsh says. "First, you can buy a little bit less of the best quality, and second, you can choose to buy shellfish." Her picks: mussells and clams, which come in all shapes and sizes. "They have an amazing briny flavor, and are rich in oils and nutrients." Another option: smaller fish, like sardines, which cost less. Don't miss: An expert explains how the olive oil industry has been duping us for so long > Please follow Your Money on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: The Rise Of Food Pouches Is Great For Consumers Here's Why 'Shopping The Perimeter' At The Grocery Store Doesn't Work 14 Lottery Winners Who Blew It All
Cheeseburger eye makeup

(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:26:00 PM
Burger King Netherlands might just start a trend with this deliciously beefy eye makeup
look.
Via Neatorama. A lesson in beauty. Permalink| Leave a comment
12
Business/ Technology/
BOFA: One Of The Best Stock Market Indicators Out There Is Screaming Buy
Sam Ro (Business Insider)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:31:00 PM
Bank of America Charitable Foundation to Accept Grant Requests From Nonprofits ... - MarketWatch (press release)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:44:06 AM
So, what's next for stocks after the best quarter in 14 years? Bank of America's Savita Subramanian thinks they could head up much further. According to the firm's proprietary Sell Side Indicator, strategists' bullishness receded in March to 55.8, marking the sixth decline in eight months. From Subramanian's note to clients: With the S&P 500s indicated dividend yield near 2%, that implies a 12-month price return of 12% and a 12-month value of 1580. Although this is not our official S&P 500 target, this model is an input into our target, which incorporates valuation, sentiment and technicals. Historically, when our indicator has been this low or lower, total returns over the subsequent 12 months have been positive 93% of the time, with median 12-month returns of +23%. To be clear, this is a contrarian indicator: The Sell Side Indicator is based on the average recommended equity allocation of Wall Street strategists as of the last business
and national programs and services addressing housing issues, including foreclosure Bank of America Charitable c o u n s e l i n g a n d m i t i g a t i o n , Foundation to Accept Grant neighborhood stabilization, and Requests From Nonprofits... affordable housing. This support MarketWatch (press release) builds on the... The company will invest $15 and more million to support impactful local
How the Internet (Yes, the Internet) Can Solve the Housing Crisis - The Atlantic
day of each month. We have found that Wall Streets consensus equity allocation has historically been a reliable contrary indicator. In other words, it has historically been a bullish signal when Wall Street was extremely bearish, and vice versa. Subramanian's official current year-end target for the S&P 500 is 1,400. Here's a chart from Subramanian's report: Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this
story See Also: CITI: These 52 Stocks Will Win From The Coming Massive Bull Market JPMorgan's Tom Lee Explains What Will Happen With The $3.6 Trillion In Cash On Corporate Balance Sheets Credit Suisse Just Conducted A MASSIVE Survey Of Asian Businesses And Investors Here's What They Found
The Atlantic How the Internet (Yes, the Internet) Can Solve the Housing Crisis The Atlantic
Those are just two ideas for housing policy in the Web age. Home is where the heart is, as the saying goes, but the heart of public policy is in anything but housing. We obsess over health care. We go back and forth on the budget.
Glam Pensive Photography - The Miasto Kobiet 'Oblivion' Editorial Stars a Somber Gosia Ustupska (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
( TrendHunter.com) The Miasto Kobiet Oblivion' editorial is glamorously pensive. Shot by
Weronika Kosinska, a photographer based in Cracow, Poland, the editorial follows an wealthy woman as she goes about...
Business/ World News/
13
This Manhattan Woman Is Suing Her Apartment Building Over A $27,000 Takeout Bill
Mandi Woodruff (Business Insider)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:30:26 PM
The New Rules: Obama's Missile Defense Fantasy a Pentagon Dream Come True
(World Politics Review: Articles)
The hunger pains started for Beverly Taki, 66, and her husband, Louis Maione, 68, when a gas problem at their swanky Upper East Side apartment building rendered their double oven useless back in October 2010. "The couple, who shelled out $5,700 for monthly maintenance, claims nothing was done to ameliorate the problem and is suing the co-op board and management company Gumley Haft Realty in Manhattan Supreme Court," the New York Post's Kathianne Bonielo reports. They're seeking nearly $30,000 in restitution to cover the cost of all the takeout and delivery they ordered during the 10 month period they spent stove-less. My wife is a fabulous cook, Maione told the Post. Id come home and my wife would have a rib roast ready or any number of desserts she was testing. But without an oven, the couple was forced to cancel their frequent dinner parties and turn to
Given this administrations resurging plans for regional missile defense schemes in both Europe and Asia, President Barack Obamas recent openmike admission to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he will have more freedom in his national security decision-making once he wins re-election is not a comforting thought. For a guy who promises a world without nuclear weapons, Obama seems awfully intent on incentivizing both Russia and China to field some more. With regard to Europe, Americas case for even limited restaurant fare when their hot plate wouldn't cut it. Taki, a former cabaret singer, can be seen in this video featured on HGTV realty show "Selling New York," recorded around the time she put the place up for sale in July 2011. Watch as Taki tours her lush pad with the president of Gumley Haft Realtythe same company she's now reportedly suing. Now see the pros and cons of renting your own apartment > Please follow Your Money on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: You Might Be Ignoring One Of The Simplest Car Repairs You Can Fix Yourself This Wealth Management Site Was Created For The 99% 15 Car Repairs That Will Absolutely Kill Your Wallet
missile defense is weak. We are told it is all about Iran and has nothing to do with Russia. But if that is the case, why not just continue to load up our regional allies in the Middle East with missile defense capabilities, as we are already doing, and be done with it? Why pick the additional unnecessary fight with Russia on this score? ... This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Doctors prescribe potentially dangerous antibiotic too freely, study finds - The Queanbeyan Age
(Nation - Google News)
patients who were treated at the balance disorders clinic at Royal Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:38:09 PM Prince Alfred Hospital between Doctors prescribe potentially 1988... dangerous antibiotic too freely, Antibiotic could cause imbalance study finds disorder Ninemsn The Queanbeyan Age Queanbeyan woman sues over DOCTORS are over-prescribing irreversible antibiotic damage The an antibiotic that can cause Canberra Times permanent and severe loss of all 6 news articles balance, a study has found. The study looked at more than 100
14
News Wire/
Suu Kyi hails "triumph of the people" in vote victory

(Reuters: Top News)
sanctions by the end of the month. The charismatic Suu Kyi, who led the opposition to military rule Myanmar's pro-democracy leader for two decades, will take a seat in Aung San Suu Kyi looks on from the lower house. behind the gates of the National "It is not so much our triumph as League for Democracy (NLD) a triumph of the people, who have office as supporters and reporters d e c i d e d t h a t t h e y m u s t b e gather, in Yangon April 2, 2012. involved in the political process Credit: Reuters/Stringer of this country," Suu Kyi told By Aung Hla Tun and Andrew cheering supporters at the NLD's R.C. Marshall headquarters in Yangon. YANGON| Mon Apr 2, 2012 "We hope that this will be the 11:42am EDT beginning of a new era, when (Reuters) - Nobel Peace laureate there will be more emphasis on Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a the role of the people in the landslide in an election for vacant everyday politics of our country. parliamentary seats, a victory she We hope that all other parties that hailed on Monday as a "triumph took part in the elections will be of the people" after decades of in a position to cooperate with us military dictatorship. to create a genuinely democratic Suu Kyi's National League for atmosphere." Democracy (NLD) party won 40 The contested seats account for of the 45 available seats in only a small fraction of the 440Sunday's poll, the Election seat lower house and 224-seat Commission announced on state s e n a t e , w h i c h b o t h r e m a i n television, dealing a crushing dominated by allies of the former blow to a ruling party created by military rulers. the former military junta that kept But Suu Kyi, daughter of slain her locked her up for 15 years. independence hero Aung San, will She fell short of giving the hold wide influence because of e l e c t i o n t h e f u l l - f l e d g e d her huge popularity, until a full e n d o r s e m e n t t h a t W e s t e r n general election due in 2015. countries may be seeking before The polls followed a year of lifting sanctions imposed over the astonishing change in a country former military rulers' human that was under the grip of military rights record. But her criticism of rule for decades: the government the vote was restrained, and the has freed hundreds of political EU hinted it could lift some prisoners, held talks with ethnic
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:42:31 AM
minority rebels, relaxed media censorship, allowed trade unions and showed signs of pulling back from the economic and political orbit of giant neighbor China. The European Union hinted on Monday it could undo some sanctions - imposed over the past two decades in response to human rights abuses - by the end of this month. A lifting of EU and United States embargoes could unleash a wave of investment in the resource-rich country bordering India and China. "We do expect the foreign ministers will recognize the changes and there will be a positive signal from the Council," EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in Brussels. The NLD won 35 of 37 available seats in the lower house, three of six vacancies in the senate and both vacant seats in regional assemblies. The Election Commission did not announce the winners of the remaining five seats. Video story link.reuters.com/ bur37s Graphic link.reuters.com/ qej47s^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^> Sunday's polls were the NLD's first since 1990, when it trounced the military's proxy party in an election for a constitution-drafting assembly. The junta ignored the
result. RULING PARTY SILENCED On Monday, there was no reaction to the NLD's success from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which will remain the biggest party in parliament. "Nothing to comment on," said one USDP official. The NLD even won four seats in the capital, Naypyitaw, a new city built by the former junta and a stronghold of the USDP, the party of President Thein Sein and most of his ministers. Suu Kyi, who was freed from house arrest in November 2010, agreed last November to end the NLD's boycott of a quasidemocratic system created and dominated by the same exgenerals who persecuted the prodemocracy camp. That represented a giant leap of faith for Suu Kyi, who has found common ground with Thein Sein, a former junta heavyweight who has surprised the world with the most dramatic political reforms since the military took power in a 1962 coup. Western governments are waiting for Suu Kyi's endorsement of the poll before they start reviewing sanctions. That was not forthcoming on Monday, although her criticism was restrained. "We will point out all the
irregularities that took place, not in any spirit of vengeance or anger, but because we do not think that these should be overlooked," she said. Business executives, mostly from Asia but also from Europe and the United States, have swarmed into Yangon in recent months to hunt for investment opportunities in the country of 60 million people, one of the last frontier markets in Asia. A small number of officials from Western countries and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were invited to attend the polls but were given only a few days to prepare. ASEAN issued a statement on Monday saying it believed the election "was conducted in a free and fair and transparent manner" and urged the West to consider lifting sanctions. FRESH APPROACH The last polls in 2010 were condemned as rigged to favor the USDP. The NLD boycotted that vote. But just as Myanmar is changing, so too is Suu Kyi. Many see her now, at 66, as more politically astute, more realistic and ready to compromise. She has described Thein Sein as honest and sincere and accepted his appeal for the NLD to take part. SUU page 19
News Wire/
15
Avon rejects $10 billion takeover bid from Coty

(Reuters: Top News)
rejected the offer, saying it "substantially undervalues" the company and said a new CEO Avon products are seen at a will create a "greater opportunity" Grameen America open house at to increase Avon's value beyond St. John's University in New York what Coty was offering. April 18, 2009. At least one shareholder agreed. Credit: Reuters/Eric Thayer "The new CEO should have time By Phil Wahba to develop a strategy and make Mon Apr 2, 2012 1:22pm EDT that transparent to the market (Reuters) - Avon Products Inc on before Avon should ever be Monday rejected a $10 billion dealing with a buyout offer," said o f f e r f r o m s m a l l e r b e a u t y Shawn Gault, portfolio manager products company Coty Inc that at Kempner Capital Management puts it into play as it faces sliding Inc, which holds 218,135 Avon sales and a bribery probe. shares according to Reuters data. Shares of the world's largest "There is a lot more value in cosmetics direct seller rose more Avon," he added. than 15 percent on speculation Investors and analysts predicted that a higher bid would end in a that Coty, which has already sale of the company -- known for raised its bid once, would do so its "Ding Dong, Avon Calling" again. advertisements in the 1950s and Michael Bigger, founder of 1960s. The share move put more trading firm Bigger Capital, called pressure on a board already trying the offer "too cheap." to find a new CEO to oversee a But Avon is now in the fourth top-to-bottom review of the month of its search for a CEO, company. someone who will have to stanch Coty Inc, whose top products the exodus of sales representatives include perfumes for Beyonce, and the drop in sales in the United Lady Gaga and Madonna, in States, Brazil and Russia. March sent outgoing Avon Chief There are few other companies Executive Andrea Jung three for whom buying Avon would letters detailing the offer. The make sense, analysts said. company also said it was willing "It's an opportunity that the board to raise its bid, and said it went should seriously consider," said public after failing to get Avon to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co sit down and discuss a deal. analyst Ali Dibadj. Except for In a statement on Monday, Avon perhaps another direct seller, he
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:32:24 PM
added, there are few potential suitors for Avon. Coty's bid was not "dramatically too low," he said. Morningstar analyst Lauren DeSanto said Avon's shares are worth $25 and "a premium to that fair value is warranted before Avon should consider an offer." Coty said it had no plans to go hostile but took issue with Avon for being unwilling to talk. "We do not understand how your Board's unwillingness to discuss our proposal can serve the best interests of Avon's shareholders," Coty Chairman Bart Becht said in a letter to be delivered to Jung on Monday. Coty said it would be willing to raise its offer if Avon can show there is greater value in the company by opening its books. Coty is confident it can line up the necessary financing to pull off the acquisition of a company with sales nearly three times greater than its own. It said it would call the new company "Avon-Coty." The fast-growing privately held company, majority-owned by Joh. A Benckiser GmbH, a German household and personal-care products company, is offering $23.25 per share -- a 20 percent premium over Avon's Friday closing price of $19.36 on the New York Stock Exchange.
At Friday's close, Avon's shares were down nearly 50 percent from a year and a half ago. Before Coty made its bid public, Avon was worth only about $8 billion, down from an all-time peak of $21.8 billion in June 2004. Coty said it originally offered Avon $22.25 per share in early March, but failed to entice the company into talks. Avon's shares rose 15 percent, or $3.10, to $22.45 in midday trading. LESS PERFUME, MORE EMERGING MARKETS For Coty, buying Avon would allow it to depend less on fragrances, which accounted for 57 percent of its $4.1 billion in sales in its year that ended in June 2011, and branch out more into cosmetics and skin-care products. The company praised Avon's presence in emerging markets, an area where it wants to grow. Coty CEO Bernd Beetz told Reuters last year that acquisitions were central to its strategy of becoming a more diversified company. Coty gets nearly 90 percent of its business from Europe and North America, and has so far largely missed out on China's ravenous demand for Western brands. Overall revenue was up 17 percent in the last fiscal year. Coty also said Avon's door-to-
door direct sales model would help its beauty brands. In recent years, Coty has done deals aimed at becoming a more diversified beauty company. In 2010, it acquired Philosophy Inc, a maker of personal-care products, from Carlyle Group for $1 billion and bought a majority stake in Chinese skin-care company TJoy Holdings Ltd, which also has a distribution system and infrastructure to help Coty's other product lines. In contrast, Avon's sales have plummeted in the last few years in China, where it got a direct selling license in 2006. Avon has been conducting an internal probe into whether it broke Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to get that license. The U.S. government announced its own investigation last year. (Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York. Additional reporting by Mihir Dalal in Bangalore, and Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago.; Editing by John Wallace and Maureen Bavdek) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
16
News Wire/ Featured/
Annan says Syria agrees to April 10 peace deadline

(Reuters: Top News)
the "the deadline is now". One diplomat said Annan confirmed to council members By Louis Charbonneau that there had been "no progress UNITED NATIONS| Mon Apr 2, on the ground" towards halting 2012 1:14pm EDT the violence, which continues (Reuters) - Kofi Annan asked the with daily reports of army U.N. Security Council to back an shelling and shooting, and clashes April 10 deadline for partial with the rebel Free Syrian Army. implementation of his peace plan " T o d a y d o e s n ' t f e e l m u c h for Syria, telling its members that different than yesterday or the day Syria had agreed to the date, before, or the day before that," diplomats said on Monday. opposition activist Waleed Fares The U.N.-Arab League peace said from inside Homs. "Shelling envoy told the council behind and killing." closed doors that troops would The Syrian Observatory for stop entering Syrian towns and Human Rights, a British-based that there would be a withdrawal activist operation which collates of heavy weapons and the start of r e p o r t s f r o m a r o u n d S y r i a , a troop pullout. reported 70 people killed on A full ceasefire would be have to Sunday, including 12 civilian be in place by April 12 or 48 victims of shelling and sniper fire hours after the agreed date, Susan in Homs. 35 people were killed on Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the Monday, SOHR said, including United Nations, quoted him as eight soldiers and nine rebels. Ten telling the 15-nation council. civilians were killed on Monday Annan met Syrian President in the central province of Homs. Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on In Syria's second city of Aleppo, a March 10 and presented him with bomb blast at a kiosk killed the a six-point plan calling for the owner, an Assad supporter, it said. military pullout. His spokesman At least five people were killed said one week ago that Assad had and eight wounded in army accepted the terms, adding that bombardments of villages in
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:14:42 PM
northern Idlib province, which borders Turkey. Turkish officials said refugees were crossing the border at a rate of around 400 a day. Over 40,000 Syrians have taken refuge in neighboring countries since the unrest broke out a year ago, according to U.N. figures. Despite the lack of progress, Annan urged council members to "begin consideration of deployment of an observer mission with a broad and flexible mandate," a diplomat said. The U.N. peace keeping department is already planning for a ceasefire monitoring mission that would have 200 to 250 unarmed observers. It would require a Security Council resolution. It was not clear how Russia will respond to Annan's report. Russia and China have vetoed two council resolutions condemning Assad for turning the army on civilians demanding change. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For graphic on fighting link.reuters.com/zan47s ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen repeated that the Western allies have "no intention whatsoever to intervene in Syria". He said he did not believe providing weapons would help. Saudi Arabia and Qatar favor providing arms to the FSA. But most Arab states and Western backers of the rebels oppose that. FSA rebels have said they will stop shooting if the army pulls heavy weaponry out of cities. But the Assad government has said it must maintain security in urban areas and there has been no sign of tanks, armor or artillery moving out. The United Nations says Syrian soldiers and security forces have killed more than 9,000 people over the past 12 months. Damascus says rebels have killed 3,000 troops and police. Assad blames the unrest on foreign-backed "terrorists" and has put forward his own reform program, which his domestic foes and international opponents have dismissed. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at a Friends of
Syria conference with Assad's opponents in Istanbul on Sunday, said Assad had a long list of broken promises behind him and would face serious consequences if he did not halt actions targeting civilians. Although Western powers have been wary of military intervention, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu compared the situation to Bosnia in the 1990s. "In the case of Bosnia, the international community was too slow therefore we lost many people," he said. "In the case of Syria we have to act without delay." (Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Andrew Osborn) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Ambassador Crocker Objects to Strategic Retreat

Thomas Joscelyn (The Weekly Standard)
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the State Departments man in Kabul, is clearly concerned about a premature drawdown of American
and Western forces from Afghanistan.
News Wire/ Culture/ World News/
17
Car Hits the Brakes After 576,000 Miles, 48 Years

(FOXNews.com)
Snow forecast to replace warm spell - The Press Association

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:30:00 PM
the car had outlasted three marriages and three sets of Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:55:39 PM shocks, said she last drove on After 576,000 miles in the same March 9. The following day, her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente, worst fears were confirmed when Rachel Veitch is stepping on the she couldn't read large headlines brakes due to age-related macular in the newspaper, the result of degeneration in both eyes. years of deteriorating vision for The end of the road is here for the near-obsessive car fanatic. R a c h e l V e i t c h ' s b e l o v e d "I know I'm not safe enough to "Chariot." drive," she continued. "But I have After 576,000 miles -- or more taken it in stride." than a trip to the moon and back -- Veitch bought her beloved ride in the same 1964 Mercury Comet for $3,289 in February 1964 from Caliente, the 93-year-old Orlando a dealer in Sanford, Fla. The car, grandmother is stepping on the which has been appraised at brakes due to age-related macular $12,000, has gone through 18 degeneration in both eyes. She batteries, eight mufflers and realized her vision had completely countless oil changes. She credits failed her in early March after her near-obsessive dedication to running a "bald-faced red light," the car as the main reason why it's Veitch told FoxNews.com. spent nearly half a century in her "I am legally blind, so I can no care. longer drive my lovely Chariot," "When I buy gas, I write down the she said by phone. "They dont mileage, the date and how many have to take it away, I would not miles per gallon I got," she told dream of driving that car again." FoxNews.com in 2009. "I've Veitch, a retired nurse who told never been a destructive person FoxNews.com in July 2009 that and I've just taken care of
everything, except my husbands." In July, Veitch's classic car will travel to Wisconsin to appear in an antique car show, but it's unclear what will happen to it after that trip. Veitch, who appeared on " The Tonight Show" in August 2010, said she might consider selling it to host and classic car aficionado Jay Leno if he's interested. "I haven't talked to Jay Leno yet, but I'm wondering if he's interested," Veitch said early Thursday. "But I don't think I should start talking about it now." Asked if any of her 4 children, 9 grandchildren or 11 greatgrandchildren have expressed interest in the car, Veitch responded: "It wouldn't matter if they did, they're not going to get it. They couldn't take care of it like I did." The car saw its lone wreck in 1980, when it endured a rear-end collision while Veitch, who was not injured, drove along I-95 in Georgia.
With nearly 600,000 miles behind her, Veitch, who will turn 94 in August, said she's taking the end of her time with "Chariot" in stride. After all, she's had a good run: The last time she bought a car, gas cost 39 cents a gallon, Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House and "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" was ruling the radio. "A lot of people are worse off than I am," she said. "I don't have cancer, I don't have Lou Gehrig's disease. I am lucky." Related Stories National Archives releases 1940 Census, 21 million from count still alive How to search the 1940 Census This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
BBC News Snow forecast to replace warm spell The Press Association Britons are being warned to get their jumpers and scarves back out after one of the warmest Marches on record melted into predictions of snow and sub-zero temperatures. Sun worshippers have basked in glorious weather during the last few weeks seeing... Scotland's weather: Snow warnings after record heatwave Scotsman Snow forecast in short, sharp cold snap The Guardian Severe weather wearning as temperatures plummet 20C Telegraph.co.uk stv.tv- Yorkshire Post- Daily Mail all 558 news articles
Skin from heartbeat gel may let robots feel

(Holy Kaw!)
an advance that one day may help robots feel". Think of it like human skin, Researchers have demonstrated which can provide signals to the that oscillating gels can be brain that something on the body revived by mechanical pressure, is deformed or hurt, says Anna Balazs, professor of chemical and
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:38:00 AM
petroleum engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. This gel has numerous far-reaching applications, such as artificial skin that could be sensorya holy grail in robotics.
Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: MIT Permalink| Leave a comment
18
News Wire/ World News/ Featured/
NBC Launches Probe on Edited Zimmerman 911 Call

(FOXNews.com)
Martin, a black teenager from Miami, was unarmed when he was shot by Zimmerman, whose Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, father is white and mother is left, was shot and killed Feb. 26 Hispanic. Zimmerman told police by George Zimmerman, a the teen attacked him before he neighborhood watch volunteer. shot in self-defense. He has not NBC has launched an internal been charged in the case, despite probe after running an edited repeated calls by political leaders version of the 911 call from and protesters for his arrest. George Zimmerman -- the man NBC has also come under fire by who shot and killed Trayvon some critics for allowing MSNBC Martin -- that made Zimmerman personality, the Rev. Al Sharpton, sound racist. to lead protests in Florida calling "We have launched an internal for Zimmerman's arrest. Sharpton investigation into the editorial about the race of the "suspicious 27 has been blasted by media is scheduled to speak Monday in p r o c e s s s u r r o u n d i n g t h i s person" whom Zimmerman was watchdog groups as misleading. Sanford, Fla., at a march of about Critics have said the edited a thousand people carrying signs particular story," the network said speaking about. A transcript of the complete 911 version was made to suggest that and wearing T-shirts with the in a statement to the Washington call shows that Zimmerman said, Zimmerman targeted Martin teen's image. Post on Monday. NBC's "Today" show ran the "This guy looks like he's up to no because he was black -- an The Associated Press contributed e d i t e d a u d i o o f G e o r g e g o o d . O r h e ' s o n d r u g s o r accusation by many that is still to this report. Zimmerman's phone call to a something. It's raining and he's under investigation. This entry passed through the p o l i c e d i s p a t c h e r i n w h i c h just walking around, looking Martin, 17, was shot to death Full-Text RSS service if this is Feb. 26 by Zimmerman, 28, a your content and you're reading it Zimmerman says: "'This guy about." The 911 officer responded neighborhood watch volunteer, as on someone else's site, please read looks like he's up to no good saying, "OK, and this guy is he M a r t i n w a l k e d f r o m a the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contenthe looks black." convenience store back to his only/faq.php#publishers. Five But the audio recording in its black, white or Hispanic?" entirety reveals that Zimmerman "He looks black," Zimmerman father's fiancee's home in a gated Filters recommends: Donate to community outside Orlando. The Wikileaks. did not volunteer the information said. The abridged conversation case has stirred a national that Martin was black. Instead, Zimmerman was answering a between Zimmerman and the conversation about race and the question from a police dispatcher dispatcher that NBC ran on March laws of self-defense.
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:55:39 PM
Historical Disagreements Still a Drag on Japan-South Korea Ties

(World Politics Review: Articles)
Historical antagonisms are again preventing Japan and South Korea from cooperating on important issues. Despite being neighbors with a range of shared economic and security interests, unsettled grievances continue to damage relations between two of Asias largest military and economic powers. Two hot-button historical issues have popped up recently, both of which have their origins in the colonial era and its hasty conclusion. South Korea was a Japanese colony from 1910-1945 and gained independence in the wake of Japans defeat in World War II. ... This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Races to Watch: Texas Senate Primary

Michael Warren (The Weekly Standard)
David Dewhurst, Ted Cruz Texas Republican David Dewhurst has been the leading
senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for the last year. candidate to replace retiring
News Wire/ Finance/
19
Police: Missing Boy Was Starved to Death in Room
SUU
But critics say Suu Kyi is being exploited by the old soldiers to persuade the West to end sanctions and make parliament appear effective. She plans to press for the introduction of the (FOXNews.com) Sunday, with bail set at $500,000 bedroom and, after washing his rule of law, an end to ethnic each. body, placed him in a sleeping Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:55:39 PM conflicts and amendments to a Police records reveal that in the bag before dumping the body in a April 1, 2012: This photo shows last few months of Johnathan's storm shelter of a vacant house 2008 constitution that ensures the military retains a big political Elizabeth Ramsey and Aaron life he was locked in his bedroom nearby. role. Ramsey. and fed "military rations" -- bread, Later he dumped the boy's body DALLAS Police say a missing water and occasionally milk -- as in a wooded area -- leading to the Some observers question whether 11-year-old Dallas boy slowly punishment for bad behavior, The search Saturday, which was called conservatives would dare oppose her, given her popularity, starved to death after his parents Dallas Morning News reported. off about 5:00pm local time locked him in his bedroom, Aaron Ramsey, who once served without anything being found. especially ahead of the general feeding him just bread and water. in the military, told police that his Johnathan's biological mother election in 2015. There are also Police received a call on Friday son had begun acting in a violent lives in New Mexico. Police said concerns that Burmese might have from the grandfather of Johnathan manner early last year, including she was notified by detectives excessively high hopes of what Ramsey, who was concerned punching his stepmother in the about the search for her son and she can achieve. about his grandson because he stomach, causing her to have a that she, too, had trouble getting "Too many expectations are dangerous," said Ko Ko Gyi, a had not seen him for at least nine miscarriage. straight answers from the boy's former political prisoner. "She is months and possibly as long as a After that incident he hit the child father about where he was. year, myFOXdfw.com reported. and locked him in his bedroom, "Whenever she contacted the not a magician." During interviews with the child's where he remained until his death, father, he would give a reason of Win Min, a political scientist at father and stepmother, police slowly withering from 90 pounds where the child was," Deputy Harvard University, said Suu Kyi received conflicting accounts of to about 60 pounds between C h i e f S h e r r y l S c o t t t o l d would try to push reforms to raise living standards before tackling what happened to the boy. March and August last year. m y F O X d f w . c o m . The questioning led police to Elizabeth Ramsey described the Click here for more on this story the contentious and taboo issue of trimming the military's political believe the child had died and boy as "looking like one of those from myFOXdfw.com. search teams on Saturday began kids you see on commercials from This entry passed through the and economic stakes. looking for his remains in a large Africa," in interviews with police. Full-Text RSS service if this is " S h e c a n b e e f f e c t i v e i n galvanizing the parliamentarians. field. She described him "as being your content and you're reading it The father, 34-year-old Aaron really thin and explained that he on someone else's site, please read She is likely to be more realistic Ramsey, and the stepmother, 31- was unable to walk at times due to the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- in focusing more on making year-old Elizabeth Ramsey, were loss of strength." only/faq.php#publishers. Five arrested and charged with first- Aaron Ramsay said sometime in Filters recommends: Donate to degree felony charges of injury to August last year he found the boy Wikileaks. a child. They remained in custody unresponsive on the floor of his
easier constitutional amendments," he said. Some U.S. restrictions such as visa bans and asset freezes could be lifted quickly, diplomats say, while the European Union may end bans on investment in timber and mining. But some critics say they should wait for more reforms first. "Now is not the time for the international community to rush toward lifting pressure on Burma," said U.S. congressman Joe Crowley, who visited Myanmar in January. (Additional reporting by Paul Eckert in Washington, Justyna Pawlak and Robin Emmott in Brussels; Writing and additional reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Peter Graff) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Goals Soccer Centre scores approach from Canadians

Helia Ebrahimi (Finance News Business news from the UK and world)
Shares in five-a-side football pitch operator jump almost 14pc after the company said it had a
preliminary takeover approach from Canada's Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
20
World News/
Boris Johnson plans to give police access to congestion charge cameras - The Guardian
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:34:20 PM
The Guardian Boris Johnson plans to give police access to congestion charge cameras The Guardian Boris Johnson is planning to give the Metropolitan police access to cameras used to monitor vehicles using the London congestion charge zone and the region-wide low emission zone to help detect crime. The Conservative
candidate insisted the decision to... More PCs pledged in mayoral race BBC News Brian Paddick: 'Boris is a caretaker... Livingstone really is unpleasant' The Independent Ken Livingstone's 66k expenses bill as London Mayor paid for by us! Daily Mail Evening Standard- Financial Times- Labour Party all 85 news articles
Scottish News: Old rival Eric Bristow pays tribute as hundreds attend funeral ... - Scottish Daily Record
by Helen Chamberlain of TV show Soccer AM because they wanted... stv.tv Hundreds at funeral of darts Scottish News: Old rival Eric legend The Press Association Bristow pays tribute as hundreds Farewell Jocky: Darts world pays attend funeral... its final respects as legend joins Scottish Daily Record the oche... Daily Mail JOCKY Wilson's greatest darts Hundreds gather for funeral of rival paid tribute to him at his darts legend Jocky Wilson stv.tv funeral service in his home town Metro- Mirror.co.uk Kirkcaldy today. Eric Bristow, all 117 news articles known as the Crafty Cockney, was driven the seven-hour journey
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:19:38 PM
Procurement gets a push after Antony,General meet - Indian Express

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:31:56 PM
Labor's dire poll result far from a one-off - its problem with voters is ... - Warren Advocate
persisted until election day, an analysis of the Herald/Nielsen polls shows. Brisbane Times Dumped minister's carbon tax Labor's dire poll result far from a warning Sydney Morning Herald one-off - its problem with voters Canberra debates meaning of 'tax' is... ABC Online Warren Advocate Voters wants decent MPs and end THE long-term poll trend against to spin Herald Sun Labor since the last federal Adelaide Now- The Daily election would cost it at least 18 Telegraph seats in the key states of NSW, all 170 news articles Queensland and Victoria if it
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:10:47 PM
Baby girl lies abandoned; HC takes cognisance Hindustan Times

for Women to take suo moto cognisance of the issue. Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:38:06 PM Baby girl lies unwanted as two NDTV families battle over a new-born Baby girl lies abandoned; HC boy NDTV takes cognisance Baby girl lies abandoned as Hindustan Times couples fight over a boy Indian PTI An eight-day-old baby girl Express lies abandoned in a hospital as Baby girl lies abandoned, couples two couples stake their claim over fight for boy IBNLive.com a boy born on the same night, Times of India- Daily Bhaskar prompting the Rajasthan high all 15 news articles court and the State Commission
Indian Express Procurement gets a push after Antony,General meet Indian Express Amid the uproar over the Army's depleting war-fighting capabilities triggered by a letter by Army Chief General VK Singh, the Defence Ministry today announced in principle approval to three pending policy issues related to procurement even as it... Govt clears Defence plan, revises offset policy Deccan Herald Antony asks army to streamline purchase process Hindustan Times Antony directs Army to streamline acquisition The Hindu Times Now.tv- Zee NewsIBNLive.com all 237 news articles
World News/ Technology/ Sports/
21
Jimmy Little, Australian Madras HC orders aboriginal musician, notice to Centre, dies - CBC.ca BCCI - Times of India
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:34:08 PM
Ex-NFL QB Leaf arrested for 2nd time in Montana

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:19:43 PM
CBC.ca Jimmy Little, Australian aboriginal musician, dies CBC.ca Jimmy Little, one of Australia's most famous Aboriginal musicians, died Monday after a long illness, his family said. He was 75. The iconic artist died at his home in the city of Dubbo,
about 400 kilometres west of Sydney, after a long struggle with... Jimmy Little, the mellow voice of a generation Hepburn Advocate Singer Jimmy Little was a voice for his people The Daily Telegraph Accolades flow for gentleman Jimmy The Australian Herald Sun- ABC Online all 403 news articles

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:28:33 PM
IBNLive.com Madras HC orders notice to Centre, BCCI Times of India MADURAI: The Madras High Court on Monday ordered notice to the Centre and the BCCI on a PIL seeking direction to cancel all future matches between India and Sri Lanka, until disputes between
Tamils and Sinhalese are settled and peace prevails in the... No LTTE camp in Tamil Nadu: Police Firstpost India denies report of 'secret LTTE camps' in Tamil Nadu Economic Times No LTTE camps in Tamil Nadu: DGP Hindustan Times Zee News- The Hindu all 62 news articles
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested again on Monday and is accused of committing another burglary two days after he posted bail on charges that he broke into a friend's home and stole prescription painkillers, a drug task force commander said.
Revealed: Bono And The Edge of U2 Are Dropbox Investors

Eric Eldon (TechCrunch)
gone after in recent years, Dropbox is still in its early days. I Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:06:18 PM imagine some khakis-and-blueIn the annals of celebrities shirt VCs are a little jealous of the investing in tech startups, this multiples ahead. ones looking especially smart. Bono, of course, has something Bono and The Edge, the singer of a track record in tech investing and lead guitarist of Irish rock already. Hes the co-founder and band U2, got into Dropboxs $250 managing director of Elevation million second round last year, Partners, which has bet widely they said in a tweet today. over the years with money in Its the first individual, publicly Palm, Forbes, gaming companies, announced startup investment for Yelp and Facebook. Never mind the vocalist, to our knowledge. some of those others, results from And unlike grandly-conceived the last two have inspired the social media startups or late-stage team to go raise a new $1 billion investments that celebrities have investment fund, according to
reports. But until now, Bonos role has been more high-level, not so much in sourcing deals with the latest startups growing out of the Valley floor. The Dropbox investment and the backstory suggest that this is could change. Bono and The Edge seem to have gotten into the deal via a relationship that developed years ago, in a different era. Back in 2007, entrepreneur brothers Ali and Hadi Partovi had just launched a fast-growing music app called iLike on Facebook. They had a new feature
they wanted to launch, a way for artists to post videos to fans through the app, so they went through some mutual friends to reach out to U2. The result: a video interview with Bono and the band about a previouslyunreleased track, Wave of Sorrow. The relationship has developed from there, it appears. The Partovis were early angel investors in Dropbox, and have maintained contact. Judging from the photo recently posted to Twitter, they introduced the band members to founders Drew
Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. Even if Bono doesnt get deeper into other early-stage companies, he has a lot of work left here doing follow on rounds on Dropbox, possibly via Elevation. @ Dropbox is excited to welcome Bono & The Edge as investors. Thanks for the support and look forward to great things! http://t.co /17lpnfx2 (@Dropbox) April 02, 2012
22
Technology/
No, Comcast is not breaking the Internet...again

Larry Downes (CNET News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:36:01 PM
either supplement existing set-top boxes or could be used to replace one or more of them. Comcast annoyed media activists Apparently, self-proclaimed last week by announcing it consumer advocates would prefer w o u l d n ' t c o u n t t e l e v i s i o n that use of the service count programming retrieved through a against Internet access thresholds, customer's Xbox console against a or perhaps that Comcast not offer monthly "excessive use" threshold the service at all, requiring for Internet access. customers to lease additional setAs with any change to existing top boxes instead. Internet services -- even one that That wouldn't seem to be the kind sounds like a good thing -- the of advocacy most consumers response in Washington was to would appreciate. But offering the sound the doomsday alarm. "The service for free, it seems, violates reports that Comcast is offering a a purist interpretation of the open video product through the Xbox Internet, or what is sometimes 360 without the data counting referred to as the "Net neutrality" toward the customer's data cap," principle. Public Knowledge said last week, According to Columbia Law "raises questions not only of the Professor Tim Wu (who coined justification for the caps but, more the term), the goal of Net importantly, of the survival of an neutrality "is to try and guarantee Open Internet." that similar content gets treated The Xbox Live dashboard similarly." Wu believes the new featuring Comcast programming. service violates that goal. "If you How's that again? The new think about it for a second," he service, first announced in s a i d i n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h October, simply allows existing Marketplace Tech Report, "if customers of Comcast's Xfinity something doesn't count against digital cable TV service to access your cap, obviously it's getting a on-demand programming through preferential treatment. You're their Xbox instead of a set-top more likely to stream that instead box. There will be no charge for of someone else's." t h e n e w s e r v i c e , w h i c h i s Well, let's take Wu's advice and available only to customers who think about it for a second. In no are already paying for both sense is Comcast's on-demand Comcast cable TV and high-speed content getting "preferential Internet access. The Xbox will treatment" over Internet video
channels and content, as well as on-going FCC oversight. The same rules don't apply to over-the-top video services -- one of the reasons these services have become so popular. (Hulu, it is worth remembering, is partly service such as Netflix, Hulu, or owned by Comcast through its YouTube (known as "over-the- N B C U n i v e r s a l s u b s i d i a r y . top" services). Like all television Indeed, it is the largest single programming, it is similar to shareholder of this "competing" Internet video services only in service.) Internet video gets the that it uses the same cable real "preferential treatment," and i n f r a s t r u c t u r e t h e c o m p a n y it's a much more meaningful maintains for customer Internet advantage than the theoretical access and digital voice services. possibility of excessive use Using an Xbox instead of a set- thresholds. t o p b o x f o r o n - d e m a n d That difference aside, are you programming (some of which is more likely to watch the Comcast included in the monthly fee and programming than that of an oversome of which is pay-per-view) the-top video service just because doesn't change the fact that the the former doesn't count toward programming in question is not an excessive use threshold? Well, Internet content to begin with. It's maybe so, but of course ondemand cable programming never television content. In the black-and-white world of counted against the threshold for legal academics and apocalyptic Internet access. All Comcast is advocacy groups, video is video. doing now is adding a new device But in reality, the difference is through which you can select it. much more than semantic. Cable You might watch on-demand, providers are still subject to some of which is already included e x t e n s i v e F C C a n d l o c a l in your cable fee, or you might regulations that constrain their watch an Internet video service. business in hundreds of different You might use your set-top box or ways, large and small. Just to gain your Xbox, or any of a fastapproval of its merger with NBC growing set of Internet TV Universal, Comcast had to accept applications that connect your dozens of detailed and often broadband connection with game unrelated conditions on specific consoles, DVD players, or the
TVs themselves. These days, you're likely to do some of each. Besides the all-you-can-eat feature of cable television, there are other factors that influence consumers and their rapidly changing consumption habits for video. The Comcast on-demand service offers different content than the over-the-top services, many of which also now offer a combination of free and subscription-based services. The user interface, and other accessibility features, are also different. The ability to watch without commercials varies depending on the provider and the level of service selected. Comcast's excessive use policy, on the other hand, may play little if any role in customers' decisions about which services to use and when. According to the company's Web site, the current 250-gigabyte limit still allows Internet customers to stream between 100 and 800 hours of online video a month, depending on the quality. If you aren't close to that, the threshold doesn't matter. No violation of existing rules Regardless of the likely business impact of the new Xbox feature, it's perfectly clear that Comcast's new service does not violate the NO, page 23
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NO,
FCC's Open Internet rules, passed at the end of 2010. (The FCC wisely avoids using the term "Net neutrality," which has proven to mean whatever its supporters want it to mean at any particular moment.) The rules, for one thing, apply only to how an Internet service provider handles Internet traffic. Television programming and phone service, even when it travels over the same cable, is explicitly excluded. (The existing rules are already the subject of a legal challenge brought by Verizon and others, who argue that the agency lacks the authority to regulate broadband Internet access in the first place. The case is before the same court which, in an earlier case involving Comcast's handling of BitTorrent traffic in 2008, agreed. The court is likely to reach the same conclusion when the 2010 rules are reviewed, perhaps later this year.) The only rule that could possibly apply to the new service says only that Internet providers "shall not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic over a consumer's broadband Internet access service." Those objecting to the new service fear that by not charging users extra for ondemand programming through the Xbox, Comcast is indirectly disfavoring over-the-top video services. Since the threshold doesn't apply to television programming, the argument goes, offering some of that programming through the Xbox,
which also hosts the over-the-top services, discriminates against the other applications. But television programming is explicitly excluded from the definition of "broadband Internet access service." And even if the discrimination rule did apply to television programming, there's nothing "unreasonable" about applying the threshold only to over-the-top video services and other Internet content. Comcast's programming content, whether accessed through a set-top box or the Xbox, uses the same cable infrastructure as its Internet access service. None of the programming, however, is subject to the excessive use threshold for Internet content, because, as the FCC acknowledges, it is not Internet content. If the Xbox service unreasonably discriminates against over-the-top services, then all cable TV unfairly competes with Internet video. That, however, is not the view of the FCC's Open Internet rules, nor its extensive regulations of cable TV providers. Nor should it be. 'Anticompetitive tricks'? Hardly Media reform group Free Press, which also objects to the new service, disagrees. It acknowledges that the new service doesn't violate the existing rules, but it argues that the exception for television and telephone traffic shouldn't have been part of the rules to begin with. "Unfortunately, such anticompetitive tricks may be allowed by loopholes in the FCC's Open
Internet rules," they said last week, "proving once again that the FCC failed to deliver on the promise of real Net Neutrality." The new service is not anticompetitive, nor is its exception from the rules some kind of legal "trick" to avoid "real Net neutrality." Indeed, the FCC's final report identified over a dozen exceptions to the new rules, grandfathering in a wide range of important and longstanding network management techniques. In addition to television and voice traffic using the same infrastructure as Internet content, for example, the FCC also excluded from the rules content delivery networks, which replicate frequently accessed content on servers often co-located at ISP facilities, virtual private networks for businesses, which may use the same infrastructure the ISP uses for consumer broadband Internet access, peering arrangements, backbones, hosting and data storage services, and others. These exceptions are hardly loopholes. Quite the opposite. ISPs, content developers, hardware and software providers have regularly introduced hardware and software that prioritizes some packets over others, giving them "different" treatment despite the supposed neutrality principle. These innovations keep the public Internet fast and efficient -- if not "open" in some purist sense. ISPs, content developers, hardware and software providers have regularly introduced hardware and software
that prioritizes some packets over others, giving them 'different' treatment despite the supposed neutrality principle. These innovations keep the public Internet fast and efficient -- if not 'open' in some purist sense. In the course of its year-long Open Internet proceeding, rather, the FCC learned that the idea of a neutral Internet is largely a romantic construct of academics and advocates with little appreciation for actual engineering. To its credit, the agency correctly concluded that each of these tools is essential to the smooth operation of the Internet. The neutrality principle, it seems, is and remains more honored in the breach. Taken together, the long list of exceptions should have made clear just how misguided the new rules were in the first place. Unable to give up the ghost, however, the FCC struck an inelegant compromise between the ideal of neutral packet delivery and the reality of a carefully engineered Internet that actually works. The FCC was right to carve out these exceptions to its rules, in other words, but missed the big picture. The Internet was never "neutral." Efforts to force it to be so as a legal principle enforced by a federal bureaucracy would do far more to threaten the survival of the open Internet than anything an individual ISP might do to manage network traffic. The only problem with the list of exceptions is that it failed to
acknowledge the certainty of future network management tools equally beneficial to the overall performance of the public Internet. By naming only specific technologies, the FCC set itself up as the gatekeeper for new network management innovations and techniques invented after the rules were set in stone. Or, as the rising chorus of exaggerated objections to Comcast's Xbox service suggest, as the referee of first resort for any new service, no matter how trivially it varies from long-standing practice. Rather than waiting to see how such changes actually affect the open Internet, advocates simply run to the FCC claiming real or, as here, imagined violations of the limited rules that were passed. As long as the regulations remain on the books, expect them to be the regular subject of similar efforts at revisionist history -- both by the agency and those who wish a different set of rules had been written. Which is not to say that over-thetop video services have no recourse if ISPs make truly lifethreatening changes to their policies or engineering. Existing law already covers such behavior. In the event ISPs manipulate their infrastructure to favor their own Internet content over that of thirdparty services, for example, existing antitrust law stands ready as the established and appropriate arbiter of "anticompetitive" behavior. NO, page 29
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Technology/ Finance/
The Future of Newspapers May End Up Looking a Lot Like... Newspapers

Dave Copeland (ReadWriteWeb)
Sponsor The Globe is my hometown newspaper, the paper that made Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:30:39 AM me fall in love with print It's a bit of a role reversal at the journalism as an 11-year-old college newspaper where I am the when I learned there was a world faculty adviser: I, playing the role beyond the comics and sports of old ink-stained curmudgeon, pages. And, by way of full keep insisting the students need to disclosure, I was able to fulfill a think about improving their lifelong dream, writing regularly w e b s i t e a n d d e v e l o p i n g for the paper's business desk multimedia reporting skills, while between April 2008 and January they insist they love putting out a 2011. That was when even I, one dead-tree product each week. of the last holdouts, had to They especially love designing concede the future for newspapers pages, a pizza-fueled event that is wasn't bright. repeated on nine Wednesday The Globe is also owned by The nights each semester. "Why?" I all New York Times, which has its but scream at them. "It's a skill own slick iPad app. It looks and that isn't going to matter in feels like a Web page and makes another couple of years!" use of stunning video and photos. That's a tough admission for a Sharing articles on Twitter, lifetime newspaper junkie who Facebook and email is easy and, still insists that two stacks of dead because it is, after all, The New trees be dumped on my doorstep York Times, I just assumed that it every Sunday morning. I thought I would be the standard all papers was older and wiser, and that I would live up to. Don't Retrain was, sadly, right. But after Page Designers Yet spending the weekend playing The Globe, however, has gone in around with the Boston Globe's a different direction, essentially new iPad app, it turns out I may reproducing print pages in the need to learn a thing or two from iPad app. At first glance it looked the kids. archaic, like PDFs crammed into a
too-small screen. But within seconds, intuition took over, and I quickly saw there was tons of functionality. I could zoom into articles and, once I clicked onto one I wanted to read, the reading interface was more like the eyefriendly Web page The Times delivers. I can share articles on social media as easily as I can on The Times iPad app, but the Globe offers an added layer of interaction: a thumbs up, thumbs down button where I can register whether I agree or disagree with
the article. I'm not sure how far the interaction will go, but it seems like a step in the right direction toward engaging readers. Online, the Globe moved premium content behind a paywall last year. Casual readers can still access lots of free content (and lots of teasers for paid content) at boston.com, but the premium stuff lies behind the paywall at BostonGlobe.com(as a Sunday print subscriber, I get access to the premium site and the iPad app, even though the weekly Sunday print subscription is cheaper than the weekly online rate). Having worked with many of the photographers who were learning how to shoot videos, I hope a lot of that video content makes it onto the iPad app. I didn't see any in the seven issues I read during the weekend, but it makes sense that it will end up on the iPad, and if I did have a complaint about the new iPad app, it would be that it still feels a little too much like a newspaper and not the multimedia -storytelling platform that it is. Which is Better?
Here's my big problem: I love both apps. They both offer something unique in terms of reader experience. Most importantly, they deliver news in a way that is usable, which hasn't always been the case with their online cousins. But - and this may be my antiquated bias to ink showing through - if I had to choose, I give the nod to the Globe. The reason is simple: I feel smarter after reading a newspaper cover to cover, as it exposes me to all sorts of articles I may not have read if I hadn't scanned the headline. Eli Pariser's The Filter Bubble has its fair share of critics, but there's something to be said about the Internet only exposing us to news and content we're already interested in, as opposed to content and news we should be interested in. The Globe iPad app, which lets me sweep through the pages like a traditional newspaper, does a better job of giving me a balanced news diet - without the hassle of getting ink stains on my finger tips. Discuss
Youth unemployment passes 50pc in Spain and Greece

Angela Monaghan (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Youth unemployment now exceeds 50pc in both Spain and Greece as the number of people
out of work in the eurozone as a whole hit a 15-year high of 17.2m.
Technology/
25
The First Of The TC Mini MeetUps: DC, Norfolk, and Richmond

John Biggs (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:43:18 PM
810 7th St NW 6pm-10pm (??) Our first event will be at RFD in NW. These guys have a huge Here we go! After a bit of back selection of beers on tap and, if and forth, Ive decided to run the we play our cards right, well TCVA mini-meetups in DC- have a few hours of open bar. If Norfolk-Richmond order. We you havent RSVPed hop over to have some sponsors on tap and P l a n c a s t o r e m a i l m e a t hopefully we can have a good john@techcrunch.com with the time and get the word out about subject RSVP DC. Try to the VA tech corridor. Virginia, include a rough headcount. after all, is for entrepreneurs (and Our first sponsors are HomeSnap lovers). by Sawbuck and Create Digital. T h i s i s n t a b o r i n g p a n e l Create Digital is a privately held discussion or wonkathon this is Richmond, Va. based social a networking event and I want agency that provides community you guys to let me know what management, web development youre working on. Ill be and digital campaigns for Fortune available to chat along with TC 500 companies. Since 2010, writer Jordan Crook for the entire Create Digital has consistently evening so have your iPads improved the web presences, loaded with a pitch deck and a customer engagement and online small card containing your brands of its clients. website and pertinent info. Dont HomeSnap is the most intuitive bring a packet of papers. Ill just real estate app youll ever use. lose it. Simply snap a photo of any home Special thanks to folks in to find out all about it, including R i c h m o n d a n d N o r f o l k f o r its current value, last sale date & donating their office spaces for price, local schools and more. our nefarious ends. Follow HomeSnap works for over 90 me@johnbiggs for updates during million homes across the USA. the evening. Tuesday, April 10 Norfolk We So heres how its going down: Are Titans Offices 259 Granby Monday, April 9 DC RFD St 3rd Floor 6pm-10pm We
will begin the night at the We Are The Titans offices, kindly provided by a team of titans who work there, and the perhaps we can move to another location later. Please RSVP here or email me at john@techcrunch.com with the subject RSVP NORFOLK. Try to include a rough headcount. We are also looking for sponsors, so please let me know in a separate, non RSVP email if youre interested. Heres a little bit about our first Norfolk sponsor: We Are Titans is a product development shop that helps startups and established businesses worldwide build custom web and mobile applications. We have a track record of turning great ideas into profitable and effective products, and were big on candid communication over intimidating geek speak.Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, our team looks forward to talking with you about your project, and how The Titan Way can help bring the right product to reality, while saving you time and money. Wednesday, April 11 Richmond SnagAJob HQ 4851 Lake Brook Dr Finally, well meet in Glen Allen,
outside of Richmond, for our final meet-up. Thanks to SnagAJob for donating a space with a bar and some booze. Were still looking for Richmond sponsors as well, so please email me directly. RSVP here or email me at john@techcrunch.com with the subject RSVP RICHMOND. Try to include a rough headcount. Heres a bit about our first Richmond sponsor: Snagajob, the largest hourly employment network for job seekers and employers, is the only company to provide both sourcing and talent management solutions to the hourly industry. With more than 30 million registered job seekers and the leading hourly-focused talent management system, Snagajob has been fulfilling the dreams of hourly workers and those who employ them since 2000. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., Snagajob has been named the No. 1 Best Small Company to Work for in America by the Great Place to Work Institute. To find out more, visit snagajob.com and www.snagajob.com/employersolutions.
Baby-throwing puzzler Offspring Fling is your indie treat for the week
Mark Brown
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:00:00 AM
Offspring Fling, a one-man indie game from a chap called Kyle Pulver, invites you to "experience the thrill of motherhood" in a "baby-throwing adventure". Now there's an offer that's tough to refuse. Thankfully, the young ones in Fling are resilient little critters that aren't harmed when tossed, dropped and slung about each level. Which is handy, seeing your own kids often become the tools to solve puzzles. By: Mark Brown, Edited by: Olivia Solon Continue reading...
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Technology/ Finance/
Clarity Is Key When Negotiating with Investors

Rieva Lesonsky (ReadWriteWeb)
to 16 months so that everyone is clear on how you plan to spend the money you raise. "Even if it Submitted at 4/2/2012 1:00:18 PM Just as important, don't play changes, and it very likely will, [a For any entrepreneur, finding the lawyer and try to write the budget] gives you a starting perfect investor is like a match agreement yourself. Instead... point," explains Rosandic. made in Heaven. But as in any Get a lawyer - and make sure he What's your exit strategy? How marriage, things don't always go or she is experienced in drafting do the investors expect to get a smoothly. And if things get ugly, investment agreements. operations. "For instance," says return on their investments, and you can end up in court instead of Rosandic, "will you have to get are you onboard with that? Will living happily ever after. Then, before you sign any the investor's permission before you be selling the business, To make sure that doesn't happen agreement, have the lawyers making major decisions, like merging with another entity, or do - and help startups avoid costly create a simplified description of s e l l i n g a n a s s e t o r b u y i n g you plan to go public? lawsuits (another instance where the deal terms in plain English, so equipment?" Make sure your Do your investors have their the only people who get rich are a l l p a r t i e s u n d e r s t a n d t h e expectations match the investors'. own exit strategies? Can they sell the lawyers) I asked Anton expectations, the deliverables and Of course, that's not all you need their interest at any time? If so, do Rosandic, a California-based the consequences. For example: to worry about. Once you've you have a right of first refusal to attorney and an entrepreneur How much money is involved, covered the basic issues, Rosandic buy back their interest? Are there himself, for some free advice. The and when can you expect to says there are still a lot of time constraints on a buyback? solution isn't all that complicated, actually receive it? q u e s t i o n s t h a t n e e d t o b e Do the investors have a right to Rosandic says, "A successful Is this an equity deal, and what answered and clarifying that force you to buy back their i n v e s t o r / b u s i n e s s o w n e r percentage of the business does needs to be done. investments? relationship is all about managing the investor get? Or is the investor Clarify everyone's roles. Will expectations" and making sure all loaning you money, which means the investor actively participate in The sooner you know the the terms are clear to everyone you're taking on debt? answers to all these questions and the business as a manager or involved. If it this is a debt deal, what are director? If so, what is expected the more everyone understands Sponsor the repayment terms? of the investor as a participant? everyone else's expectations, the The first step is to pay attention I s t h e l o a n s e c u r e d b y Will the investor be entitled to better you'll be able to manage not to Rosandic's key do's and don'ts: someone's house or similar any salary or distribution? only your business, but your Don't do a handshake deal; collateral? It's crucial to understand your investor relationships. e v e r y t h i n g ( a n d h e m e a n s When does the investor expect investors' specific expectations for Best-case scenario? "If your everything) needs to be in writing. t o s e e a r e t u r n o n t h e i r your startup. For example, are startup is successful," Rosandic Even if the investor is a friend i n v e s t m e n t ? they looking for an increase in notes, "most of these issues will or relative, don't assume you can be nonissues." sales or in net revenue? skip the formalities. You can't. If Next, clarify what say the Create a budget for the next 12 Discuss something goes wrong, you want investor has in the business
to make sure your relationship is "protected."
Social Site Comparison Charts - The 'Google+ vs Facebook' Infographic Reveals the True Winner (TrendHunter.com)
( TrendHunter.com) The Google+ vs. Facebook' Infographic breaks down the numbers of the top social profile sites. While Facebook has 845 million users and Google+ only has 100.8 million, Facebook was...
Entrepreneurs' trading confidence edges up

James Hurley (Finance News Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:24:33 PM
Small businesses are showing a "tentative" return to confidence about their overseas prospects, according to a quarterly trading survey.
Technology/ Culture/
27
Next Xbox reportedly shipping with Blu-ray, not DVD

Don Reisinger (CNET News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:25:03 PM
have trouble holding back its chuckles. The company currently offers Blu-ray support in its Although Microsoft has said the PlayStation 3, due mainly to the next Xbox won't be launching fact that it's one of the founding anytime soon, the rumor mill just members of the Blu-ray Disc won't quit. Association, and licenses Blu-ray Gaming blog VG247 is reporting technology to other companies. t o d a y , c i t i n g s o u r c e s , t h a t That little wrinkle had been Microsoft is hard at work on the widely viewed as the reason next Xbox, and when it finally Microsoft hasn't brought Blu-ray launches late next year, it'll come to the Xbox 360; the software with a Blu-ray player. The device giant ostensibly has no desire to will also ship with two AMD give cash to its chief competitor in GPUs, making it "like two PCs the gaming space. taped together," the blog's sources Looking ahead, however, say. Microsoft might have no choice Those reports aren't necessarily but to support Blu-ray in the next groundbreaking. AMD has hinted Xbox. Next-generation titles will from time to time that it'll be be far more capable than their Microsoft's partner in the next current-generation counterparts, Xbox. Gaming blog Kotaku also causing them to take up more disc said earlier this year that its own space. Blu-ray allows for far more sources have confirmed that the data capacity, making it a nearnext Xbox will launch with Blu- necessity in the next generation. ray and not the DVD drive Sony, meanwhile, could stand to available in the current Xbox 360. gain from that. If the next Xbox does indeed ship But VG247 believes that there's with a Blu-ray player, Sony might more to the next Xbox than Blu-
confirmed that, of course, but the prospect of it is making many gamers think twice about buying the upcoming console. "I don't normally buy used games," CNET commenter "Niceguy4186" said in January. "But if they were to do this, I would probably boycott the new ray and better graphics -- two system just out of principle." likely features. The blog also said Looking ahead, Microsoft says today that the next Xbox will that it plans to speak exclusively require an "always-on Internet about the current Xbox at the E3 connection" to combat piracy. Gaming expo in June. It has yet to M i c r o s o f t ' s m o t i o n - g a m i n g give any indication of what it peripheral Kinect will come built- plans to offer in the next Xbox. in to the next Xbox and won't be Microsoft did not immediately a n a c c e s s o r y , a c c o r d i n g t o respond to CNET's request for VG247. comment on the latest report. VG247 didn't provide details on This entry passed through the what might just be the most Full-Text RSS service if this is worrisome feature rumored to be your content and you're reading it coming to the next Xbox: a ban on someone else's site, please read on used-game playing. Back in the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentJanuary, Kotaku said that it heard only/faq.php#publishers. Five from a "reliable industry source" Filters recommends: Donate to that the next Xbox would come Wikileaks. with a feature to ban playing used games. Microsoft hasn't
Multi-Layered Limns - 'Confuse the Spirit' By Abbey Watkins Explores Native U.S. Culture (TrendHunter.com)
( TrendHunter.com) UK artist Abbey Watkins has unveiled her Confuse the Spirit' illustrations. A series featuring multi-headed women, the drawings come from Watkins' inspiration for the exhibit from...
Like predators, pesticides morph tadpoles

(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:55:00 AM
The worlds most popular weed killer can cause amphibians to change shape in ways normally
caused by a predator. It was not surprising to see that the smell of predators in the water induced larger tadpole tails, says University of Pittsburgh biologist adaptive response. What shocked Rick Relyea. That is a normal,
us was that the Roundup induced the same changes. Moreover, the combination of predators and Roundup caused the tail changes to be twice as large. Full story at Futurity.
More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Geoff Gallice/Flickr Permalink| Leave a comment
28
Facebook app for iPad gets Retina Display upgrade

Rue Liu (SlashGear)
Tweetbot for iPad Retina Quality Review on Mar 17th 2012 iPad Retina Display squashes Facebook for iOS has now joined rivals (but it's not perfect) on Mar other apps in supporting the new 20th 2012 iPads Retina Display. An update iPad Retina Display backlight was released today that brings the key heat culprit claims expert on app to version 4.1.1, adding Mar 21st 2012 several minor improvements and Netflix iPad app gets Retina bug fixes for all iOS users. Display upgrade on Mar 22nd However, those with the third-gen 2012 iPad, now get to enjoy a crisp iTunes Movie Trailers app interface with full screen images updated for iPad's Retina Display that take advantage of the high on Mar 23rd 2012 resolution 2,048 x 1,536 display. Skype gets iPad Retina Display Most of the improvements in upgrade on Mar 26th 2012 version 4.1.1 of the Facebook app New iPad Hot Five Retina Apps seem to be those that fix previous notification lights up now only if high resolution Facebook photos. Countdown on Mar 28th 2012 quirks. They include the ability to you have a request. The update is available for now go offline in chat, having all Additionally, there are new download now from iTunes. Facebook app for iPad gets your friends included in your Retina Display upgrade is written language options, which include Story Timeline friends list, and other corrections C z e c h , D a n i s h , G r e e k , 24 Must-Have iPad Retina by Rue Liu& originally posted on to photos and names that may not I n d o n e s i a n , M a l a y s i a n , Display apps for new users on SlashGear. have displayed properly before. 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All Norwegian, Portuguese, and Thai. Mar 16th 2012 Photos of people who like And of course, for new iPad Infinity Blade II 1.0.3 Retina right reserved. Facebook Pages now load owners, you can now view crisp Quality Review on Mar 16th 2012 correctly and the friend-request
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:15:44 PM
The Best Online Backup App for OS X [Mac App Directory]

Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:30:00 AM
You should back up your hard drive. You've heard it a million times, but most people don't do it. So we're going to make it easy: CrashPlan is the best backup tool. It's what you should use to back up your data, both on-site and offsite. More
How green is your fuel?

Andrew Simms
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:51:00 AM
Cars are synonymous with petrol and the internal combustion engine. And the burning of fossil fuels is synonymous with climate change. The second association
can't be broken, but what about the first? Surprisingly, electric powered cars beat the first car to run on petrol to the start line by half a century. A very basic carriage powered by electricity was invented in the 1830s by Robert Anderson from
Scotland. Small-scale, electric powered model vehicles were
made even earlier. It wasn't until half a century later, in 1885, that the German engineer Karl Benz (he of Mercedes Benz) built a car that ran on petrol. Yet, petrol was the fuel that came to dominate the following century as, in rich countries at least, the private
motor car was steered into being the dominant mode of transport. By: Andrew Simms, Edited by: Dan Smith Continue reading...
Technology/
29
Facebook For iPad Gets Retina-Ready

Sarah Perez (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:49:11 AM
NO,
As sure enough, thats just what it did. The update brings a number of Facebook rolled out an update other bug fixes, too, including the this morning that adds support for following: the new iPads Retina display to You can go offline in chat its iPad application. According to The right profile picture appears the release notes in iTunes, users for everyone with the new iPad will now see a Your list of friends always crisp, high resolution interface. includes all your friends The update (version 4.1.1) brings In sets of photos, your name is other bug fixes, too, as well as displayed correctly support for additional languages. Photos of people who like The Retina-ready version of the Facebook Pages load correctly app was hinted at last week, when Your friend-request notification someone spotted a teaser for the only lights up if you have a upcoming app in the iTunes App request Stores New and Noteworthy section. The message displayed at In addition, Facebook users can the time read Enhanced for the now change their language New iPad, presumably meaning t o C z e c h , D a n i s h , G r e e k , it would soon add support for I n d o n e s i a n , M a l a y s i a n , Retina graphics. Norwegian (Bokmal), Portuguese
Under law settled long before the Open Internet rules were first contemplated, business practices that demonstrably harm consumers were already illegal under antitrust. They can be (Portugal) or Thai in the updated stopped through private app. enforcement or by actions However, as much as new iPad initiated through the Department owners may be excited to see one of Justice or the Federal Trade of their most heavily used apps Commission. updated with Retina support, Unlike the FCC's rules, antitrust perhaps a more highly anticipated focuses on harm to consumers, feature (or rather feature request) not other competitors, from new is support for the Facebook products or services. Of course no Timeline. As the boldest revision such harm is anywhere to be to the Facebook user interface to found in Comcast's new Xbox arrive since the News Feed, the service. Existing customers are Timeline offers a new way to both simply being given the option to display and consume Facebook reduce their costs by substituting content. And given the iPads an Xbox console for a set-top box screen size, it doesnt seem like it to receive on-demand content to would be a problem to migrate which they already subscribe. that interface to the iPad. Internet-based video services The updated Facebook app is become no more or less attractive available in iTunes now. as a result.
Complaints about the new service, at the same time, prove more than they intend to. They demonstrate both the danger and futility of turning regulation of the Internet over to the FCC, and of the agency's folly in passing the Open Internet rules in any form. Better to have left well enough alone, and trusted to the existing and adaptable law of antitrust to determine the difference between real and imagined harms. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
[Infographic] A Look Back at UNIVAC

David Strom (ReadWriteWeb)
operated at a mere 2000 instructions per second. (By Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:30:42 AM comparison, the average laptop It was the first computer - ever - today routinely handles about and it was turned on in March of 100,000 million instructions every 1951 for the U.S. Census Bureau. second.) The UNIVAC, or Universal The UNIVAC had Big Bertha Automatic Computer, was big: an printers, too, that could print 600 entire room, filled with more than lines of type every minute on 5 , 0 0 0 v a c u u m t u b e s a n d form-fed paper, and weighed in at consuming 150 kW of power. It 800 pounds. Thanks to the folks at
Royal Pingdom, who have put together this infographic. The UNIVAC's big claim to
that Eisenhower would win 43 states and 438 electoral votes: he actually won 39 states and 442 votes. Wired had the story several years ago here. CBS news, who had hired the programmers, never aired the prediction, however. fame: It was the first computer Sponsor used to predict a U.S. election: Discuss UNIVAC said at 8:30 p.m. EST
30
How America benefits from Apple

Steven Sande (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:45:00 PM
Apple has gone from near death in the 1990s to the pinnacle of success two decades later. TIME tech journalist Ben Bajarin notes in a post today that the company is a highly important and necessary part of the American economy and says that " America needs Apple to keep doing what it's doing." Probably the biggest point Bajarin makes is that Apple now drives economic growth in the country. During a deep recession, the company showed record growth and revenues. Apple didn't stay stagnant during this recession or the previous dot-com bust; instead, the company invested in retail stores and completely new product lines (iPod in the early 2000s, iPad in the 2010s).
Apple's impact on the S&P 500 was remarkable in the last quarter; if Apple had been taken out of the picture, the S&P 500 growth rate would have been only half (around 3 percent) of the figure with the company. Bajarin also points out the positive impact of the iOS app
economy, which by Apple's own measures has created about 210,000 jobs. Add to that the huge number of accessory manufacturers that have sprung up in the U.S. (think of DODOcase and Pen & Quill, for example), and the impact is even greater. Apple has made America
technologically competitive again, with the most wildly popular consumer electronics products not coming from Asia or Europe but from the U.S. Bajarin also postulates that American cell phone companies wouldn't have invested as much in 3G and 4G networks if the iPhone hadn't been around to create the need for those networks. It's time to take the "pie" out of the old saying and just say "It's as American as Apple." How America benefits from Apple originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 Alan Henry (Lifehacker) 12:45:00 EST. Please see our Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:00:00 AM terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Dear Lifehacker, More Comments
Should I Keep My Personal and Professional Identities Completely Separate Online? [Ask Lifehacker]
'Activist shareholders' launch website documenting Yahoo's decline

Olivia Solon
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:44:00 AM
Yahoo shareholders Third Point has created a website -- called Value Yahoo -- dedicated to demonstrating what is going on with Yahoo's business and how it can be turned around.
The activist shareholder seeks to elect new directors to Yahoo's board that are not handpicked by previous board members who have overseen "periods of value disintegration". Third Point -which owns 5.8 percent of Yahoo stock -- wants to bring "muchneeded independence and
shareholder representation" and
"infuse the board with energy, significant experience in growth, media and turnarounds". Third Point has long been a critic of Yahoo's board and has been lobbying for its choice of board members for some time. Yahoo had hoped to appease its critics with the appointment of PayPal's
Scott Thompson and the associated change of board representation earlier this year, however Third Point is evidently not satisfied with the progress so far. By: Olivia Solon, Edited by: Nate Lanxon Continue reading...
Technology/ Culture/ Sports/
31
Apple plans nation's biggest private fuel cell energy project

Steven Sande (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 1:10:00 PM
Petrino crashes motorcycle, expected to recover

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:12:44 PM
Apple has made several moves lately that point to it becoming one of the nation's leaders in terms of adopting clean energy technology. First, the company announced that is installing a 20megawatt solar farm across from the Maiden, North Carolina data center. Now the Greenboro, N.C. News & Record reports that the company plans to install the largest private fuel cell energy project in America near Maiden. The project, which should be producing energy by the end of the year, will use large modular fuel cells from Bloom Energy of Sunnyvale, California. The company's "Bloom Boxes" (see photo above) are in use in a number of other fuel cell projects throughout the country, primarily in California.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino veered off a two-lane highway and crashed his motorcycle over the weekend, sending him to a hospital and leaving him in what his family described only as "stable condition." He is expected to make a full recovery.
Fuel cells produce electrical energy from hydrogen gas through an electro-chemical process, with water being the only byproduct. They've been used on NASA spacecraft for years, and have only recently made an impact on electrical power generation. The technology is rather expensive, which is why most fuel cell installations have been made in California where the
state provides incentives equal to about half of the installation cost. Apparently, the hydrogen fuel will be produced from natural gas feedstocks, with Apple hoping to offset the use of natural gas with landfill methane gas or other biogas. Bloom Boxes are being used for clean energy production by a number of other large tech firms, including Adobe, eBay, and Google.
Apple plans nation's biggest private fuel cell energy project originally appeared on TUAW The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments
What the Ancients Knew Videos

(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:56 PM
Playlist | What the Ancients Knew Videos Check out all 47What the Ancients Knew videos in this playlist. There are
47 videos tagged "What The Ancients Knew"' + ''; $('#googleAdRightRail').html(rt); } function getValidChannel() { var getChannel = function(subDomain) { return subDomain; } var validChannels
= new Array("adventure", "auto","computer","electronics"," entertainment","food","health","h ome","mobiltravelguide","money" ,"people","recipes","science","trav el","www","reference","maps","vi deos","history","geography","ani
m a l s " ) ; v a r subDomain=document.domain.spl it(".")[0]; if (subDomain) { var x; for (var x = 0; x This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it
on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
32
Technology/
Gender-bending Lego ad remixer mashes up ninjas, puppies

Amanda Kooser (CNET News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:32:24 PM
Something about this just doesn't click. I don't mean to sound all crotchety and old, but back when I was a kid, our Legos didn't have genders. All Legos were for everybody. My brother and I shared the same pile of bricks and Lego figures. I didn't feel slighted that our little yellow people were missing pink skirts and sassy ponytails. Lego recently debuted a new line of toys for girls. The Lego Friends
wear skirts, have puppies, play dress-up, and hang out in a candycolored cafe. Meanwhile, the boys' Lego characters are fighting space battles, capturing dinosaurs, and sailing pirate ships. The HTML5 Gendered Lego Advertising Remixer shines a light on the gender divide in toy advertising. There's one world for girls and an entirely different world for boys. The remixer superimposes the audio or video from girl-focused Lego ads with audio or video from boy-focused ads. It's both disturbing and hilarious to hear a
macho guy command you to freeze skeletons in their tracks while wide-eyed Lego ladies bake a cake. Here's hoping enterprising young
girls make their own stereotypesmashing Lego mashups. There's no reason why the Lego Friends can't escape the Ninjago turbo shredder's gnashing teeth and
battle the ice dragon. That sounds like a lot more fun than hanging out in a beauty salon all day. Lego Friends at the cafe. The laser guns and battle tanks must be tucked away behind the counter. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
iPod Nano Touch concept gets skinny

Chris Burns (SlashGear)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:44:58 PM
they have a heart attack at the imperfect aspect ratio? The amount of work that Designer Enrico Penello is developers would have to do to known for his conceptual work in create applications for this device the industrial design world and would be astronomical. That said, not least of all this week for his Apple has already released an undeniably interesting Apple iPod iPod with an odd screen shape Nano Touch design. What were that millions of people use daily. looking at here is a different Would something such as this direction entirely for the iPod, iPod Nano Touch take off if taking the height of one model released in the real world? Sure and adding the touchscreen of just so long as I can get the gold another. Would such a design give one! Apple designers pause, or would This concept has a front-facing
three. What do you think, folks, could something like this thrive if released by Apple today? [ via Yanko Design] iPod Nano Touch concept gets skinny is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. camera strong enough to work with Face Time, is just about the same length as the standard Apple iPod connector, and does indeed have a clip on the back to connect to your running shorts. This version of the iPod would be able to work essentially the same as an iPod Touch, but would have just one row of apps to tap instead of
Technology/
33
HTC One series starts Qualcomm / NVIDIA battery wars

Chris Burns (SlashGear)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:05:46 PM
low-powered tasks and sleeping, while the HTC One S contains the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip, This week were getting our first m a d e a l s o t o k e e p i t s e l f look at the smartphone-based next conservative when it comes to -generation processors of two draining your power. giants (Qualcomm and NVIDIA) What were seeing is that both as they sit on the HTC One series NVIDIA and Qualcomm have reviewed earlier today. What become conscious of the realwere seeing is that not only are world problem of extremely both of these chipmakers bringing quickly drained batteries with heat to the processing world, their next generation processors. theyve begun a true war on Weve seen both handsets being battery conservation. The HTC released this week to have sleep One X smartphone contains modes with next to no battery NVIDIAs Tegra 3 quad-core drain whatsoever. What that processor with an extra core for m e a n s i s t h a t w h i l e t h e
smartphone sits idle in the consumers pocket, the HTC One series can stay powered on basically indefinitely a hefty claim, to be sure.
Have a peek at our review of the HTC One S as well as the HTC One X now to see how these devices size up as one complete package. Then keep a weather eye
out for further comparisons of the processors that sit inside these devices in the near future here on SlashGear. If what were seeing is true, the battery war will be over right here in 2012 an exciting time for smartphone users! HTC One series starts Qualcomm / NVIDIA battery wars is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apple to adjust work schedules for retail employees

Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:15:00 PM
A report from ifoAppleStore suggests Apple is changing the work schedule for its retail employees to alleviate a problem with over-crowding. According to the report, some Apple stores have doubled their traffic in the last year and they need more
staffers to handle this increase in customers. Apple is reportedly instituting mandatory weekend hours for some full-time employees and increasing the mandatory minimum hours for part-time employees. Under the new rumored rules, Friday will join Saturday and Sunday to become a weekend day. All full-time Family Room, Red Zone
for retail employees originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments S p e c i a l i s t s , C r e a t i v e s a n d hours a week, up from 16 hours. Geniuses may have to work two These new rules will supposedly out of every three weekend days. go into effect on April 15. Part-timers may have to work 24 Apple to adjust work schedules
34
Policy/
Dont Fear a Nuclear Arms Race in the Middle East - By Steven A. Cook
STEVEN A. COOK (Foreign Policy)
The conventional wisdom has it wrong: Irans development of a nuclear weapon wont spur its neighbors to get the bomb. BY STEVEN A. COOK| APRIL 2, 2012 On March 21, Haaretz correspondent Ari Shavit wrote a powerful op-ed in the New York Times that began with this stark and stunning claim: "An Iranian atom bomb will force Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt to acquire their own atom bombs." Indeed, it has become axiomatic among Middle East watchers, nonproliferation experts, Israel's national security establishment, and a wide array of U.S. government officials that Iranian proliferation will lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. President Barack Obama himself, in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) last month, said that if Iran went nuclear, it was "almost certain that others in the region would feel compelled to get their own nuclear weapon." Multiple nuclear powers on a hair trigger in the Middle East -- the most volatile region on earth, and one that is undergoing massive political change -- is a nightmare
scenario for U.S. and other security planners, who have never before confronted a challenge of such magnitude. But thankfully, all the dire warnings about
uncontrolled proliferation are -- if not exactly science fiction -further from reality than Shavit and Obama indicate. There are very good reasons for the
international community to meet when pondering the decisionthe challenge that Iran represents, m a k i n g p r o c e s s o f s t a t e s but Middle Eastern nuclear confronted by nuclear-armed dominoes are not one of them. Theorists of international politics, DONT page 35
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DONT
neighbors, have long raised the fears of asymmetric power relations and potential for nuclear blackmail to explain why these states would be forced to proliferate themselves. This logic was undoubtedly at work when Pakistan embarked on a nuclear program in 1972 to match India's nuclear development program. Yet for all its tribulations, the present-day Middle East is not the tinderbox that South Asia was in the middle of the 20th century. Pakistan's perception of the threat posed by India -- a state with which it has fought four wars since 1947 -- is far more acute than how either Egypt or Turkey perceive the Iranian challenge. And while Iran is closer to home for the Saudis, the security situation in the Persian Gulf is not as severe as the one along the 1,800-mile Indo -Pakistani border. Most important to understanding why the Middle East will not be a zone of unrestrained proliferation is the significant difference between desiring nukes and the actual capacity to acquire them. Of all three states that Shavit mentioned, the one on virtually everyone's list for possible nuclear proliferation in response to Iran is Turkey. But the Turkish Republic is already under a nuclear umbrella: Ankara safeguards roughly 90 of the United States' finest B61 gravity bombs at Incirlik airbase, near the city of Adana. These weapons are there because Turkey is a NATO member, and Washington's
extended deterrence can be expected to at least partially mitigate Turkey's incentives for proliferation. But even if the Turks wanted their own bomb, they have almost no capacity to develop nuclear weapons technology. Indeed, Turkey does not even possess the capability to deliver the 40 B61 bombs at Incirlik that are allocated to Turkish forces in the event of an attack, according to a report released by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Given the changes in Turkey's foreign policy and its drive for global influence, it is conceivable that it will want to develop a Turkish version of France's force de frappe. However, Ankara would literally be starting from scratch: Turkey has no fissile material, cannot mine or enrich uranium, and does not possess the technology to reprocess spent fuel, all of which are required for nuclear weapons development. This does not mean that Turkey is not interested in nuclear technology. Yet Ankara's efforts, to the extent that they exist beyond the two small-scale facilities in Ankara and Kucukcekmece, are directly related to the country's predicted energy shortfall resulting from the combination of a booming economy and growing population. The Turkish government has announced plans for civilian nuclear power to provide a quarter of Turkey's electricity needs by 2040. But even this three-decade
timeline seems overly optimistic given the inchoate nature of Turkey's nuclear research. The Egyptians are way ahead of the Turks in developing nuclear infrastructure, but don't expect to see the rise of a nuclear power on the Nile anytime soon. Egypt's nuclear program is actually older than India's, and was established only three years after Israel founded its Atomic Energy Commission. The Egyptian Atomic Energy Commission, which Gamal Abdel Nasser established in 1955, was exclusively dedicated to the development of peaceful atomic energy, though there were suspicions to the contrary. The 1956 nuclear cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union transferred to Egypt a 2-megawatt light water reactor that only produced small amounts of plutonium. There were, of course, worrying signs about the Egyptian program -- specifically Cairo's refusal to open the Inshas reactor to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection until after the peace treaty with Israel. Yet neither President Anwar Sadat nor his successor, the recently deposed Hosni Mubarak, ever made any effort to develop nuclear weapons technology. Sadat signed the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty in 1980, and Mubarak negotiated with the United States, France, Canada, and Germany for reactors and funding for Egypt's nuclear program. Nothing, however, ever
came of these discussions because of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster -and the fact that the Egyptians never signed what is known as the Additional Protocol, which gives the IAEA enhanced powers to inspect nuclear facilities. Given the trajectory of Egypt's nuclear development, Cairo's rejection of the Additional Protocol had more to do with politics and sovereignty than plans for a clandestine weapons program. Even after Mubarak's son Gamal triumphantly declared at the ruling party's 2006 convention that Egypt was going to ramp up its nuclear development program, it is hard to believe that Egyptians ever really took him seriously. Mubarak spent $160 million on consultants to tell him where to build 10 planned nuclear power plants, and selected a location along the Mediterranean for the first one. But each of the power plants comes with a price tag of $1.5 billion -- and this is a country that in the last 15 months has spent approximately $26 billion of its $36 billion foreign currency reserves just to stay afloat. One has to wonder about the pundits' warning of an Egyptian bomb: Have they even been to Egypt lately? If so, they might have a better grasp of Egypt's ramshackle infrastructure and the dire state of its economy, neither of which can support a nuclear program. What about Saudi Arabia, then, the Sunni power that is on the tip of most analysts' tongues when it comes to Shiite Iran getting the
bomb? Saudi Arabia has the cash to make large-scale investments in nuclear technology. Indeed, the only factor that makes warnings about Saudi proliferation -- such as that delivered by former Ambassador the United States Prince Turki al-Faisal last year -even remotely credible is the resources the Saudis can muster to buy a nuclear program. Yet, while Riyadh can outfit itself with nuclear facilities with ease, it does not have the capacity to manage them. Mohamed Khilewi, a former Saudi diplomat, claims that the kingdom has been developing a nuclear arsenal to counter Israel since the mid-1970s -- but he offers no substantiated evidence to support these claims. In fact, the country has no nuclear facilities and no scientific infrastructure to support them. It's possible that Saudi Arabia could import Pakistanis to do the work for them. But while Saudis feel comfortable with Pakistanis piloting some of their warplanes and joining their ground forces, setting up a nuclear program subcontracted with Pakistani know-how -- or even acquiring a nuclear device directly from Islamabad -- poses a range of political risks for the House of Saud. No doubt there would be considerable international opprobrium. Certainly Washington, which implicitly extends its nuclear umbrella to Saudi Arabia, would have a jaundiced view of a nuclear deal DONT page 38
36
Policy/
Dear Ayatollah Khamenei: Go Ahead, Shut Down That Strait - By David Rothkopf
DAVID ROTHKOPF (Foreign Policy)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:32:43 AM
High oil prices? Bring 'em on. BY DAVID ROTHKOPF| APRIL 2, 2012 President Barack Obama's political advisors look at the prospect of high oil prices and get heart palpitations. Vice President Joseph Biden hinted at their anxieties when he said, "I think we'll be beaten -- if we are -- by something happening in the eurozone or something happening in the Gulf, which could be difficult for us." One former top national security official told me he thought that the administration was so worried about the possibility of spiking gas prices as the result of an Israeli strike on Iran that they "made a deal with the devil: getting Netanyahu to agree not to strike until after November in exchange for a promise that we would have his back after that." (Prompting one Israeli to say to me, "We're now trying to figure out what this American expression 'I've got your back' really means." I told him it meant something different for police officers who were real partners than it did for inmates that found themselves reluctantly forced to occupy the same prison cell.)
These days it is a fairly regular occurrence for visiting heads of state, whether or not they are from big oil-producing nations, to be asked by the White House to
make some kind of statement saying they will help keep prices low by releasing reserves or increasing production. It was a top item on the agenda when
President Obama met with British pump. It is likely to be a top item Prime Minister David Cameron, on the agenda when Brazil's another guy who is already President Dilma Rousseff visits getting absolutely hammered due to unusually high prices at the DEAR page 37
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DEAR
Washington next week -- even though Brazil's role as a major oil producer is still years in the future. But while at the White House they worry that high gas prices might threaten their reelection chances, I say bring 'em on. I say to Americans, if you have a shred of patriotism in you, every time you head down to the gas station and the price goes up a dime or a quarter or a buck, you say, "Thank you sir, may I have another." Say, "If the average Frenchman can pay 8 bucks a gallon for gas, I can handle $5 without whining." Rather than worrying about high gas prices, we should all be cheering them on, because nothing will do more to advance the progress of our economy and the health of our environment than high gas prices. Economists know this. They know that the best way to reduce our consumption of gasoline isn't some complicated cap-and-trade program but a simple charge that makes it harder to buy the stuff in such quantities. That will be the best reason to force us to use more of the increasingly abundant energy supplies we have right here within our borders. Of course, economists would prefer a tax, but why wait for a dysfunctional government here at home to produce a tax when dysfunctional or maliciously
inclined governments in the Middle East will do the same thing? Sure, high gas prices will be a burden on some folks. That's not the problem, that's the point. Perhaps we can offer some special tax reductions for the poor so this is not so onerous for them that they can't make their way to work or school or to receive health care. (In fact, I would welcome seeing the Democrats, who at least in theory care about such things, propose such a deal and the Republicans come back demanding we give relief to the top 1 percent too, because if their chauffeurs can't afford to drive them to work, how will they earn those giant bonuses that will come trickling down to us any minute now?) Either way, we should be sending a note to Ayatollah Khamenei over there in Tehran saying, "Go ahead, make our day. Shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Help us break our addiction to what you're selling. Not only will it be good for us, but perhaps it will trigger your downfall." It's fascinating how energy policy has become so central to the 2012 elections. I spend a lot of time talking to senior people in energy companies of one sort or another, and pretty much the conventional wisdom among them has been that this would be a year when
precious little got accomplished on the big energy issues. But instead, energy has become not only a top issue in the campaign but perhaps the central question -tied as it is not only to gas prices (which are a domestic as well as a foreign-policy issue) but also to the question of how to create the next American economic renaissance and new jobs along with it. Already, the list of energy issues rating politically in 2012 is longer than it has been in any recent year, from the impact of new domestic shale-gas supplies and debates over pipelines connecting us to vast oil sands reserves in the Canadian North to the promise of new technologies or offshore reserves and the controversies over the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (which has become perhaps the leading nonhealth care symbol of "big government") and Energy Department loan programs. And of course, there are the global implications of the energy debate, from political upheaval in the Middle East to the impact spiking oil prices might have on Europe's fragile social dynamic or that in China. Make a list of the big issues in the world and put a check next to the ones that have an important energy component. The list is long: Iran; Iraq; the Arab Spring;
terrorism; the rise of China; resource competition worldwide; the focus in our pivot to Asia on keeping open sea lanes for the shipment of energy through the Indian Ocean, Straits of Malacca, and the South China Sea; the future of the Japanese economy; our concerns about instability in Africa; the rise of the BRICS and other emerging powers. Then think for a minute about the huge impact that growing American energy independence, fueled by a dramatic increase in U.S. oil and gas production from previously inaccessible or newly discovered sources, might have on geopolitics. Despite all this, we remain a country without a coherent wholeof-government, whole-of-theeconomy energy policy -- or even a responsible debate about what such a policy would look like. The candidate who comes closest to remedying this long-lamented vacuum and who seems best able to seize our burgeoning new energy opportunities and reduce our enduring energy risks will likely win the upcoming election. Which one is it? For now, it's not yet clear: While Obama emphasizes alternative energy somewhat more than his presumptive GOP challenger Mitt Romney, both have essentially adopted 2008 Republican nominee John McCain's "all of the
above" approach. Obama is likely to go after Big Oil as a theme and Romney is likely to protect the oil companies in the name of keeping prices low. But the x-factor is that until now, neither has built a compelling, specific, realistic vision for the future of our economy with a comprehensive energy policy at its core. But even as we wait for vision in high places in Washington -which history suggests could be a very long wait -- we are fortunate that the utter absence of good policies is having the most important effect we could hope for: Spiking gas prices will make it more profitable to look for alternatives, more profitable to drill at home, more profitable to embrace efficiency, and more profitable to conserve. Rather than being careful what we wish for, we should be careful not to fear what we need most. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
38
Policy/ Culture/
DONT
between Riyadh and Islamabad. Moreover, it's one thing to hand the keys to an F-15 over to a foreigner, but letting them run your nuclear program is another matter altogether. The concern about Saudi proliferation stems from fears that the kingdom would be forced to act if both Iran and Israel possessed a nuclear arsenal. "We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't," an unnamed Saudi official declared to the Guardian on the sidelines of a meeting between Prince Turki al Faisal and NATO officials in June 2011. "It's as simple as that. If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit." Yet given the fact that the Saudis have very little nuclear infrastructure to speak of, this kind of statement is little more
than posturing designed to force the U.S. hand on Iran. Unlike similar warnings by Israel, which has the capacity to follow through on its threat to attack Iran's nuclear sites, Riyadh's rhetoric about acquiring nuclear weapons is empty. What is amazing is how many people take the Saudis seriously. If Khilewi had been telling the truth, now would seem like a good time for the Riyadh to give Tehran a look at what the royal family has been hiding in the palace basement all these years -- but so far, we have only heard crickets. Despite its flimsiness, it is hard to ignore the utility of the Middle East's nuclear dominoes theory. For those who advocate a preventive military strike on Iran, it provides a sweeping geopolitical rationale for a dangerous operation. But the evidence doesn't bear this
argument out: If Washington decides it has no other option than an attack, it should do so because Iran is a threat in its own right, and not because it belives it will thwart inevitable proliferation in places like Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. It won't, for the simple reason that there is no reason to believe these countries represent a proliferation risk in the first place. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Azerbaijan Is Not Israel's Secret Staging Ground Nargiz Gurbanova

NARGIZ GURBANOVA (Foreign Policy)
Video: Chuck vs. Dan - Who Is Better For Blair on Gossip Girl?
BuzzSugar (PopSugar)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:07:39 AM
Gossip Girl returns this week after a short hiatus that left fans in the lurch regarding Blair's romantic fate. It seems as if she's
picture for good? As fans take sides on the matter, BuzzSugar editors Becky Kirsch and Shannon Vestal debate who is better for Blair in this episode of getting more serious with Dan, The Buzz. but is Chuck really out of the
clearly stated policy of Azerbaijan not to allow use of its territory against any neighbor. In fact, Submitted at 4/2/2012 9:20:43 AM Azerbaijan's commitment to A recent article in Foreign Policy promoting regional peace has gets Israel's relationship with my b e e n d e m o n s t r a t e d b y i t s country wrong. BY NARGIZ involvement in the ongoing talks GURBANOVA| APRIL 2, 2012 with Armenia for the last two I was most surprised to read a decades in spite of the latter's v e r y p r o v o c a t i v e a n d illegal occupation of the unsubstantiated article by Mark i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y r e c o g n i z e d Perry in your publication (" A z e r b a i j a n i l a n d s . Israel's Secret Staging Ground"). Perry's article is an interesting The author arrives at wide piece of fiction. Whether it was ranging allegations based on driven by a special political unnamed sources and rather agenda or vivid imagination, your convoluted commentary. Clearly publication seems as an odd upset about Azerbaijan's friendly choice for such speculative relations with Israel, Perry, for writing. some reason, equates a historic This entry passed through the f r i e n d s h i p b e t w e e n t h e Full-Text RSS service if this is Azerbaijani and Jewish people your content and you're reading it into preparing for a war against on someone else's site, please read Iran. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentThis unreasonable accusation only/faq.php#publishers. Five makes no sense in terms of Filters recommends: Donate to geography -- Azerbaijan doesn't Wikileaks. border Israel and contradicts the
Economy/
39
Guest Post: There Is No Shortcut, But All We Have Are Shortcuts

Tyler Durden
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:35:41 PM
Submitted by Charles Hugh Smith from Of Two Minds There Is No Shortcut, But All We Have Are Shortcuts Cheating on the final exam to get an A doesn't mean you mastered the subject. Yet cheating is all we have in America because sacrifice and adult trade-offs are too painful. We all know there is no shortcut to anything worth having-mastery, security, wealth-- yet all we have in America is another useless, doomed shortcut. Insolvency is scale-invariant, meaning that being unable to live within your means leads to insolvency for households, towns, corporations, states and national governments. There is no shortcut to living within one's means. Expenses must align with revenues or the debt taken on to fill the gap will eventually bankrupt the entity-even an Empire. We know this, but all we have in America is the shortcut of borrowing more to fill the gap between revenues and expenses. The Federal government is borrowing a staggering 40% of its budget this year--and it has done so for the past three years. Despite all the fantastic predictions of
future solvency, the cold reality is that no plausible level of "growth" will close the gap: either expenses must be cut by $1.5 trillion or tax revenues raised by $1.5 trillion or some combination of those realities. The Keynesian Cargo Cult (TM) would have us believe that if we keep pursuing the easy shortcut of massive borrowing, eventually "growth" (in what, the Cargo Culters never say) will magically outrace the soaring costs of servicing all this debt they assure us is "necessary." We've already borrowed and squandered over $6 trillion of future citizens' money in deficit spending over four years, 40% of the entire Federal budget. Is the current tepid "recovery" all we got for the shortcut of massive deficit spending? Is there any rational reason to believe that borrowing and blowing another $6 trillion will generate anything other than the same flatline we "bought" with the first $6 trillion? We all like shortcuts because they minimize the pain and sacrifice required to reach a destination. But there is no shortcut to mastery of a difficult skill or subject; cheating on the final exam to get an A doesn't mean you mastered the subject. Yet cheating is all we have in America because sacrifice and
adult trade-offs are too painful. Shortcuts are a way of avoiding the risks and costs of innovation. Rather than face up to the reality that the way we "do business" on a national scale is broken, we just borrow another $1.5 trillion from future citizens every year. Does anyone really think we can afford thousands of fighter aircraft that cost $300 million a piece? Does anyone really think we as a nation are "on the right track" when our sickcare system sucks up 18% of our entire GDP of $15 trillion, double the percentage expended by other developed economies? Does anyone really think burdening students with $100,000 for four years of university (the equivalent of a home mortgage) is sustainable? No one who looks at any of these programs, the demographics of the nation and the scale of the gap between expenses and revenues can reach any other conclusion but bankruptcy: bankruptcy via currency failure (hyper-inflation or a "new dollar") that wipes out the financial wealth of the nation or plain old default, or the renunciation of unpayable debts and obligations. Allow me to repeat the salient point: Shortcuts are a way of avoiding the risks and costs of innovation. What we desperately need is a military machine that
innovates away from weapons systems the nation simply can't afford, not one that relentlessly pursues the "shortcut" of borrowing to pay for what is unaffordable. What we desperately need is an education complex that innovates away from a bloated, unaffordable system of higher education that is living off the shortcut provided by subprime student loans, a system the nation simply can't afford. Where is our shame in turning students into debt-serfs to support what is clearly unaffordable? Student loans are just another shortcut, which is all America has the stomach for now: push the problem into the future with "cheap" debt. Debt is never cheap. Debt is a shortcut. What we desperately need is a healthcare system that innovates away from an out-of-control system the nation simply can't afford, not one that relentlessly pursues the "shortcut" of borrowing to pay for what is unaffordable so the Status Quo can avoid any sacrifice or change. We have fallen so far from an adult understanding of the world that we cannot even dare to speak the truth about our shortcuts and about reality: we need to cut Federal spending by a third, or raise tax revenues from $2.5
trillion to $3.5 trillion: a 40% increase. Yes, the top 1/10th of 1% should pay at least what we self-employed people pay, 40% rather than the Mitt-Romney rate of 17%--but anyone looking at the data knows that raising taxes on the top 1% will notgenerate $1 trillion more annually. That is just another "shortcut" fantasy in which someone else makes the sacrifice so nothing has to be cut. We need a healthcare complex that cost 50% less--yes, half, so it aligns with the percentage of GDP nations like Japan, Australia, etc. spend on healthcare, i.e. 9% of GDP rather than the 18% of GDP we pay. The entire higher education "industry" has to innovate to the point that people can afford a university education without obscene subprime loans. I know, I know--it's all "impossible." It was also "impossible" that the Titanic could sink, but sink it did. What's impossible is "borrowing our way to prosperity" and avoiding any innovation, pain and sacrifice by borrowing trillions and trillions of dollars each and every year, with no yield other than sustaining a bloated, failed unsustainable Status Quo for another year. We as a nation are in effect GUEST page 41
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Economy/
Overweight People Arent Lazy: Theyre Under Too MUCH Stress and Are Sleeping Too LITTLE
George Washington
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:20:51 PM
As we reported yesterday, overweight people dont eat enough food of the right kind. Similarly, while many may assume that overweight folks are lazy and are not motivated enough, the truth is that they may be too stressed out. Specifically, stress increases appetite. And it is well-documented that stress causes people to crave highfat, high-carbohydrate junk foods which pack on belly fat. For example, the National Academy of Sciences reported in 2003: [The stress hormone cortisol] (GCs) increase the salience of pleasurable or compulsive activities (ingesting sucrose, fat, and drugs, or wheel-running). This motivates ingestion of comfort food. GCs act systemically to increase abdominal fat depots. In stressed or depressed humans chronic stress induces either increased comfort food intake and
body weight gain . We propose that people eat comfort food in an attempt to reduce the activity in the chronic stress-response network with its attendant anxiety. These mechanisms, determined in rats, may explain some of the epidemic of obesity occurring in our society. And while many would assume that overweight people are lazy and sleep too much, a lack of sleep actually increases obesity. For example, the Chicago Tribune reported last year: In 1960, Americans averaged 81/ 2 hours of sleep a night Study after study showing that a lack of good quality sleepseven to nine hours of uninterrupted slumberis making us fat. And its not just overworked adults who are gaining weight. Longterm studies are finding that sleep -deprived children also are piling on the pounds. Youre fighting against the tide to lose weight when youre sleepdeprived, said Dr. Amy Aronsky, medical director of The Center for Sleep Disorders in Portland, Ore.,
and a board certified sleep specialist. Good sleep is as important as a good diet and exercise when it comes to weight loss. *** Studies have shown that when sleep is restricted, the hormone ghrelin increases and the hormone leptin decreases. Ghrelin tells our brain that were hungry, while leptin tells it weve eaten enough. Average leptin levels decreased 18 percent when sleep was restricted to four hours per night over two nights, according to a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine by Dr. Eve Van Cauter, Average ghrelin levels increased 28 percent when sleep was restricted. In other words, when we dont get enough sleep we feel hungry, even if weve eaten enough. In another Van Cauter study, healthy young volunteers showed signs of prediabetes when they were restricted to four hours of sleep for six nights in a row. The stress hormone cortisol also surges when were sleep-
deprived. When that happens, we crave high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods (comfort foods) to increase our serotonin levels to calm down, said Dr. Michael Breus, author of The Sleep Doctors Diet Plan. Other studies consistently show that adults sleeping fewer than six hours a night increase their likelihood for becoming overweight or obese even when exercising and eating right, Decker said. Among adults ages 32 to 49, those averaging five hours of sleep were twice as likely to be obese after nine years compared with those averaging seven hours. The news for kids is just as alarming. A study of 8,234 children (starting at age 38 weeks) found that the odds of being obese by age 7 increased 50 percent for children averaging fewer than 101 /2 hours of sleep. Another study found that 58 percent of obese kids averaged fewer than eight hours of sleep, while just 11 percent of non-obese kids averaged fewer than eight hours
of sleep. And see this, this and this. In addition, numerous studies show that melatonin reduces body weight and burns fat. Our body produces melatonin when it is dark. If we dont get enough sleep, it means the light is on too much, and our body cant produce enough melatonin. Finally, reducing stress and getting enough sleep gives people extra energy to exercise. On other other hand, if people are stressed out and sleep deprived, theyll be focused on just getting through the day, and will thus be less likely to exercise. Of course, exercise is a powerful stress-reducer and cure for insomnia so it goes both ways. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Economy/ News Photos
41
Eurozone Unemployment Hits 15Year High (and About to Get Much Worse); "Official Denial" In Spain
noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
GUEST
going down, weak consumption. The economic growth outlook is negative and is going to worsen unemployment." Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:35:00 PM Reuters reports Eurozone "With inflation remaining Unemployment Reaches Near 15- stubbornly high throughout the Year High euro zone, there is very little hope Unemployment in the euro zone of a consumer recovery," said reached its highest level in almost Jennifer McKeown, an economist 15 years in February, with more at Capital Markets."Official than 17 million people out of Denial" In Spain work, and economists said they I am amused by the official expected job office queues to denial by the Spanish Finance grow even longer later this year. M i n i s t e r l a s t w e e k . P l e a s e Joblessness in the 17-nation consider Spain reveals deep cuts currency zone rose to 10.8 percent to meet deficit goal - in line with a Reuters poll of Spain announced deep cuts to its economists - and 0.1 points worse central government budget on than in January, Eurostat said on Friday as it battles to convince Monday. European partners and debt February's unemployment level - markets it can rein in its budget last hit in June 1997 - marked the deficit in the face of growing 10th straight monthly rise and complaints from the public. contrasts sharply with the United The government said it would States where the economy has make savings of 27 billion euros been adding jobs since late last ($36 billion) for the rest of 2012 year. from the central government "We expect it to go higher, to budget, equivalent to around 2.5 reach 11 percent by the end of the percent of gross domestic product. y e a r , " s a i d R a p h a e l B r u n - The figure includes tax rises and Aguerre, an economist at JP spending cuts of around 15 billion Morgan in London. "You have euros announced in December. public sector job cuts, income The cuts come despite popular
resistance - a general strike on Thursday disrupted transport, halted industry and saw some minor violence - and against a grim economic backdrop; Spain is thought to have fallen back into recession in the first quarter and has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union. Speaking in Copenhagen after an EU ministerial meeting, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said the measures would be implemented as soon as possible, adding that any suggestions that Madrid needed emergency international funds was "absurd". Ding, ding, ding, the official denial bells are sounding loudly. For more on the official denial theory, please see Eurozone Breakup Logistics (Never Believe Anything Until It's Officially Denied) Here is a far more realistic comment from IHS Global Insight economist Raj Badiani. "I suspect that the government could be forced to implement further austerity measures later this year, with lingering economic downturn set to place additional
strains on an already perilous budget deficit reduction plan. The main risk is that the government's tax revenue projections for 2012 look too optimistic." That Spain will come up short on its budget targets and GDP estimates is not a risk; it's a certainty. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of (news photos - Google News) market direction. Visit http:// w w w . s i t k a p a c i f i c . c o m / Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:16:54 PM account_management.html to Creativity Exercises ( PHOTOS) learn more about wealth Huffington Post (blog) management and capital All photographers feel like they preservation strategies of Sitka are in a rut sometime along their Pacific. photo journey. Do this photography thing long enough and you'll wander around the wastelands of creativity a couple of times. It's normal. It's hard to keep the engine of creativity...
cheating on the exam: yea, we got an A. But we've learned nothing, and have no stomach for the risks of real innovation. It doesn't take a genius to see our real grade: F. Posts will be sporadic this week as I'm taking some time away from the machine. Average: Your rating: None This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Creativity Exercises (PHOTOS) Huffington Post (blog)
42
Economy/ Culture/
German Manufacturing PMI Back in Contraction, New Orders Plunge, The Right Price Inflation Up
noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
can hold up Europe by itself, especially with a simultaneous slowdown in China. For details, please see China Manufacturing Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:14:00 AM As expected (by me anyway), the PMI Decreases at SecondMarkit/BME Germany Fastest Rate in Three Years. Manufacturing PMI shows US manufacturing appears to be Germany is back in contraction. chugging along nicely, at least on Weaker new order intakes lead to a relative basis, but the warmest deteriorating manufacturing weather in history and robust car business conditions in March. sales led the way. Don't expect Key Points: that to last. Headwinds are enormous. Output growth slows to only Mike "Mish" Shedlock marginal pace h t t p : / / Sharpest fall in new work for globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. three months index points lower than the across the euro area largely com Cost inflation highest since July average for 2011 (54.8). The offsetting a recent upturn in Click Here To Scroll Thru My 2011 Recent Post List Mike "Mish" o u t p u t a n d n e w o r d e r s demand from the USA. components of the headline index A marked drop in purchasing S h e d l o c k i s a r e g i s t e r e d Historical Overview: have both moderated substantially a c t i v i t y a t m a n u f a c t u r e r s investment advisor representative Summary: since their highs at the beginning contributed to reduced supply f o r S i t k a P a c i f i c C a p i t a l The seasonally adjusted Markit/ of last year. By sector, investment chain pressure and the fastest Management. Sitka Pacific is an B M E G e r m a n y P u r c h a s i n g goods producers have seen the i m p r o v e m e n t i n v e n d o r asset management firm whose M a n a g e r s I n d e x ( P M I ) biggest slowdown compared with performance since July 2009. goal is strong performance and dipped back below the neutral the rates of growth registered in Average cost burdens nonetheless low volatility, regardless of 50.0 mark in March, thereby early 2011. continued to rise at a robust pace market direction. Visit http:// ending two months of marginal March data pointed to a marked in March, with the rate of w w w . s i t k a p a c i f i c . c o m / improvement. At 48.4, down from reduction in new export orders, inflation reaching its highest in account_management.html to 50.2 in February, the index extending the current period of eight months. Given the complete l e a r n m o r e a b o u t w e a l t h p o i n t e d t o a m o d e r a t e decline to nine months. Survey collapse in the periphery, German m a n a g e m e n t a n d c a p i t a l deterioration in overall operating respondents mainly cited softer manufacturing will eventually preservation strategies of Sitka conditions, and was the lowest global trade flows, with weaker plunge hard. Pacific. since December 2011. Moreover, trends in exports to China and It is illogical to expect Germany Marchs PMI reading was six
Habits [Video]
Charles Duhigg (Lifehacker)
Your willpower is limited, so when you decide to take on something newwhether it's an exercise routine or, say, cookingyou're at least in theory limiting your ability to take on some other habit. But as New York Times writer and author of The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg explains, so-called 'keystone habits' create a chain reaction that can significantly influence the success of other habits. It's like making five good decisions for the price of one. So how do you identify your keystone habits? More
Economy/ Culture/
43
One Of The Biggest Myths About The Strong Economy Has Now Been Debunked
Joe Weisenthal (Money Game)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:21:12 PM
economy, and in fact there's plenty of counterevidence, including today's construction One of the persistent arguments report. we hear is that the strength the Construction was supposed to be economy is showing through the o n e s e c t o r t h a t w o u l d first quarter is the result of OBVIOUSLY benefit from the favorable weather conditions, and warm weather, and yet it hasn't. that as soon as we return to more F o r t h e l a s t t w o m o n t h s , seasonal temperatures, we're constructions pending has been going to see some giveback. negative. Well, it is true that the weather Further confirming this number is has been unseasonably warm t h e f a c t t h a t c o n s t r u c t i o n throughout the country. employment actually fell in the Probably everyone has seen some last month. variation of this chart from So clearly, the #1 sector that Goldman measuring Heating would supposedly benefit from Degree Days, and how they're warm weather is not doing so hot way down this year. (ominously, we might add). But it's really dicey to connect There are other ways in which the warm weather to the stronger the warm weather is clearly acting
as a drag on the economy. Capacity utilization and industrial production numbers have been subpar lately thanks to the fact that utilities aren't operating at full pressure. The rail industry is
seeing weak volume due to low coal volumes. Oh, and finally we saw this picture in the latest toy report from BMO's Garrick Johnson. Sleds have been piling up malls.
Thank of the sled-makers! Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also: US Farmers Expect To Plant Largest Amount Of Corn Since 1937 ZERVOS: Unpopular EU Economic Reforms Could Actually Cause 'Another Massive Bull Run' MORGAN STANLEY: We Could Soon See A 'Significant Deterioration In Corporate Profitability'
10 Cheap Ways to Landscape

Cristen Conger (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
pitifully neglected with yellow, parched grass and scraggly shrubs that conceal the house's frontSubmitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:56 PM windows. If you had pick between -Picture two brick ranch-style these two houses solely based on houses, side by side. There's the curb appeal, which would you nothing remarkably different choose? The one with the nicer a b o u t t h e i r a r c h i t e c t u r e o r landscaping, right? aesthetic -- except for the yards. Thoughtful landscaping can One lawn is well-tended with neat improve your overall satisfaction beds of vibrant plants splashed with a home while you live there, among freshly mown Kentucky as well as the chances of luring of b l u e g r a s s . T h e o t h e r l o o k s potential buyers when you move.
In fact, landscaping is an investment that can boost the value of your home up to 11 percent [source: Garskof]. If done well, you can recover up to 200 percent of landscaping expenses when you sell your house [source: American Nursery & Landscaping Association]. But to reap those benefits in the long term, you have to spend some money initially. Depending on how drastic of a transformation you're
going for and how you go about it, a landscaping budget can grow as quickly as summertime weeds. Some experts recommend allotting between 5 and 15 percent of your house's worth to pay for a lawn makeover [source: Archer]. -What if you don't have thousands of dollars to spend? Alt-hough it will require a little more sweat and strategizing, you can pull off a landscaping project easily on a lean budget. Here are 10 tips to
revamp your yard thriftily, organized from the beginning of your landscaping endeavor to when everything's in the ground. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Economy/
BOFA: One Of The Best Stock Market Indicators Out There Is Screaming Buy
Sam Ro (Money Game)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:31:00 PM
So, what's next for stocks after the best quarter in 14 years? Bank of America's Savita Subramanian thinks they could head up much further. According to the firm's proprietary Sell Side Indicator, strategists' bullishness receded in March to 55.8, marking the sixth decline in eight months. From Subramanian's note to clients: With the S&P 500s indicated dividend yield near 2%, that implies a 12-month price return of 12% and a 12-month value of 1580. Although this is not our official S&P 500 target, this model is an input into our target, which incorporates valuation, sentiment and technicals. Historically, when our indicator has been this low or lower, total returns over the subsequent 12 months have been positive 93% of the time, with median 12-month returns of +23%. To be clear, this is a contrarian indicator: The Sell Side Indicator is based on the average recommended equity allocation of Wall Street strategists as of the last business
The Ultimate Divergence: Birinyi's Ruler Predicts S&P At 5000 When Volume Hits Zero
Tyler Durden
day of each month. We have found that Wall Streets consensus equity allocation has historically been a reliable contrary indicator. In other words, it has historically been a bullish signal when Wall Street was extremely bearish, and vice versa. Subramanian's official current year-end target for the S&P 500 is 1,400. Here's a chart from Subramanian's report: Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this
story See Also: CITI: These 52 Stocks Will Win From The Coming Massive Bull Market JPMorgan's Tom Lee Explains What Will Happen With The $3.6 Trillion In Cash On Corporate Balance Sheets Credit Suisse Just Conducted A MASSIVE Survey Of Asian Businesses And Investors Here's What They Found
frankly anything else, it is quite obvious that the S&P market will hit 5000 by December 2019, a In a day like today, when stocks date which is also notable because and bonds are rallying, indicating as the second Birinyi ruler chart that the market is once again shows, that is when trading convinced Fed "bad cop" Fisher volume will officially hit zero. was full of it, and more easing is Birinyi vs stocks... expected (as noted earlier), and and volume: with NFP set to fall on a market Average: holiday, thus the number, if weak, Your rating: None Average: 5( 4 can be spun as one ushering in votes) more QE over the weekend, one This entry passed through the can only sit back and have fun Full-Text RSS service if this is with Birinyi's ruler. Which in turn your content and you're reading it b r i n g s u s t o t h e f o l l o w i n g on someone else's site, please read conclusion: with the market in the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content2012 once again in a straight only/faq.php#publishers. Five diagonal line, just like in early Filters recommends: Donate to 2011, gaining 50 SPX point each Wikileaks. month regardless of news, climatic conditions, liquidity and
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:13 PM
Economy/ Culture/
45
OECD: The US Officially Has Highest Corporate Tax Rate In The World
Ben Duronio (Money Game)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:49:00 AM
Chuck Colson Admitted to Hospital; Recovering From Surgery

(Christianpost.com > Most Popular)
With Japan dropping their corporate tax rate to 38% on Sunday, America now leads the world in corporate tax rate at 39.2% reports the OECD. While most nations have seen their rates steadily decline over the past 20 years, America has had a relatively stagnant rate. As Taxfoundation.com cites, there have been 133 major corporate tax rate cuts globally since 2006. Meanwhile, America's continues to remain close to 40% as it has since the late 1980's. From the Taxfoundation.com: Currently, the U.S. corporate rate is more than 50 percent higher than the simple average of the 33 other member nations in the OECD. And, our rate is roughly ten percentage points higher than the weighted average of OECD nations. Both Barack Obama and Mitt
Romney have proposed to lower the corporate tax rate, however. As The Daily Ticker reports, Obama's plan would lower the top rate to 28% while Romney's plan would lower it to 25%. Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story See Also:
STUDY: These Charts Show There's Almost No Correlation Between Tax Rates and GDP US Farmers Expect To Plant Largest Amount Of Corn Since 1937 ZERVOS: Unpopular EU Economic Reforms Could Actually Cause 'Another Massive Bull Run'
bigots Christians feel threatened, alone, and helpless," the conference website states. March 31, 2012| 12:59 pm "The Spiral of Silence is fragile, Colson, founder of Prison and if one by one we stand up and Fellowship Ministries and The speak out against the Lie, against C h u c k C o l s o n C e n t e r f o r injustice, against evil, the spiral Christian Worldview, had become will begin to unravel, and Truth ill Friday during the Wilberforce and justice will prevail." W e e k e n d C o n f e r e n c e i n In addition to Colson, other L a n s d o w n e , V a . H i s speakers at the three-day spokesperson, Michelle Farmer, conference include Eric Metaxas, told The Christian Post that there a u t h o r o f B o n h o e f f e r a n d is nothing alarming with his Amazing Grace; the Rev. Samuel health and that he is "resting Rodriguez, president of the comfortably." National Hispanic Christian Prayers have gone out to Colson Leadership Conference; Maggie on his Facebook page as he Gallagher, co-founder of the remains in the hospital. Farmer N a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n f o r said they won't know of his Marriage; and Chuck Stetson, release date until Monday. chairman and CEO of Essentials The Wilberforce conference, in Education; among others. which opened Friday, is being led Like us on Facebook by the Colson Center and is Disabilities advocate Joni designed to encourage Christians Eareckson Tada is also being to break the spiral of silence when honored with the 2012 William it comes to the sanctity of human Wilberforce Award. life, traditional marriage, and This entry passed through the religious freedom. Full-Text RSS service if this is "A handful of angry voices your content and you're reading it seemingly control the message on on someone else's site, please read the most fundamental issues of the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentlife, liberty, marriage and family. only/faq.php#publishers. Five The majority opinion has been Filters recommends: Donate to silenced, its proponents labeled Wikileaks. ignorant, intolerant, out-of-touch
46
Culture/
John Piper, Tim Keller Discuss Why Churches Still Struggle With Racism
City, speak at the "Race and the Christian" event at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on March 30, 2012| 8:29 am Wednesday, March 28, 2012. (Photo: Crossway) NEW YORK At a live (l-r) Anthony Bradley, professor discussion on race and the Gospel of theology at The King's College; this week in New York City, John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem evangelical pastors John Piper and Baptist Church in Minneapolis; Tim Keller discussed why racism a n d T i m K e l l e r , p a s t o r o f still persists in today's Church and Redeemer Church in New York shared struggles that pastors,
including themselves, face in pursuing racial diversity in their churches. Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., and Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City, headlined a conversation called "Race and the Christian," held Wednesday at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Dr.
Anthony Bradley, Professor of Theology at The King's College in New York City moderated the talk. Piper's latest book Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian was the impetus for the event. Grace Over Race In his talk, Piper characterized racism as a "history-long, global problem" that could only be
explained by the biblical narrative of sin and the Fall. Man's sin of pride, according to Piper, causes him to find satisfaction in himself rather than in God, providing the basis for racism. "That is because humans are in rebellion against God. That's where that comes from. Exalting JOHN page 47
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JOHN
ourselves over our maker and of course, if over our maker, over each other. That's a given," Piper told the audience at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Like us on Facebook The Christian worldview that culminates in the Gospel undermines racism, he continued. "You are so sinful and I am so sinful we are roped together. There is no exalting of another over another here. We are both dead, bent rebels together on our way to hell. How vain is the exaltation of a sinner over another sinner?" Piper said. Christ died to reconcile us all in one body, said the Bloodlines author. Those who have received this redemption through faith must base his identity on the grace of Christ, not race, he said. So why is there still racism in today's church? Piper believes Christians can do better but they must intentionally choose grace over race. "Redemption is not perfection," said Piper. "The redeemed must realize their imperfections." Racism as a Systemic Evil Keller, who wrote the foreword to Bloodlines, argued that racism is perpetuated by "systemic evil" and the lack of "corporate responsibility." Racism persists, he contended, because the system that allows it to exist is actively or passively supported to varying degrees by different participants. For example, the Holocaust happened because a whole system was working, according to Keller. At the top of the system, there
were people who sent Jews to death camps but at the bottom, there were German citizens who heard rumors, didn't want to know more and continued to pay taxes. Like Piper, Keller agreed that converting people to Christianity is not enough to combat racism. "You can't just convert everyone and convict them of their individual sin of racism," he said. Keller said the system must change in order for the people to change. But one of the challenges, he presented, is that "white people" don't have a concept of "corporate responsibility" which prevents them from dealing with "corporate evil" or "systemic racism." The Bible supports the practice of corporate responsibility, Keller further explained. In Joshua 7, corporate responsibility in family is illustrated when Akin and his family are punished for Akin's sin of taking the wealth for himself. Daniel 9 demonstrates corporate responsibility for an entire culture because it shows how the prophet Daniel repents for the sins of his ancestors and sins that he individually didn't commit. This lack of understanding can explain why many white Americans couldn't understand "Linsanity," joked Keller. If they had truly grasped the principle of corporate responsibility, they would have understood that for other cultures it's both the "guilt" and the "credit" that is applied to a whole community. Keller underscored the need for Christians to see systemic evil,
take responsibility, and come alongside those who recognize systemic evil to articulate their concerns. Love Instead of Rhetoric Bradley, who moderated Wednesday's discussion, shared his perspective as an AfricanAmerican who grew up after the civil rights movement but grew up listening to his parents tell brutal stories about how they were treated like animals in the Jim Crow South. He thanked Piper for confessing his sin of racism in Bloodlines and said there needed to be more people in this generation to confess where they have failed when it comes to the issue of racism. According to Bradley, the discussion of racism needs to be framed around God's covenant story and Jesus' teachings of love if it is to move beyond just rhetoric. It is not enough, for example, to be for abolition but not embrace Jesus' teaching of "love thy neighbor." Bradley's parents were told by white Christians proselytizing that they were saved by grace but were never told that they were worthy of being loved by them. "We need to go much, much deeper," Bradley challenged the audience and those tuning in to the talk via livstream. "Much of the credibility of what is said here is based on what you all do in the next five or ten years." Changes that would reflect "progress," according to the King's College professor, would
include evangelicals listening to the perspective of more black or brown theologians or the presence of more black speakers at a Gospel conference, instead of typically being outnumbered by white speakers 20 to 1. "If your churches continue to look the same way they look now, the leadership in your organizations don't change, people will be suspicious that this is simply rhetoric," said Bradley. He called on Christians to participate in God's mission of "reconciling all things" and make the world they live in reflect His glory and mission. Challenges in Creating a Racially Diverse Church During the two-hour long discussion, Piper and Keller also shared challenges they encountered in promoting racial diversity in their congregations. Piper, who pastors a predominantly White church, said he was criticized for writing a book on racism when he couldn't make his own church racially diverse. He frankly admitted his shortcoming Wednesday, saying he is "an urban pastor who doesn't have an ideal church." "I'm 65. It isn't going to get better in my church under me. It's over," he added. Piper announced earlier this week that he is preparing to step down as lead pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Though it may be difficult to achieve racial harmony, Piper encouraged Christians to at least try even if they end up making mistakes along the way. His
church once attempted ethnic worship but it proved to be a disaster. Still, some of his nonwhite church members thanked him for the effort. "That you care and that you tried matters a lot," said Piper. "Give yourself to people who are different from you and give yourself to the Word." Keller, whose congregation is comprised of over 50 percent Asian, said that the race of the pastor also presents a challenge in retaining a multi-ethnic congregation. For example, it is harder for an Asian or Hispanic pastor to retain Whites because Whites naturally assume that the congregation is Asian or Hispanic since they are not used to a nonwhite person being in power. On the other hand, a white pastor can more easily retain a non-White member because non-Whites are used to white people being in charge. He said he learned that criticism comes with the territory of such a controversial issue like racism. Any pastor who wants to diversify his church is bound to "fall short" and "be told you're falling short," said the Redeemer pastor. But Keller takes everything with a grain of salt, telling himself, "I'm not going to feel sorry for myself because that is a very white thing to do." "Race and the Christian" was sponsored by Crossway and hosted by Redeemer's Grace and Race Team. JOHN page 52
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Culture/
Crystal Cathedral's New CEO: Congregation, Donations Doubled After Schullers' Departure
March 31, 2012| 12:42 pm (Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Alcorn) Worshippers depart a church service at the Crystal Cathedral megachurch in Garden Grove, California, March 18, 2012. Since the three weeks Crystal Cathedral Ministries founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and his family left the California megachurch, the mood within the congregation has become "very positive," the church's new president and CEO, John Charles, told The Christian Post Thursday. In the past two Sundays alone, the congregation's size, as well as donations, has doubled, he added, emphasizing that his focus is returning the church to the traditional worship style it originally became known for. Crystal Cathedral "was founded on sound Biblical preaching; it was founded on sound excellent biblical preaching and teaching. It was founded on excellent sacred music. Today, we return to those traditions," Charles said in a recent church service. Charles' appointment as president
and CEO of the iconic ministry the Rev. Schuller founded in 1955 came after the elder minister and his wife stepped down from the board over money disputes on March 10. The departure of the Schuller family including the founder's children who used to hold top positions within the ministries is not going to discourage remaining members, Charles suggested. Sheila Schuller Coleman, the Rev. Schuller's oldest daughter, was previously senior pastor of Crystal Cathedral, but announced her departure as well as a new church not long after her parents quit the ministries board. Charles estimates that about 75-100 members of Crystal Cathedral followed Coleman to her new church, Hope Center of Christ, but the president and CEO told CP his only concern is moving the remaining congregation forward. "We're going back to the tradition of excellent worship, excellent teaching and sacred music," the minister told CP, explaining the church's new philosophy, although not sharing very many details. "We're moving forward," he added. Like us on Facebook Charles told CP that Crystal
Cathedral congregants are looking forward to the changes in worship the Schullers were apparently unable or unwilling to introduce. The congregation is "very excited" about these changes, Charles told CP. "They're very happy. These are changes they wanted to be made that were not being made. They are very excited to be going back into the traditional services again and to hear the great music and choral music." The changes themselves do not seem huge slightly tuned-down services, with choral music rather than acoustic bands, and of course, new preachers. The "Hour of Power," the ministry's popular televised worship program, will run as usual with new episodes starting this Sunday, although its airtime was cut to 30 minutes on some networks. Crystal Cathedral is carrying on with all of its ministries, Charles said, which also include a Bible school, a youth program and community outreach programs. The departure of the Schuller family is seen by many as the beginning of a whole new era for the church, with some suggesting that the ministry lost its uniqueness when the Rev.
Schuller stopped leading the church and the "Hour of Power" upon retirement in 2006. The Crystal Cathedral founder recently revealed in a video message that he was suing the ministry's board for at least $5.5 million. Schuller claims the financial future for his wife and himself "may be at risk" due to the church's bankruptcy after he offered much of his intellectual property to it for free, in exchange for the church securing a form of a retirement fund for the couple. The pair has not attended church services at Crystal Cathedral since Nov. 2011, as disputes with board members became more problematic. Charles told CP he suspects the elder Schullers were "relieved" to leave the board and act independently. The new president and CEO also said he wished former senior pastor Schuller Coleman and her new congregation well. Charles made it clear he has no hard feelings, and extended an invitation to Coleman's Hope Center of Christ to visit the Crystal Cathedral every weekend. Crystal Cathedral Ministries had been struggling financially for years before finally declaring bankruptcy in 2010. A lengthy
court process involving its numerous creditors resulted in the signature Garden Grove glass property being sold last year to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County for $57.5 million. The diocese holds a lease agreement with Crystal Cathedral Ministries that allows the church to continue using the Garden Grove campus for three years before having to find a new home. The church under Charles' leadership now faces the task of appointing new senior officials, including a senior pastor. So far, the role has temporarily been filled by Lawrence Wilkes, who has been an evening pastor at the church for the past 10 years. "We're searching for a pastor now," Charles told CP, adding that the board is looking carefully for the best candidate. Other top posts were temporarily filled by Bill Bennett, the new volunteer executive pastor, and John Tebay as choir director. Charles told CP that the offer to become president caught him off guard. "Little did I know that I would be in this role," he said. He explained the shock of this sudden responsibility to the Crystal CRYSTAL page 50
Culture/
49
Apply for a Tech Position That Doesn't Exist

How To (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:15:00 PM
From Wired How-To Wiki One of the best things about technology is its propensity to create opportunities where there were none before. With Web 2.0, the rise of social media, and the growing adaptation of software in everyday life, there are a plethora of jobs to be had by this generations tech-savvy population. But sometimes snagging those jobs requires convincing those maintaining the status quo that we know what were talking about. Persuading a company that they should open their doors to geek gurus can be a frustrating endeavor, but these tips should help you land your dream tech job, even if your position doesnt exist yet. This how-to was written by HowTo Editorial Assistant and software engineer Jack Donovan. Clear A Path Any old enterprise company is bound to have existing positions for CIOs, security managers and software engineers. But there's a slew of job titles that upper management may not have heard before, or may have disregarded as passing fads or buzzwords. Here are just a few to get you thinking of ways you could blaze your own trail. Social Media Manager Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn you use them casually every day, and now its time to bring all of
your practice to the field. Professional social media is a relatively new phenomenon ripe for conquering, so become a hashtag ninja, spread the friend requests, and communicate with your customer base to bring a new level of interactivity to your company of choice. Interface Scripter With the slick capabilities of HTML5 and ActionScript 3, basic web code doesnt push as far as it used to. Instead of offering to join the ranks of a companys web developer pool, become wellversed in Flash/HTML5 animation and scripting so you can tout an engineering flair that the basic web jockeys cant. Cloud Administrator Cloud storage is quickly becoming the biggest web trend since Web 2.0, and your average system administrator may not be able to harness the precipitative power thats enveloping the Internet like a thunderstorm. Experiment with new cloud architectures like Windows Azure and then tell your new boss that youre ready to make it rain. Find The Gap A good place to start when youre considering different positions is to ask the employees of a company where they think technology could be better utilized in the workplace. Try inquiring with a public representative or search social media channels for individuals to follow who list their affiliation
with your future company to get a feel for how things work and where there is a technological hole that you could fill. Be casual about it; youre not pitching yet, youre just doing some research before you move to apply. Dont be pushy either, as a relentless nosy average Joe wont make a great first impression on the companys core team. Pitch Protocol Telling a company that they are better off hiring you for a nonexistent position is a pretty gutsy move. Execute with confidence, and make sure you know who you're talking to. Do some research into the company's hierarchy and secure a meeting with a hiring decision maker at the company by emailing them directly. Be careful not to shoot too high you may simply look like spam to the CEO. But pitch your proposal to the person who will be equipped to receive it (or pass it along), such as a project lead or HR rep. Start out with a simple inquiry and explanation of why you're reaching out, and as communications progress, casually attach your cover letter and resume so they know that you mean business and that you have the means of achieving your proposition. Strength In Numbers One of the best persuasive tools you have at your disposal right from the start is the dozens of real -world success stories from companies that have welcomed tech positions into their arms.
Appointing an official company Twitter manager will seem much less silly after they see the thousands of companies present on Twitter with millions of followers that benefit every day from the streamlined customercompany interactivity that Twitters architecture allows. A few good examples would be Playstations Twitter, which they use to reply to fans and retweet them several times per day, or Temporary Residence Ltd, an independent record label that will replace a defective record if you simply let them know via an @reply. Flex Your Geek Muscles Whether or not the company that you apply to fully comprehends your proposed tech position, theyre going to want to see that you have the skills to pay the bills. For the programmers, an app that youve created is always a golden ticket, and for more social disciplines, its always good to be able to show your web clout. A follower count, connections to internet celebrities, and notable presence on at least a semipopular site will speak louder than words to your less tech-oriented employers. Let Them Try Before They Buy The great thing about lots of modern web technologies is that they require little-to-no resources to utilize. A majority of common gadgets can tweet, any computer can compile code, and wireless signal is part of our atmosphere more often than not. Use this to
your advantage and offer a company a free trial of your services, so they can see what its like to have you on their team at little cost to you. Chances are that theyll get used to your addition and feel compelled to keep you, especially if youre cut out for the job and display a good deal of success in a short time which you should monitor meticulously with analytics. Pro Tips Try to apply for a position that exists somewhere else, so your company is confident in the stability of your proposed job. If the company denies your application, offer freelance work so they dont feel obligated to sign you on right away. Persist. These days, if youre good at something related to technology, somebody is looking for you. You just might not find them the first time you try. [[Category:Jobs}} This page was last modified 13:19, 2 April 2012 by howto_admin. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Culture/
Sat Spies North Korea Readying Rocket Launch

Olivia Solon, Wired.co.uk (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:09:00 PM
North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station. Photo: JHU / DigitalGlobe, Inc. North Korea appears to be ramping up preparations for its internationally-condemned midApril rocket launch, new satellite images have revealed. The images, released by the USKorea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, show a mobile radar trailer which engineers use to gather real-time information about the rockets engines and guidance systems and rows of seemingly empty fuel and oxidiser tanks. The institutes North Korean analysts 38 North have scrutinized satellite imagery taken last week of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the North Pyongan province. They appear to show that North Korea has undertaken more extensive preparations than
previously understood. It is no secret that North Korea plans to launch the Unha-3 rocket carrying the Kwangmyongsong-3 (Bright Star 3) satellite some time between 12 and 16 April to coincide with the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the country. North Korea has said that the 100-kilogram satellite will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 500 kilometers for two years to study the countrys crops and natural resources. However, Washington says that North Korea uses these sorts of launches to test missile systems for nuclear weapons that could target the United States. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests, but analysts do not think that it has the technology needed to shrink a nuclear weapon and mount it onto a missile. If North Korea was to launch a rocket, it would end an agreement from February 29 in which the United States said it would ship food aid to impoverished North
rocket if any falling debris looked as though it would threaten Japans territory South Korea has made similar comments about shooting down the North Korean rocket if it passes over its territory, with defence ministry spokesman Yoon Won-shick calling the launch a very reckless, provocative act that undermines peace on the Korean peninsula. Based on previous rocket launch timelines, it is likely that Unha-3 will be ready to launch on April 12. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read Koreans in exchange for a -nation nuclear disarmament talks. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentmoratorium on missile and This led to tensions between only/faq.php#publishers. Five nuclear tests. North and South Korea, with at Filters recommends: Donate to This would be the fourth long- least 50 South Koreans killed in Wikileaks. range rocket launch since 1998. attacks that they blamed on the The most recent launch the North. Unha-3 in April 2009 was Japans Defence Minister Naoki condemned by the UN and meant Tanaka has already said that it that North Korea pulled out of six will shoot down a North Korean
CRYSTAL
Cathedral congregation in a recent Sunday message. "Imagine yourself being in an arena of 100,000 people; it's the championship game," he said. "In the heat of the game, the coach sends the star player off the field. The star player runs to the stand
and stands in front of you and hands you his jersey, saying 'You're now in the game.' That was my experience one month ago. What do you do? Do you stand and hold up the game? Or do you fight like your life depends on it? I fought; I'm fighting for
you." However, the board president emphasized that the transition process for Crystal Cathedral Ministries has a long way to go. "We're not quite through. We have a lot of challenges ahead of us," he told the congregation. "I'm
asking you to support me with your prayers, your presence and your gifts." Luiza.o@christianpost.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read
the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Culture/
51
Eva Longoria and Eduardo 3-D-Mapped Chapel Cruz Reunite For a Becomes Laser-Controlled Chateau Marmont Evening Musical Instrument
Allie Merriam (PopSugar)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:09:31 AM
Olivia Solon (Wired Top Stories)
pointers also trigger projected animations, ranging from simply lighting up a particular statue or Prague-based projection mapping causing a rainy thunderstorm to collective Macula have turned a accompany a dramatic Baroque church into a virtual soundscape. music instrument that can be For example, angel statues trigger played with laser pointers. The the sound of choristers, while surface of the interior of the different panes of the windows Olomouc Baroque chapel in the trigger different tones of tubular Czech Republic was mapped, bell. Different parts of a large with parts of the architecture biblical painting trigger different becoming triggers for different polyphonic soundscapes. The sounds and visual effects. pillars act as effects sliders, and The piece called Archifon I running the laser pointer along allows up to 10 visitors to interact them triggers a moving animation with the mapped surface of the and a crackly feedback sound. deconsecrated church. In addition There is even a programmable to triggering sounds, the laser
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:58:00 AM
drum machine integrated into the top part of the pillars. The audio and Max MSP programming was done by Toma Dvok and the real-time tracking was developed by Dan Gregor. The piece was erected for the opening ceremony of the PAF film and animation festival in Olomouc in December 2011. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Eva Longoria reunited with ex Eduardo Cruz last night at LA's Chateau Marmont. The couple split last month after over a year together, but it seems as though they're still on good terms. It didn't take long before Eva was linked to another guy. During a recent evening out in Hollywood, Eva was pictured with longtime friend Amaury Nolasco. It was then reported that sparks were flying between Eva and Amaury, who was surprised about the stories. He tweeted to her, "I guess we are dating! Why didn't anyone tell me?" In response, Eva wrote, "sorry ,I should have told you!" Eva and Eduardo caught up as one of the final episodes of her series Desperate Housewives
aired on ABC. The program wraps up its eighth season on May 6. Eva is working on other ways to be involved in TV, though. She's reportedly executive producing a series about Beverly Hills maids, Devious Maids, which stars Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez, and Judy Reyes. Eva is also working on something for NBC about dating in which women are followed getting back on their feet after a breakup. View Slideshow
Talking Smack: The Asteroid Collision Quiz

(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:56 PM
Asteroids are like sharks. They're pretty common members of the solar system, but they rarely take a human life. So why do we tremble with fear every time
astronomers spot one of these space rocks cruising near Earth? Because humans, for the most part, are fascinated with death and dying. We love car crashes, murder scenes and civilizationending cataclysms. Now you can use. Take this quiz on asteroid put that morbid curiosity to good collisions and see if you have a
knack for smack. Earn a point for every right answer! Save your score at the end of the quiz. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read
the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
52
Culture/ TV/ Products/
Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise Bring Their Best Spring Looks to Baton Rouge
Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:26:51 AM
JOHN
Katie Holmes and Suri stepped out in Baton Rouge with Katie's parents Kathleen and Martin yesterday. Suri was ready for Spring in a polka-dot dress from CrewCuts by J.Crew while Katie went with a floral look. Last week, the girls wrapped up their time in NYC and headed to Louisiana, where Tom Cruise is filming Oblivion. He's starring opposite Melissa Leo and Morgan Freeman in the futuristic thriller, which is his next project after reportedly dropping out of the lead role in Nathan Decker. Tom
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Beef Products Company Files For Bankruptcy & Blames Pink Slime
Mary Beth Quirk (The Consumerist)
also has Rock of Ages and One Shot coming out this year, but first his most recent Mission: Impossible effort, Ghost Protocol, will be released on DVD April 17. View Slideshow
Tagg Romney Mat At 'Mad Men'

The Huffington Post (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Mitt Romney's son, wrote Monday on Twitter, responding to a line quoted from the show. Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:42:24 PM "George Romney was as good a Tagg Romney isn't happy with man I've ever known," Tagg the portrayal of his grandfather, wrote. "Inspirational leader, former Michigan Gov. George worked for civil rights, promoted Romney (R), on "Mad Men." freedom. We need more like "Seriously, lib media mocking my him." dead grandpa?" Tagg Romney, Sunday night's episode of "Mad
Men" had Henry Francis, a staffer to the New York governor, saying he wouldn't let his boss go to Michigan because, "Romney is a clown and I don't want him standing next to him." George Romney was Michigan's governor from 1963 to 1969. Watch the clip:
They also sell products under the names Moran's, Stone River Ranch and Miller Quality Meats. Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:00 PM AFA had been trying to turn AFA Foods makes beef products, around their sales to retail including the filler denounced customers, but the company's recently as "pink slime," and the i n t e r i m C E O s a i d t h a t t h e outcry over the stuff is why "unfounded public outcry" over they're filing for Chapter 11 pink slime, or as they call it, lean, b a n k r u p t c y . A c o m p a n y finely textured beef, upset all their spokesman says the business was plans. already struggling, but that the Fellow beef product company backlash against boneless beef Beef Products Inc., suspended trimmings just put a nail in their operations at three of its four meat coffin. plants last week because of the The Associated Press reports on pink slime controversy, which led the filing, citing an email from the to multiple retailers announcing company's spokesman. He says they won't sell it. they don't rely on the beef filler Previously: Beef Company for its business, but only use it Insists Pink Slime Doesn't Exist, based on what the customer While Critics Say It Ain't Ground wants. The controversy aimed at Beef the product, however, has reduced AFA Foods files for bankruptcy demand for all ground beef citing 'pink slime'[Associated products. Press] AFA Foods is based in King of This entry passed through the Prussia, Pa. and processes more Full-Text RSS service if this is than 500 million oounds of your content and you're reading it ground beef products a year. on someone else's site, please read How's that for an appetizing the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentmental image? They count Burger only/faq.php#publishers. Five King, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Filters recommends: Donate to Walmart, Safeway and BJ's Wikileaks. Wholesale Club as customers.
Politics-Left/
53
Tuareg rebels ready for Mali talks

(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:43:59 AM
... [to] all means of negotiations through ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African Tuareg rebels in Mali's north States], through another organ or have expressed a willingness to through big powers, we are negotiate with the government or effectively open, but for now we regional bloc ECOWAS after haven't received any attempt of having seized the ancient city of negotiation," he said. Timbuktu. Timbuktu seized The rebel offensive came amid Earlier, the rebels overran the chaos gripping the West Timbuktu, a long-time target of African country following last their movement. week's military coup. "[Tuareg rebels] have arrived in The National Movement for the the town. They are planting their Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) flag," El Hadj Baba Haidara, a said they were no longer seeking m e m b e r o f p a r l i a m e n t f o r to expand their area of control, Timbuktu, told the Reuters news having secured the borders of agency on Sunday. what the group considers to be a A resident told Reuters that the Tuareg homeland. rebels had hoisted the Tuareg flag "Our objective it not to go further at the governor's office, the than the Azawad borders. We mayor's office and the main don't want to create problems for military camp. MALI CRISIS the government of Mali, and even The capture of Timbuktu came less create problems in the sub- hours after the rebels took the region," said Hama Ag Mahmoud, garrison town of Gao, following a of the MNLA's political wing. withdrawal by Malian army "We don't want to give anyone the forces. impression that we're gung-ho for Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, the war, so from the moment we reporting from Mali capital, have liberated our territories, our Bamako, said that by capturing objective is achieved, we stop T i m b u k t u , t h e r e b e l s h a d there." "managed to do what had eluded He said that while his group had them for decades". not yet been contacted regarding He said that when mutinous talks, they were open to them. soldiers overthrew the "We are open to all attempts government, they said it was with
the intention of establishing a genuine democracy in Mali. "However, what they failed to take into account was that the army was sort of disintegrating and that the rebellion was going to take advantage of that situation to claim more than one third of the country," he added. Fighting under the banner of the MNLA, the rebels re-launched their decades-long military campaign for a separate homeland in mid-January and have since seized Kidal, another key town in the north. The setbacks at the hands of the heavily armed rebels piled pressure on Mali's coup leaders who had been given until Monday to start handing back power or face sanctions by the ECOWAS regional bloc. Constitution 'reinstated' Threatened with crippling sanctions, coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo agreed to reinstate the constitution and hold elections, hours before the 72hour deadline set by ECOWAS expired. Sanogo, who dissolved the nation's constitution after grabbing power in a military takeover, said on Sunday that the 1992 law had been "reinstated". He told journalists in Bamako
that the military rulers had "decided to engage, under the guidance of a mediator, in consultations with all the forces active in our country in the framework of a national convention". These talks should lead to the creation of transitional organs "to organise free, open and democratic elections in which we will not participate," said Sanogo. He did not specify the duration of the transition. After that concession by the junta, neighbouring countries agreed to mediate between the rebels and the military rulers. Economic sanctions Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, President of ECOWAS, told Al Jazeera the grouping was satisfied with Sanogo's intentions. "This is what ECOWAS demands, that the constitutional order be reestablished," Ouedraogo said. "And if the junta is now accepting this plan we do not see any other difficulty, we are ready to accompany them to restore normality and then we will see how to deal with the situation in the north. "We want a peaceful solution. That's why ECOWAS has called for a ceasefire and we offer negotiations with the rebels. But
in case they don't accept the offer of negotiations, then ECOWAS will use any other means to protect the territorial integrity of Mali." In addition to a threat to close borders to a country largely dependant on fuel imports, ECOWAS had vowed to starve Mali of funds from the central bank of the regional monetary union, and impose asset freezes and travel bans on individual coup leaders. Mid-ranking officers, led by Sanogo, toppled Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure on March 22 in protest at not having adequate weaponry to rein in the Tuareg rebels. While coup leaders won some support from many Malians fed up with Toure's rule, the latest military defeats and the sheer scale of foreign disapproval have weakened their position. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
54
Politics-Left/
Syria agrees to Annan's peace plan deadline

Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:59:59 AM
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has appealed to UN Security Council to support the April 10 deadline [AFP] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to start implementing a peace plan by April 10, but UNArab League envoy Kofi Annan told the UN Security Council there has been no progress yet in halting the bloodshed. Annan appealed to the 15member council on Monday to back the deadline to increase pressure on the Syrian government to halt its offensive against the opposition, diplomats at a closed-doors briefing by the special envoy told reporters. Syria has agreed to start partially implementing his peace plan by April 10 and that there should be a "full cessation of hostilities" within 48 hours, Annan told the council. Syria's Ambassador to the UN confirmed on Monday that Damascus has accepted the deadline for partially implementing Annan's peace plan, but wants the same commitment from the opposition. "The Syrian government is committed but we are expecting Mr. Kofi Annan and some parties in the Security Council also to get the same kind of commitments from the (opposition). A plan wouldn't be successful unless
everybody is committed to it," said Bashar Ja'afari. The Syrian government would start by halting the movement of troops into cities, withdrawing heavy weapons from cities and starting to pull back troops. Annan told the council there has been "no progress" so far on reaching a ceasefire or implementing his six-point peace plan, one diplomat said. Annan also said the Security Council had to start considering the deployment of an observer mission to monitor events in
Syria. The UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria over the past year while Syrian rights activists put the death toll at more than 10,000. 'Friends' meeting Arab and Western nations have called for a deadline to be imposed on Assad, but Russia, Syria's last major ally and a permanent member of the Security Council, has rejected the calls. Annan went to Damascus this month to meet Assad for talks and
has since been in contact with the Syrian government to demand that it start moves to halt the violence. The Syrian president has accepted Annan's plan but so far made no move to carry it out. His government has insisted there has to be peaceful conditions before it can halt its operations in protest cities. A Friends of Syria meeting of about 80 countries including the United States, Arab and European nations called on Sunday for a deadline to be imposed against Assad.
'Both sides' France reaffirmed the need for a deadline on Monday. But Russia, which along with China has vetoed two Security Council resolutions, has strongly rejected the calls. "Ultimatums and artificial deadlines rarely help matters," Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said while on a visit to Armenia. "Annan has a Security Council mandate and it is up to the UN Security Council to decide who is complying with this plan and how," he said. Lavrov said the peace plan would not work unless rebel forces also agreed to halt fire. "We intend to be friends with both sides in Syria," he added in reference to Russia's past support for Assad. Any sending of a UN-backed observer mission to Syria would require a UN Security Council resolution which Russia could block as one of the five permanent members of the council. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Politics-Left/ Products/ Featured/
55
Colombia waits for FARC hostage release

Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:32:13 PM
"Cash Grant" Robocallers Hit With Record $30 Million In Penalties

Chris Morran (The Consumerist)
halt to kidnappings for ransom. 'Humanitarian handover' Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, T w o B r a z i l i a n a i r f o r c e reporting from Villavicencio, helicopters have arrived in Colombia, said the long ordeal for Colombia to whisk away to the hostages "may be coming to freedom the last 10 soldiers and an end within a matter of hours police held hostage by Colombia's now". main rebel group. He said the move was a Piedad Cordoba, a former humanitarian handover as Colombian senator brokering the o p p o s e d t o a m i l i t a r y o n e . release, said she expected to The handover is being led by the obtain the co-ordinates from the International Committee of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Red Cross and Colombians for Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Peace, an organisation made up Monday morning. mostly of women. The Red Cross-emblazoned The group has been working Super Cougars would then depart behind the scenes for many for a jungle rendezvous. months to make "this Brazilian helicopters have been humanitarian handover possible", used because it is acceptable by said our correspondent. all sides, and has been involved He said one of the people who in previous hostage handovers. arrived to show support for the It remains unclear whether FARC NGO's effort was Rigoberta rebels will free all 10 captives - Mench, a Nobel prize-winning some held for as long as 14 years human rights advocate from - at once or in several stages. Four Guatemala. of the hostages are soldiers and "We know that there are several the rest are police officers. others that have been released this The rebels have proposed peace way. And we know that beyond talks, and recently announced a the releases Colombia should
have peace. We feel what Colomboans feel now," Mench said. Our correspondent said that the FARC was also holding civilians but added that it was not clear how many were in the rebels' hands. "It could be as little as eighty or ninety, but some estimates are that it could be into the hundreds. Nobody really knows what the status of civilian hostages will be," he said. "There is a real hope that this hostage handover could open up doors of communication and dialogue between the FARC and the Colombian government, but it is unclear whether the government will want to engage in dialogue with the FARC." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
to requestagrant.com, where they were referred to sites that charged a fee for basic info on how to Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:30:00 PM apply for grants, a process that is Less than a week after shutting not exactly quick and easy. down a robocalling nuisance The defendants have been responsible for billions of auto- p e r m a n e n t l y b a n n e d f r o m dialed scam calls, the Federal m a r k e t i n g g r a n t s , g r a n t Trade Commission has taken procurement goods or services, down another prerecorded perp. and credit-related products; from These deceptive dialers have been misrepresenting any good or hit with $30 million in penalties, service; and from violating the the largest amount ever imposed Telemarketing Sales Rule in any for violating the guidelines of the fashion in the future. In addition, Do Not Call Registry. the court orders bar the According to the FTC, the two d e f e n d a n t s f r o m s e l l i n g o r defendants in the case operated o t h e r w i s e b e n e f i t t i n g f r o m primarily as the "Cash Grant customers' personal information, Institute," and made over 8 and require them to properly million robocalls, including at dispose of customers' personal l e a s t 2 . 7 m i l l i o n c a l l s t o information within 30 days. consumers who had signed up for From ConsumerReports.org: t h e N a t i o n a l D o N o t C a l l This entry passed through the Registry. Full-Text RSS service if this is Recipients of these calls were your content and you're reading it told they had qualified for "cash on someone else's site, please read grants" worth up to $25,000 from the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentf e d e r a l , s t a t e , a n d l o c a l only/faq.php#publishers. Five governments, private foundations, Filters recommends: Donate to and "wealthy individuals." Wikileaks. The calls then directed recipients
Clinton Won't Campaign for Obama

Daniel Halper (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:31:00 AM
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
will not be joining in the effort to reelect President Barack Obama. "Senior administration officials confirmed on Monday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would not be joining the president
on the campaign trail, given the explicit need to avoid making her position appear political," the Huffington Post reports.
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TV/
Joe Satran: Who's Winning The 'Game Of Thrones' This Week?

Joe Satran (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 1 of HBO's "Game of Thrones," entitled "The North Remembers." "Power is power," Cersei Lannister. Open the moon door, guys! " Game of Thrones" (Sundays, 9 p.m. ET on HBO) is finally back, with more boobs, more blood, more dragons and more clandestine machinations behind closed doors. So it's time for our second edition of the "Game of Thrones" Power Ranking; here's our first, chronicling the end of season one, in case you missed it. Last season, we ended with Ned Stark dead and King Joffrey on the Iron Throne, with mother Cersei at his side and Uncle Tyrion newly named his Hand. Meanwhile, the Stark children are spread across the kingdom: Jon at the Wall, where Winter continues to creep forward, Arya on the back on a truck headed North, Sansa in King's Landing, and young Bran and Rickon still up at Winterfell. Brother Robb, the King of the North, and mother Catelyn, are amassing troops (with hostage Jaime Lannister in tow), while across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys and her reduced
khalasar -- now with dragons -wander without a destination in sight. A bloody comet streaks across the sky (or has been pasted on using KidPix -- the increased budget clearly failed to cover astronomical phenomena). It might look pretty, but as everyone in Westeros knows, any omen that seems to promise bad times will probably bring the apocalypse. Let's get down to it. The Power Rankings Using a complex algorithm that takes into account each player's wealth, military might and dominion over lands, along with a "bonus" factor that adjusts for unquantifiable assets that could influence events, we've surveyed the lay of the land to figure out who's winning the game of thrones going into Season 2. 1. Robb & Catelyn Stark (Up from No. 2) At the beginning of Season 2, the Starks are on fire. Right now, they have the moral and military advantage in this war. The key idea is expressed in Robb's crackling dialogue with his prisoner Jaime. Jaime rightly noted that, "Three victories don't make you a conqueror" -- and Robb shot right back with, "It's better than three defeats." The momentum, in other words, is on the side of the Starks. Robb
knows it; that's why he demands recognition of his total sovereignty in the North when he sends peace terms to the Lannisters in King's Landing. The Northern Rebels are still outnumbered and outgilded by the Lannisters, so no one expects the Lannisters to cave easily. But Robb and Catelyn are planning for the worst by seeking military support from ward Theon's family in the Iron Islands and, via diplomat Catelyn, from King Renly Baratheon. 2. Renly Baratheon (New to the rankings) We still haven't seen Renly since his coronation, but this episode -and the preview clips immediately afterwards -- gives us most of the information we need to assess his strength. Charming Renly holds the ancestral Baratheon lands around Storm's End, in the East. And he's gained the support of two major Southern Lords: the warlike Randyll Tarly, father of fat, sweet Night's Watchman Samwell Tarly; and the rich Mace Tyrrell, father of Renly's bride Margaery and his lover Loras. But Renly's biggest advantage is his gargantuan army -- which reportedly totals about 100,000 strong, far more than any other contestant to the throne, including the Lannisters. It's not hard to imagine that, if Renly and Robb
really join forces, they'll have their cruel enemies at their heels in no time. 3. Tyrion & Tywin Lannister (Down from No. 1) Sure, the Lannisters are as rich as ever, and nearly as powerful militarily. But we don't even catch a glimpse of Tywin this episode. And Tyrion's entrance in King's Landing does not go as well as he might have hoped -- it incites nothing but anger from Cersei, who is threatened by having a sibling join her on the Small Council. But the biggest Lannister liability is King Joffrey. They've hitched their solid gold cart to his horse, and the ride seems to get more precarious every day. Their survival will depend on Tyrion's ability to wrest power away from Cersei and Joffrey -- and his and Tywin's ability to parry the thrusts of the other three claimants to the throne. 4. Stannis Baratheon (New to the rankings) Last season, we didn't meet Stannis, the dour older Baratheon, who probably has the most legitimate claim to the throne following the revelation of Lannister incest. But even if he's not the charmer Robert and Renly seem to be, he does have Melisandre, a lady all in red with some sort of pagan magic in her holster. Down on the beach,
flaming effigies of the seven gods light the night as the red priestess anoints Stannis the 'Warrior of Light,' chanting, "Stars will bleed. The dead shall rise in the North. For the night is long, and full of terrors." We don't know much -- about his plans or hers -- but after watching Stannis pulls a flaming sword from a stone, we know that more bodies will soon litter the ground. His Maester is reluctant to follow, and tries to poison Melisandre, who kills him with some invisible force. "The night is long, and full of terrors, old man," she tells him, "But the fire burns them all away." 5. Cersei & Joffrey Lannister (Down from No. 3) The Shithead King isn't getting any smarter, but he's definitely getting crueler. It's Joffrey's name day, and he's redecorating his throne room to befit the conqueror he thinks he is. "They're weak," he tells his mother of the Starks. "They put too much value on their women." He's heard a "disgusting lie," he tells her, about her and his Uncle Jaime. But he runs his mouth a little too far and Cersei slaps him -- bringing the room to dead silence, though no one does a JOE page 58
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Carl Safina: Nat Geo's Controversial New TV Show, Wicked Tuna, Debuts
Carl Safina (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Society to improve the balance of the final product. Nat Geo included a conservation message Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:30:00 PM in the beginning and several Nat Geo's new TV Show, Wicked conservation cut-aways (including Tuna, aired its first episode last a very brief bit of video with me) night. The show had come under a and reference to overfishing at l o t o f p r e - a i r i n g c r i t i c i s m , several points. And there's more including by me on this site. The new material on the show's main criticism: Why would Nat website. Geo choose to glamorize people Contrary to worst fears, the w h o k i l l a m a g n i f i c e n t show's first episode did not endangered species -- the giant glorify the fishing. Contrary to bluefin tuna -- for money? romanticizing the fishery, I felt, (Bluefin tuna are not listed as the show can make one feel that endangered under U.S. law; they this isn't an attractive way to try to are listed endangered on the turn a profit. These guys are World Conservation Union's Red addicted gamblers, gambling on List. They're depleted because getting a bite, themselves lured sushi and sashimi dealers in Japan into a high-stakes game, and pay insanely high prices. prompted to work even in Some of the criticism of the show d a n g e r o u s w e a t h e r . was perhaps a little premature (I The show made the life look wrote my first salvo based on Nat hard, the financial pressure very Geo's press release, before I saw tense, and the people crass to one the final product), but some was another (part of the game involves deserved (I wrote my first salvo h a v i n g h i g h l y c o m p e t i t i v e based on Nat Geo's own press "colleagues" who don't really like release, after all), and I think the each other, move in on top of one criticism from various corners another if the fish are present, and motivated National Geographic often withhold information or
mislead each other if they find fish first). I don't know if the inter -boat and inter-personal rivalries were exaggerated for effect on camera, but I had enough experience in that fishery to know they are real enough. Having been involved in this kind of stuff in the 1980s and 1990s, it really brought me back; I felt the bodily tension of wanting to get that bite when you see fish on the sonar, and the incredible surge of power when they get on that line. I remember the compulsion to be out there. Though I've killed them myself in years past, I did not like seeing these magnificent fish killed on TV. And I felt very glad that I am no longer involved in any of that. Overall, the show was better than I'd anticipated. Based on my meetings with National Geographic during February and March, I found the folks there to be remarkably open to criticism. They worked hard to make the show better in the final edit. For future episodes, I've also suggested that they consider
finding ways to show a little more of other, worse, ways of catching bluefin tuna that has contributed to their depletion, and -- because images overwhelm words -- to use graphics to show their migrations, their incredible biology and physiology, and population trends. So we'll see if they decide to work some of that into later shows. So I would say the show presents a realistic portrayal of that slice of the U.S. bluefin tuna fishery. It's the slice that would be the most sustainable, and that is best regulated. It's easy to feel sympathy for these guys and gals. But there is also a much deeper history here, one that I've been in and around for nearly three decades. Many of the fishermen in this category are not just innocent victims of bad management elsewhere. Many pay dues to a lobbying organization that for over 20 years has fought against the science and scientifically recommended quota reductions (the captains of the big netting boats who founded that lobbying
group -- and brought into it so many dues-paying small-timers -are now all out of business as a result of the consequent depletion). Over these years, their efforts helped allow continued overfishing off North America. And their anti-science lobbying and paid consultants helped reduce the Atlantic tuna commission to a cynical and ineffective political circus. All of this allowed a new round of overfishing in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean to get a firm and corrupt grip. Now it's out of control. And so -- U.S. fishermen suffer. Ironically, now that the U.S. fishing is more under control, they cry foul. Yes they are victims. But, to a significant extent, they are victims of their own device. Thus my sympathies are tempered. Wicked indeed. Any way you slice it, it's a nasty business.
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Food/ News Photos
JOE
thing. Hitting the King is punishable by death, but this little boy still can't stand up to his mama. Besides, Cersei is one scary sister, though brother Tyrion's new position knocks her down a peg. "You love your children. It's your one redeeming quality," he tells her as she pouts. "That and your cheekbones." "The throne is mine," Joffrey screams. But for how long? The episode ends with a bloodbath as each of Robert's bastards are murdered (which means, like "Battlestar Galactica," "GoT" has crossed the "killing a baby just to show you how bad these people are" line). It's bad luck to kill a man on your name day, Joffrey -what you reap, you will sow all year. Wildcards Petyr Baelish (Down from No. 4): Poor Littlefinger. Cersei commands Baelish to find Arya Stark before the two indulge in a coded conversation. She mocks his self-made position and his unreciprocated infatuation with Catelyn Stark. He lets her know
she's been sleeping with her brother -- and that Joffrey is no Baratheon. "Knowledge is power," he says. Cersei responds by ordering her guard to slit his throat, then calling them off, telling them to take three paces and turn their backs, while she delivers her own motto: "Power is power," she says. Jon Snow: Past the wall, Jon meets the wildling Craster, and his harem of young daughterwives. A friend to the watch, Craster warns the men of Mance Rayder, a wildling with an army and yet another self-titled king. Jon's called out for noticing the ladies, earning him a dressing down from Lord-Commander Mormont. "You want to lead one day?" Mormont asks Jon. "Learn how to follow." Sansa Stark: Sansa's always been the best at playing the aristocrat, but her mask is starting to crack, like when she tries to stop Joffrey from funneling wine into man's body until he dies. Still, she manages to recover by
manipulating the maniac into keeping the knight (Dontos the Red) as a jester. That's the kind of backbone she'll need to stay alive. "My father was a traitor. And my brother and lady mother are traitors as well. I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey," she tells Tyrion flatly when he expresses his condolences for her father's death. Arya Stark: Everyone is looking for Arya Stark, but no one is looking for Arry, the filthy peasant boy she's become. She's still traveling the King's Road with Gendry -- the only one of Robert's bastards to survive the massacre. Bran Stark: More visions for the paralyzed boy-seer -- blood, and snow, and, at last, the reflection of a direwolf in a pool. It's in this dream he first sees the comet. Does it portend Lannister red, blood for his father, or -- as Osha proclaims -- does it mean the dragons are back? Daenerys Targaryen (Down fom No. 5): Because the dragons are definitely back. Though Dany's messiah-mother moment at the end of Season 1 left her looking
like a threat, she's still trudging across the plains with a rag-tag band of Dothraki behind her, and right-hand man Jorah Mormont at her side. After the white horse Drogo gave her keels over and dies, Dany sends her men riding in all directions to find the nearest city. "You must be their strength," Mormont tells Dany. "As you are mine," she answers. As Varys the eunuch has pointed out in nearly every promo trailer for Season 2 so far, "Power is a curious thing." So there's bound to be some disagreement surrounding the rankings. If you think we misjudged the situation, say so in the comments! And look out for our next installment of the "Game of Thrones" Power Rankings every Monday morning through the finale.
Photos: 1940 Census Released - Denver Post

(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:48:58 AM
CBS News Photos: 1940 Census Released Denver Post This photo provided by the University of Texas at Arlington Library shows Ross Brothers Horse and Mule Company employees in Mule Alley in Fort Worth Stockyards with mules that will be shipped to Turkey for war effort on Aug. 18, 1939. Census bureau releases treasure trove of 1940 era data News in photos 1940 census records include 21 million still alive WRGB all 683 news articles
Glorious Easter Dinner

We had great fun putting fresh twists on this classic ham Easter dinner menu. Baked ham, glazed with aromatic vermouth... A brisk and effervescent Champagne
Limoncello Cocktail... Dill and smoked salmonstuffed eggs (a delightful variation on the old deviled standard)... The glorious spring blessings of peak-season asparagus, sweet carrots, fingerling potatoes, baby artichokes, and strawberries...
Do we have your appetites attention yet? Its a feast to take proudly to the table. Promise: With our tips and make-ahead timeline, you can pull off the whole menu with ease. Or, pick and choose which menu ideas youll like to incorporate into
your Easter dinner traditions. (Looking for Easter Brunch ideas? See 7 more Easter Menus.) Next Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Herbs This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it
on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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59
The new iPad can get very warm, further tests show, but is still safe
Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:59:59 AM
The new iPad can get very warm, further tests show, but is still safe Apple's new iPad, which we recommend in our new Ratings of tablets(available to subscribers), consistently reached surface temperatures that were 10 to 12 degrees higher than its predecessor, the iPad 2, in new Consumer Reports tests of a range of tasks, including some conducted at a high ambient temperature. But a number of Android tablets subjected to the same tests reached comparably warm temperatures at their hottest spots. And none of the temperatures we measured represent a hazard. Those are the key upshots of expanded tests we carried out to further explore heat issues raised initially by owners of the new iPad after it launched on March 16 and that we tested soon after. We found that Apple's new tablet could get warmer than the iPad 2 when running a demanding game. Other reviewers covered those findings, with some raising questions and criticisms, like PC World and Wiredsome of
which we considered in carrying out our follow-up tests. We also carried out further tests of a charging issue we noted soon after receiving the new iPad, with results that confirmed our initial findings but also suggest little cause for concern. Here's what we did and what we found: Temperature tests. We supplemented our original tests of the iPads, conducted at room temperature, with tests that simulated playing a sophisticated video game outdoors on a hot (90 degree) day, with the screen set to maximum brightness for visibility and the tablet running on the battery. The new iPad reached a temperature of up to 122 degrees in its hottest spot after continuously running the game for 45 minutes. By comparison, the iPad 2 hit 112 degrees at its hottest location in the highertemperature tests. That temperature difference is close to the 12-degree gap we found between new iPad and iPad 2 in our past tests, at 72 degrees. But we also duplicated as closely as possible the iPad tests on two Android tablets, and one, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, had a
it reached about 107 degrees. We then turned the screen brightness down to two-thirds instead of fully bright. At that setting, the new iPad reached only about 100 degrees when running the game and not plugged into its charger. Charging tests. We also carried out additional tests of another 121-degree hot spot in the same observation we made in early tests conditions. (The other, the Asus of the iPad, one that was also Transformer Prime, reached about c o v e r e d ( a n d s o m e t i m e s challenged) by other websites: 117 degrees.) With use of a laptop, evidence that the new iPad was not suggests that a temperature on the recharging its battery when bottom of its case of 120 degrees running Infinity Blade II, a risks damage to bare skin with s o p h i s t i c a t e d g a m e , a t f u l l prolonged contact. But we think b r i g h t n e s s . the same temperature on a tablet In further tests, we continued to is more a potential inconvenience find that the iPad would slowly than a concern. Tablets are lose charge with that game, even typically held differently, with with the charger connected. But less prolonged contact to areas of when running another challenging skin and greater ease in avoiding game, Shadowgun, which is available for both iPad and the hottest spots. Further, only serious gamers Android, the tendency was less playing with the screen at full pronounced; the battery did not brightness are likely to hit those run down but slowly recharged as temperatures on a tablet. When the game ran. we measured the new iPad There was no such issue with playing a video in a 72-degree other tablets, including the iPad 2 temperature, at full brightness and and a selection of Android plugged into the charger, its hot- models. And with the screen spot temperature reached about brightness reduced to two-thirds, 105 degrees; and surfing the Web, we found the new iPad slowly recharged the battery when
running either game. Bottom line: Our new tests confirm that the new iPad is indeed warmer in its hottest locations than its predecessor and a number of Android tablets (though certainly not all). And presumably due to its sophisticated screen and powerful graphics processor, the new iPad struggled to recharge its battery when running a demanding game with the screen at full brightness. Our findings suggest that if you're a serious gamer, you might want to manage how you use the new iPad by reducing screen brightness when possible, which will not only reduce heat but increase battery life and facilitate full recharging. Other consumers should find little of concern in our extended tests, on either the heat or recharging issues. Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
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Products/ Gaming/
Music Monday: Pop Instrumentals

(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:00:00 AM
Lyrics can be profound, but they can also be ridiculous. A good beat with terrible poetry leaves everyone feeling cheated. That's why, every now and then, an artist or band just has to let the music do the talking. Today Scott's taking note of the that with his little list of instrumentals. Have you guessed the first one yet? The Allman Brothers - Jessica Yes, it's the theme to Top Gear, but it's also Dickie Betts's tribute to his then-baby daughter. The love really pours out of every note, and maybe that's why this instrumental became a Southern Rock classic the very day it was released. Is it possible to hate this song? I think not. After the jump you'll find four other music-only hits from the past. When you're done reading, why not throw down a choice of your own in the comments? We'll see you inside Glenn Miller - In The Mood If you're thinking early pop hits this probably comes to mind, even if you've only ever heard a silly cover. Of interest is that In The Mood was the smash seller of 1940, but back then the music
industry still thought sheet music was the way to go. Naturally all those swingin' cats at the dancehall didn't care about buying sheet music, so In the Mood was never officially considered a chart topper. Way to keep it real, RIAA! Missin' the point for over seventy years straight! The Edgar Winter Group Frankenstein How many instrumentals allow
everyone in the car to sing along? Bah bah bah baah, bah bahbah baaaah! Not only that, how many other rock albinos can you think of? Not only THAT, but did you know this song marks one of the very first times a keyboard became a mobile instrument? And even if we overlook every word above it's still pretty rockin'. Meco - The Theme From "Star Wars"
No, go on, laugh. Meco deserves your scorn. This was even cheesy for a little kid in the 70s. But like all things Star Wars, it did really well, and it's a fine example of the disco instrumental at its can you really call this best? Just like A Fifth Of Beethoven, it leaves you understanding where all the anger in punk music came from. It's very of its time. Darude - Sandstorm By 1999 things had changed, and "hit" didn't really mean what it had previously. However this instrumental is still played at sporting events and even if you don't know it's name, you probably know it when you hear it. What better definition of a hit could there be? For a bunch of beeps and growls, it sure is catchy. You've got a favorite instrumental pop hit, we know you do. Why not post it in the comments below? And after that, stop by our Turntable.fm room to spin the morning away with your fellow wooters. Additionally, images taken from the corresponding Wikipedia pages are here under fair use.
Worms creator Davidson rejoins Team17 after 14year absence

JC Fletcher (Joystiq)
Original Worms creator Andy Davidson has returned to Team17, just in time for the development of Worms Revolution. Davidson originally designed Worms in 1993 as an Artillery-style game featuring Lemmings sprites, then added original worm sprites in an effort to release it commercially. He left the game industry fourteen years ago, according to Team17; we're guessing to pursue other interests like fishing and gardening. And now he's back at the company, where he will "offer the Worms Revolution developers his support." So he's not heading up Worms development just yet. In fact, the announcement notes that he's working on a "variety of new game ideas." Worms creator Davidson rejoins Team17 after 14-year absence originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Products/
61
The most-valuable motorcycle feature: antilock brakes

Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:29:59 AM
I Would Like To Name My Own Price & Not Get Trip Insurance Automatically, Priceline
Mary Beth Quirk (The Consumerist)
The most-valuable motorcycle feature: antilock brakes Sure, most motorcycle shoppers probably focus on style and price, but there is compelling research that points to antilock brakes as being a crucial, potentially lifesaving feature. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) revealed that motorcycles equipped with antilock brakes are 37 percent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than models without ABS. That is a tremendous risk reduction, with no compromise to the rider, beyond purchase price. Europe is ahead of the United States, with a pending rule requiring ABS on bikes there by 2016. As a result, we're seeing an increase in ABS availability here. In fact, at a recent motorcycle show, we were taken back at how common ABS was on the show floor. Manufacturers we spoke with cited reduced cost potential
if volume of ABS brakes increased and signaled their support for expansion in our market. Currently, most major brands include ABS on their largest motorcycles and make it available on mid-level motorcycles. Where we'd like to see ABS rapidly expand is on the more entry-level bikes, whose riders would most benefit from this proven technology. Honda has led the charge with availability on the CBR250R as a $500 option. Most motorcycles have separate brake controls, one for the front wheel, and one for the rear. So if the brakes are hit too hard or with the wrong front/rear distribution, a wheel can lock and cause the bike to lose control and eventually
fall. Alternatively, if the brakes are squeezed too gently, the bike may not stop in time to avoid a crash. ABS can work in two ways --reduce brake pressure if a lockup is impending or increase pressure again when the bike is under control. It allows the rider to intuitively apply the brakes with full force, without holding back due to concerns of locking up a wheel and alleviate a splitsecond judgment call. See the demonstration video below to see how effective ABS can be. It truly sells itself. Learn more about ABS by downloading a brochure ( pdf) from the IIHS. See our motorcycle and scooter buying advice. Subscribe now! S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
name your own price hotel reservation again just to make sure I hadn't screwed up, and it Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:45:00 AM did indeed include the $20 Alli says she's stumbled upon insurance fee with no way of something she thinks is new on opting out. The guy who reversed Priceline when she named her my charges appeared to be own price for a , $25 worth of trip familiar with the issue and when I insurance was included with no questioned him as to whether this opting out screen. Of course, was a policy change he hemmed Priceline doesn't announce clearly and hawed and said maybe it was that this is going to happen, a computer problem but they're instead just hiding it in the Terms reversing my charge so why was I of Service agreement. worried? While there is a "no thank you," I'm worried about everyone else box for travel insurance when who didn't notice that they got hit booking a flight or hotel without with this charge! I almost didn't going through "Name Your Own notice it myself and I'm pretty Price," Alli says the $25 add-on is meticulous about these things. just automatically included with Hope this tip helps some others! NYOP. This entry passed through the She then had to go through a long Full-Text RSS service if this is phone process with customer your content and you're reading it s e r v i c e t o g e t t h e c h a r g e s on someone else's site, please read removed, which was done without the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentquestion. And now she just wants only/faq.php#publishers. Five to warn her fellow travelers. Filters recommends: Donate to I attempted to recreate a new Wikileaks.
62
Products/ Gaming/ Food/
Global Payments breach puts 1.5 million credit card numbers at risk
Pavlovas for Passover

Global Payments breach puts 1.5 million credit card numbers at risk Following a security breach that was reported last week, Global Payments, which processes credit, debit, and gift-card payments for merchants and banks, has said that up to 1.5 million card numbers may have been stolen from its database. The company also said that cardholder names, addresses, and Social Security numbers were not lost in the cyber-theft, which minimizes the risk of identity theft for cardholders. The company said in a statement that it first discovered the breach early in March and notified affected companies "promptly." If your card number is one of those stolen, you should be notified by your credit-card company. In general, it's smart to review your card activity often
Filled meringues are a lovely finale to a Passover seder or any special occasion. Make components ahead, and assemble at the last minute. If serving on an and check for charges you didn't occasion other than Passover, try authorize; if you find any, notify adding one teaspoon vanilla your credit-card company extract to the meringues. Click immediately. through the following slides to For more tips on protecting learn how to make perfect yourself against credit-card fraud, meringue nests. see our story More ways to fight View Recipe: Pistachio Pavlovas fraud on ConsumerReports.org. with Lemon Curd and Berries Data Breach Sparks Worry[Wall Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq) Covenant, red vs. blue. At the end Next Step 1. Chop Pistachios Street Journal] of Bungie's oversight of the online This entry passed through the Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:30:00 PM Up to 1.5M credit card numbers war, the body count exceeded 136 Full-Text RSS service if this is stolen from Global Bungie is out of the Halo stat- billion, with over 43 billion your content and you're reading it Payments[CNET] Subscribe now! on someone else's site, please read tracking biz, but says "so long and assists. S u b s c r i b e t o thanks for all the fish" with one Having moved on from Halo, the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentConsumerReports.org for expert last nuke of information. Since Bungie is currently in a 10-year only/faq.php#publishers. Five Ratings, buying advice and 2004, over 20.8 billion Halo contract with Activision to Filters recommends: Donate to reliability on hundreds of Wikileaks. matchmaking games have been produce... something. products. Update your feed played, with Halo 3 supplying a Halo stats blown out by Bungie preferences majority at 11.5 billion, at around as studio moves on originally 221 million games averaged appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 monthly. Apr 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please The studio gathered all the data see our terms for use of feeds. u p i n a m e g a i n f o g r a p h i c , Permalink| Email this| Comments covering stats of the great battles between humanity and The
Halo stats blown out by Bungie as studio moves on
Sports/
63
Rockies enraged after Troy Tulowitzki gets hit by Ubaldo Jimenez fastball - Denver Post
By Troy E. Renck and Patrick SaundersThe Denver Post (Bing News)
Rockies ace facing a likely suspension. There was no TV broadcast of the game, but commissioner Bud Selig was in Submitted at 4/2/2012 9:00:45 AM S C O T T S D A L E , A r i z . attendance at Salt River Fields Lingering ill will between former and the Rockies will provide inteammates erupted Sunday when house video as evidence. Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez "It's the most gutless act I have hit Rockies shortstop Troy seen in 35 years of professional Tulowitzki in the left elbow with baseball," Tracy said of Jimenez, a fastball on the first pitch of his voice rising in anger as he Tulo's first at-bat in the Cactus spoke. "I have lost all respect for League exhibition game. him. To do something like that T u l o w i t z k i l e f t t h e g a m e , and walk down off the mound, prompting concern that he might and if there's any suggestion not be ready for the Rockies' whatsoever that the ball got away, season opener Friday in Houston. I don't want to hear any of that X-rays revealed no structural (expletive). I am going to be very damage, but the Rockies won't disappointed if he doesn't get know if he will miss playing time suspended." until he's evaluated again today. Jimenez insisted that he didn't After hitting Tulowitzki, Jimenez throw at his former teammate. raced toward the plate, motioning "He is one of the best hitters in the with his arms for Tulowitzki to game. I tried to get inside on him. come toward him. Teammates on It was a pitch that got away. That both sides quickly intervened as happens in about a thousand benches emptied. Tulowitzki games," Jimenez said. exited because his elbow became Jimenez explained that he moved stiff and sore. toward Tulowitzki in an Rockies manager Jim Tracy aggressive manner because the d e m a n d e d t h a t J i m e n e z b e shortstop insulted him. However, disciplined, saying the right- Jimenez appeared to already be h a n d e r i n t e n t i o n a l l y h i t heading toward the plate and Tulowitzki. Jimenez was not throwing his glove onto the ejected, but The Denver Post g r o u n d b e f o r e T u l o w i t z k i confirmed late Sunday that Major s c r e a m e d i n h i s d i r e c t i o n . League Baseball is investigating "The thing that got started was, he the incident, with the former was calling me out (from the
batter's box). I mean, I'm a man. If somebody calls me out, I have to go. He was calling me chicken. He was calling me names," Jimenez said. Tulo didn't deny that he screamed at Jimenez. He was upset about getting hit. He said he was surprised that Jimenez plunked him despite the fact that the pair have sniped at each other in the media this spring, most recently in The Denver Post 10 days ago. "This is something he is going to live with. He will not only have to answer to you guys (the media), but to his teammates," Tulowitzki said. "I have really nothing more to say than that." Jimenez has expressed his anger toward the Rockies this spring, admitting that he felt underappreciated last season because he was not awarded a contract extension like Tulowitzki (seven years, $134.5 million) and Carlos Gonzalez (seven years, $80 million). He compared being in Cleveland to heaven, angering some teammates who questioned Jimenez's effort last season. "If someone doesn't want to be here, we always say, 'Please, go up to the manager and tell him you want to leave or that you don't think this is the best place for you,' " Tulowitzki said in a Mark Kiszla column in The Post
last month. "That was kind of the case with him." The Rockies nose dived out of contention last May as Jimenez struggled with injuries and command. He went on the disabled list with a thumb cuticle problem in April and didn't win his first game until June 1. In late May, general manager Dan O'Dowd questioned Jimenez's desire and told him that if he wanted to get a new contract, or be traded, he needed to pitch better. Jimenez maintained he worked hard and was prepared to pitch every time out, but has not hidden his bitterness toward the club since the trade. The Rockies, convinced that Jimenez was trending downward and had lost the respect of several teammates, traded him to Cleveland for four players, including pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Alex White. Tulowitzki was angry when Jimenez publicly criticized the Rockies this spring, believing he should have addressed the matter in-house when he was still with the club. "For him to come out and badmouth an organization that I have a lot of respect for, yeah, you are going to be upset. You don't spend the portion of your
career with a team then the next year come out and say something," Tulo told The Post. "I would have addressed my teammates directly (last year) and handled it from there because we were all wondering what was going on. We asked him. It never came up that it was his contract. If you can't get something out of someone when you ask them, then what are you going to do?" Rockies veteran Jason Giambi was among several teammates who reached out to Jimenez last season. Watching the team's best pitcher struggle vs. even marginal opponents directly affected the team's psychology, Giambi said. "I asked him repeatedly if he was hurt. Just tell us," Giambi said. "He said it was nothing. So then you start to think a guy is just shutting it down." Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Sports/ Daily World/
Pitino has lofty praise for Kentucky's Davis - Chicago Tribune

(- Bing News)
Pc spared jail for headbutt attack on boy

Paul Cheston (Evening Standard - News)
it." The Davis-Russell comparison is Submitted at 4/2/2012 8:39:17 AM understandable. Russell was a A p r i l 0 1 , 2 0 1 2 | B y C h r i s lanky, selfless defensive specialist Dufresne, Tribune Newspapers who impacted every aspect of the NEW ORLEANS Louisville game. coach Rick Pitino, after Saturday's Davis has many of those same NCAA national semifinal defeat, qualities. had the courage to compare But it's really not fair to compare Kentucky freshman center most players, let alone a Anthony Davis to Bill Russell. freshman, against one of the Sacrilege? greatest basketball players of all "When you see this young man at time. the collegiate level, you realize Russell won two NCAA titles at why they're so good," Pitino said San Francisco and 11 NBA titles of Davis. "Not that their other with the Celtics. players aren't, but he's so much of Davis has not yet played his first a factor." and probably only NCAA Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds title game. a n d f i v e b l o c k e d s h o t s i n And consider this: In two NCAA K e n t u c k y ' s 6 9 - 6 1 v i c t o r y . title game victories, against La Sunday, though, came the true Salle in 1955 and Iowa in 1956, test. Russell had 49 points and 52 "Do you know who Bill Russell rebounds. is?" Kentucky coach John Calipari Don't believe hype: Kansas star asked Davis during the media's Thomas Robinson, probably the question-and-answer session at nation's second best player this the Superdome. year behind Davis, said he's not "Yes," Davis said. ready to crown Davis the king of Calipari: "Who did he play for?" anything. Davis: "Celtics." "I mean, Anthony Davis is a great Calipari: "Give him a hand. I love player, but he's not Superman," he
said. "We just have to be Kansas, do what we do best, keep being aggressive. He is a good player, but we're not going to change anything we do." Shots in the dark: Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor is having a very strange NCAA tournament. He is averaging 11.6 points per game and has led Kansas to the title game despite missing all 20 of his 3-point attempts. "I think I'm definitely due, man" Taylor said. "I think the basketball gods are with me (Monday). I got to make one. I can't leave like this." The basketball gods might suggest Taylor move in a few steps. Why? Taylor has made 24 of 43 2-point attempts. More Taylor: After making two free throws with eight seconds left to give Kansas a three-point lead against Ohio State, Taylor stole the inbounds pass from William Buford but then threw the ball away. "Tyshawn can make plays you can't coach, which is the steal
against Buford," Kansas coach Bill Self said Sunday. "And he can make a play that looks like he's never been coached, which was the pass, two seconds after that." Town flipping over team: Kentucky guard Doron Lamb was asked about the excitement back home in Lexington following Saturday's win over Louisville. "Well, I hear they were flipping cars and burning cars and shutting down blocks," he said. "They were so excited that we made it to the championship. I know that (Monday) night is going to be crazy?" How much crazier could it get? Kentucky has won seven national titles, second only to UCLA's 11. So much for the motto: "Act like you've been there before." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Pc Karl Bartlett, 42, of the Territorial Support Group, also swung the boy against a car. The boy was a passenger in a car which had been stopped in Ealing on suspicion of the driver using his mobile phone. Bartlett, who gave his address as New Scotland Yard, was sentenced to three months suspended for a year at Westminster magistrates court. He was convicted of common assault last month. He was ordered to do 18 hours community service and pay 500 costs with 500 compensation. The boy suffered facial injuries and has been anxious since the attack, the court heard. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Gaming/
65
Illuminating Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3

Richard Mitchell (Joystiq)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:00 PM
The story behind the third episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is almost as long as its title. Following disappointing sales of Episode 2, Penny Arcade kicked off its first PAX East conference by informing Joystiq that the series had been discontinued altogether. At the time, Penny Arcade stated that developer Hothead Games left the project in order to focus on developing DeathSpank, as working on both projects would have impacted the quality of Episode 3. Hothead would later claim that Penny Arcade wordsmith Jerry "Tycho" Holkins had trouble keeping up with the development cycle. Now, two years later, Episode 3 is not only back in development, but is being taken in an entirely new direction by indie developer
Zeboyd Games, creators of cheeky role-playing throwbacks Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII. Along with a new developer, the game has also received a slightly shorter title: Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3. It's slated to launch this summer on PC, Mac, Xbox Live Indie Games, iOS and Android. The price hasn't been announced, though I've been
told it should be in line with Zeboyd's previous games or, in other words, cheap. Eager fans will get a chance to see a first look at PAX East in Boston later this week. The project began, Zeboyd's Robert Boyd told Joystiq exclusively, in a single forum thread on Penny Arcade's website. Gallery: Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick
Precipice of Darkness - Episode 3 Continue reading Illuminating Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 Illuminating Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
66
Science/
Video: 'Smart Sand' Could Self-Sculpt into Any Shape, Duplicating Objects Automatically
Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
(DRL) has a vision for tiny granules--"smart pebbles"-imbued with a small amount of computing power and covered in Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:38:29 AM Robot Pebbles The "smart sand" magnets on the outside. Piled would be made up of much together in a heap, the small smaller units akin to these cubes, amount of computing power in which each contain a small each grain would become a single amount of computing power and distributed computing platform a t t a c h t h e m s e l v e s t o t h e i r capable of shaping itself into neighbors via electropermanent objects, with the unneeded grains magnets that allow them switch falling away to leave behind the their magnetism on and off with a finished product. single jolt of electricity. M. Scott It would work something like this Brauer via MIT News (there's a good visual explainer in It sounds like something out of a the video below): An object--a fantasy film: a vat of sand into scaled down version of whatever which you plunge a small object the user wishes to create--is only to watch the sand bind placed into a container of smart together to form larger copies of sand granules. The sand runs an the same object. Such "smart algorithm that allows it to sense sand" isn't exactly a reality just the shape of the object and map it y e t , b u t a t e a m a t M I T ' s in 3-D. The user specifies how big Distributed Robotics Laboratory he or she wants the final product
to be beforehand, and the grains simply scale the map of the object up to the desired size. The grains then define the perimeter of the duplicate item within the pile of smart sand. The necessary granules bind together.
The others do not. The user can then reach into the sand and pull out a scaled duplicate of the original item. The same algorithm can produce multiple copies of the same item. Or, if an item is not needed anymore, it can be
returned to the pile and reused to make something else. The team has demonstrated this in 2-D with smart pebbles measuring about 10 millimeters on each edge--far larger than what would be necessary to create nuanced shapes--with electropermanent magnets on four sides (electropermanent magnets are like eletromagnets that don't need a constant charge; a single jolt of electricity switches them on and off). The challenge will be shrinking the granules down to smaller and smaller sizes while retaining the minimum amount of computing power (and electrical power) each pebble needs in order to keep the system functional. [ MIT News]
Science/ News Photos
67
Google Maps Re-Launches Its Traffic Mapping, Incorporating Real-Time Data From Drivers With Phones
Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:36:51 PM
PHOTOS: The Academy of Country Music Awards 9NEWS.com

(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:57:41 AM
Google's Rebooted Estimated Travel Time Figures in Traffic Once Again via Google's Lat Long Blog Google Maps is bringing traffic estimates back to its estimated travel time feature, and this time it's relying on realtime data obtained from third party reports and drivers voluntarily running Google's "My Location" feature on their Android phones. The reboot hopes to stifle user frustration with the old traffic estimate feature and, hopefully, to make Google Maps a more accurate predictor of transit times in urban areas around the globe. Google Maps has long offered an estimated transit time when users query it for directions between two locales. But you may recall that last summer Google pulled its feature that estimated transit time given current traffic conditions because the app was simply failing to offer good enough estimates. The app was relying on historical traffic data to estimate the time it would take to travel a certain distance at a certain time
of day, and traffic being as fluid as it is the app was often wrong-sometimes way wrong. Miss-your -plane wrong. Now, Google is reintroducing the app with realtime traffic data mined from Google Android users who enable the "My Location" feature on their phones, which allows Google to track their positions in realtime. Using that data, as well as other third-party data (and historical data), Google Maps will now offer users a transit time estimate under ideal
traffic conditions as well as an estimate given the current traffic between the origin and destination points. If it works, the new system could finally put to bed the issues that plagued Google's old traffic time estimates, namely their chronic inaccuracy. That's largely reliant upon how many users opt in to the "My Location" feature and how good Google is at extrapolating current traffic conditions from that data. Because Google needs a large
9NEWS.com PHOTOS: The Academy of Country Music Awards 9NEWS.com ( Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS, NV APRIL 01: Musician Tim McGraw performs onstage at the 47th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 1, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photos: ACM Awards Academy of Country Music Awards 2012 Denver Post Photos: Academy of Country Music Awards Billboard e n o u g h d a t a s e t t o m a k e Taylor Swift wins entertainer of meaningful predictions, the new the year award at ACMs ( photos) feature isn't offered everywhere Torrington Register Citizen (though it is working in most Huffington Post- Appleton Post densely populated areas--read: Crescent major urban centers). The more all 1,659 news articles people who turn on "My Location," the faster the feature will grow and the more accurate it will become--hopefully making us all a little more punctual in the offing. [ Lat Long Blog]
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Science/ Social Media/ Health/
Mitt Romney Campaigns According to the Rules of Quantum Mechanics, Says Times Op-Ed
Rebecca Boyle (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:02:34 AM
Health Insurers Move Ahead, With Or Without Individual Mandate

(Shots - Health Blog)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:28:00 AM
Mitt Romney BU Interactive News via Flickr Much the same way that light is both a particle and a wave, Mitt Romney is both a moderate and a conservative, all at the same time. And just as the act of observing a particle's state cannot be untangled from the outcome of the observation, Mitt Romney holds all political positions at once, until such time as he is asked to state an opinion. This is
from a superb op-ed in the Sunday New York Times: "A Quantum Theory of Mitt Romney." We have already pondered the ways in which Romney, the GOP front-runner in terms of money
and delegates, is like a robot in Uncanny Valley. But this is even more appropriate: Romney is an example of quantum physics. The Times even has a Feynman diagram of a Romney
encountering an anti-Romney, in which the result is annihilation of the Romneys, leaving behind an electron and a $20 bill. The piece explains the concept of quantum campaigning, which is different from what you might call classical or Newtonian campaigning, in which gaffes and Tea Party outside forces are required to change party inertia. The realm of quantum campaigning is much more bizarre, rife with duality and antiparticles and entanglement and multiRomneys. Please read this article.
For the health policy world, the Supreme Court's tough questioning of the individual mandate last week was a seismic event. But in Hartford, Conn., the city sometimes called the epicenter of the insurance industry, David Cordani isn't quaking. Cordani is the CEO of Cigna, the nation's fourth-largest health insurer. He says the insurance industry started changing itself before the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010. And the HEALTH page 69
ShotgunHike! Is This the Coolest Basketball Dunk Ever? [VIDEO]

Sam Laird (Mashable!)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:05:07 PM
In terms of sheer athletic brilliance, its not going to beat Michael Jordan taking off from the foul line or a Dominique Wilkins windmill. But this dunk
from a high school all-star game in Iowa does provide more than its share of entertainment value and sleight-of-hand impressiveness. After winning the opening tip, one team lines up in a football shotgun formation, replete with a
down a lob from half court. The video has gained some backwards through-the-legs hike. 300,000 YouTube views in two As confused defenders try to days. make sense of the situation, one Whats your favorite quirky player functioning as a Randy YouTube sports clip? Let us know Moss-esque wide receiver in the comments. sneaks behind the defense to flush More About: sports, Video, viral
For more Video coverage: Follow Mashable Video on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Video channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Health/
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HEALTH
changes will continue regardless of what happens at the high court. "The broader health care debate is way larger than the individual mandate," Cordani said during an interview in his sunny corner office, just a few hours after some of the justices seemed ready to strike down the mandate. Cigna, like the broader insurance industry, hasn't taken a position on whether or not the mandate requiring Americans to buy health coverage is constitutional. Cordani points out that it really only deals with expanding care to people in the small-group and individual markets. That's a fraction of the total number of people insured, and it's not a major market for Cigna. Cordani says the act does a fair enough job at expanding access to care, but it doesn't do as much to improve the quality of care and drive down costs. That's his focus: changing the way we think about insurance, from paying for "sick care" to paying for "health care," driving consumers to stay healthy and giving doctors incentives to keep them that way. "What we've been doing is innovating programs around that, with or without the Affordable Care Act," Cordani says. He says Cigna is still deciding
how and where to sell insurance in the new exchanges the health insurance marketplaces that will open for business in 2014. That's not exactly easy, according to Tom Wildsmith of the American Academy of Actuaries. Actuaries evaluate future risk, and Wildsmith says what's keeping them up at night is trying to figure out whom they're going to be covering next year. "The challenge with health care reform is that it injects some uncertainty in the system that means that, even in the aggregate, we don't know exactly how things are going to work out," he says. Even if all of the rules were set in stone, there's still uncertainty about who will be in a particular insurer's risk pool and what the Supreme Court will do. Among insurer worries: If the mandate goes, will the young and healthy buy in, or will they wait until they are sick to buy insurance? And what if a state's new baseline coverage called essential health benefits is just too expensive? "If essential health benefits package means that many of their customers will have to buy up from a Yugo to a Chevy, they are concerned that they may lose some customers in the buy-up
process," Wildsmith says. Karen Ignagni, CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry lobby, says insurers aren't waiting to find out. They're working with hospitals and doctors to change the way care is paid for and to keep costs down, just as Cigna's Cordani wants. She cites two studies that say Medicare plans run by private insurers are succeeding at keeping seniors from being readmitted to the hospital after procedures. "We're leading the way, according to government data on readmissions," she says. "That's a win-win on both sides. There's real data now to support the contention that these strategies and these tools work very, very effectively." What wouldn't work, Ignagni says, would be to ditch the individual mandate and still make insurers continue to accept all comers regardless of the status of their health. "In every state that tried market reforms without bringing everyone into the system, we saw those markets blow up," she says. Insurers will be just fine particularly if the part of the law that subsidizes insurance for lower-income Americans survives the Supreme Court challenge,
according to Mila Kofman of Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute. "We're looking at billions of dollars into the pockets of the health insurance industry," says Kofman, a former superintendent of insurance in Maine. "So I'm not worried about the health insurance industry and their financial health at all. This is going to be very good for their bottom line." In fact, even on the day the Supreme Court looked like it was ready to toss the individual mandate, Cigna's stock was up 4 percent, and other insurers saw similar gains. This story by Jeff Cohen is part of a reporting partnership that includes WNPR, NPR and Kaiser Health News. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Caffeine Might Keep Moms Awake, But Not Their Babies

(Shots - Health Blog)
Mothers of new babies might be forgiven for turning to caffeine to get through those sleep-deprived months. And they might worry that drinking coffee interferes with the sleep of breast-fed babies the Web is full of such questions. But a new study says it's not so. Instead, researchers in Brazil found that the babies of heavy coffee drinkers were no more likely to wake up than were babies whose moms didn't have a serious espresso habit. Crying and colic at 3 months old, as well as frequent night waking at 12 months, were not affected by a mom's caffeine intake. "When we planned the study, we worked with the hypothesis of association between heavy maternal consumption of caffeine and higher infant awakenings at night," Marlos Rodrigues Domingues, a researcher at Brazil's Universidade Federal de Pelotas and co-author of the study, tells Shots in an email. It's not clear why the infants' sleep wasn't affected. The babies might have developed a tolerance to caffeine while in the womb, Rodrigues says. But other studies have found no caffeine CAFFEINE page 70
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CAFFEINE
metabolites in the urine of babies whose mothers drink coffee, suggesting that the babies don't absorb caffeine the way older children and adults do. The results were published in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers tracked 885 babies born in 2004. All but one of the mothers consumed caffeine, either in coffee or in the herbal drink mate, which is popular in South America. And 20 percent of those women drank a lot of coffee more than 300 mg a day of caffeine, or about six espressos. About 14 percent of the babies awoke more than three times a night, and 41 percent woke up at least once a night. Caffeine or no, it seems likely that babies will
wake up when they want to. "Night waking is common throughout the first year of life," Rodrigues says. So moms, drink that coffee if it helps, because it doesn't seem to be harming the baby. That leaves the question of what helps get a baby to sleep in the first place. The Web is awash with questions and advice on that, too. How often a child wakes is partly controlled by age, with older babies waking less often. But as any parent can tell you, a maddening number of factors seem to be involved, including daytime napping, breastfeeding, bed-sharing, being nursed to sleep, how responsive the parents
are to a child's stirrings, and parents' own sleep habits. Caffeine use by older children is much more controversial, given teenagers' interest in energy drinks and products such as inhalable caffeine. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
President Obamas Education Budget Buster

Lindsey Burke (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
considering the fact that Bush nearly doubled the size of the DOE. President Obamas FY 2013 Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:00:09 AM President Obamas near-term budget request for the DOE spending proposals for the i n c r e a s e s t h e a g e n c y s Department of Education (DOE) discretionary budget to $69.8 are a staggering display of federal billion, a 2.5 percent increase over profligacy. 2012 levelsthe largest increase They include the recently of any domestic agencyand an released fiscal year (FY) 2013 18 percent increase over 2008 budget request and an education levels. But Representative John blueprint outlining $60 billion Kline (RMN), chairman of the in additional spending. If enacted, H o u s e E d u c a t i o n a n d t h e these proposals would mean that Workforce Committee, notes that in one term, President Obama has the proposed spending is even s p e n t a l m o s t a s m u c h o n higher: education as President George W. In his budget proposal, the Bush spent in two termseven president has requested $69.8
billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Education, a $1.7 billion increase over last years funding level. This is in addition to $13.3 billion in additional mandatory spending for Pell Grants, bringing the total budget request to $83 billiona 40 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2008. Spending increases proposed in the Presidents budget request are just the tip of the iceberg. The Presidents blueprint contains $60 billion in new spending proposals that are supplemental to his FY 2012 budget and FY 2013 budget request. The blueprint spending includes $25 billion in
federal funding to keep educators in the classroom, $5 billion in federal funding to provide additional teachers compensation, and $30 billion in federal funding for school construction. In his testimony about the budget before the House Education and the Workforce Committee last Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated that it is unconscionable for us to ask a generation of students to pay the price for adult political dysfunction. What is unconscionable is for American taxpayers to keep pouring billions into more than 150 federal education programs
that are failing children. Increasing spending on the status quo wont improve outcomes. Instead, policymakers should free states to spend dollars on the education priorities that they believe would best meet student needs. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Politics-Right/
71
Presidential Whispers: Just Stating the Obvious or Revealing Future Plans?

Bryan Kimbell (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
foreign policy analysts to such a blunder and what this reveals about the Presidents upcoming missile defense plans. Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:26:00 PM Major Garrett, a White House Heritages James Carafano says c o r r e s p o n d e n t f o r N a t i o n a l that Obamas remarks betrayed Journal, recently authored a piece his real approach to arms control that seeks to shed light on and ballistic-missile defense. President Obamas true missile Andy Kuchins, director of the defense intentions and is a Russian and Eurasia program at welcome addition to the public the Center for Strategic and discussion. International Studies, asserts that On the eve of a global nuclear Obamas mistake has really security summit in Seoul, South opened him up to that kind of K o r e a , P r e s i d e n t O b a m a criticism of being ready to whispered to Russian President capitulate. Dmitry Medvedev that he needs The possibility of submitting to space until after the U.S. Russian demands is unsurprising presidential elections and assured considering President Obamas more flexibility in regards to track record. This is intolerable, missile defense. Unbeknownst to given Russias repeated appeals President Obama, his comments for veto power over Washingtons were being recorded by a press decisions to intercept a ballistic microphone that he thought was missile traveling toward its turned off. victims and legal binding Garrett keenly suggests President limitations, including the speed Obamas gaffe could function as and geographical coverage of U.S. an equally delectable feeding interceptors. Senator Jon Kyl frenzy for the media. Garrett (RAZ) recently penned a letter highlights the reactions of leading objecting to the Presidents
indications that he might favor Russian concerns over his duty to defend Americans against foreign military threats. This predictable revelation of President Obamas perspective on missile defense could not come at a worse time. A nuclear-armed North Korea is showing increased
preparation for a controversial rocket launch that appears to be another test for a long-range missile. Iran is emerging as a regional nuclear power capable of threatening U.S. interests and allies. At the same time, Russia and China have been deploying innovative nuclear capabilities
regularly while, contrastingly, the U.S.s nuclear program is steadily declining due to lack of a muchneeded modernization plan. The increased proliferation of threats, coupled with President Obamas looming capitulation to Russia on missile defense, makes the U.S. more vulnerable to ballistic missile attack. Bryan Kimbell is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please visit: http://www.heritage.org/ about/departments/ylp.cfm This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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Politics-Right/
In the Court of Public Opinion, GovernmentRun Health Care Never Wins

Alyene Senger (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:30:40 AM
No matter what decision the Supreme Court releases in late June, in the court of public opinion, Obamacare has been a loser since day one. Polls over the last two years have shown the public does not support the law. As Heritage expert Bob Moffit explains via a brief lesson in health policy history, Based on Washingtons record of health policymaking, ending or rolling back Obamacare is hardly implausible. Throughout time, the publics view on health care has consistently shown that Americans want to keep their current coverage, they dont want to pay more, and they dont trust government to control their health care. The peoples opinion holds great power. Take, for example, the repeal of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988. Despite support from a bipartisan majority, that
legislation was repealed a year after its passage. When the public learned of its details and potential impact, they retracted their support. The laws costs were double what the Congressional Budget Office originally estimated, and it forced seniors to pay for benefits they didnt want. Public opinion was also instrumental in sacking President Clintons health care plan. Moffit
explains that, though the idea initially had vast support, the reality was a massive, mindnumbing bureaucratic system of federal command and control of virtually every aspect of the health care system. The result was the death of Clintons proposed overhaul. The intense public hostility to the Clinton health plan itself not Congresss decision to defy public
Clintons bill was not, Moffit points out that President Obamas narrow legislative victory came at the expense of forgoing popular support for his signature legislative accomplishment in the court of public opinion. In 2010, elections produced a Republican majority in the House and confirmed that Obamacare may very well share the same fate as President Clintons health care plan and the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act in the end. Either way, one thing is certain: Obamacare was not the end of the health care debate. To read The Heritage Foundations proposed foundation o p i n i o n a n d e n a c t i t for health care reform, click here. anywaycontributed directly to This entry passed through the the 1994 Republican takeover of Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it the House of Representatives. Much like President Clintons on someone else's site, please read plan, Obamacare breaks a number the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentof promises to the American only/faq.php#publishers. Five public: Its cost continues to rise, Filters recommends: Donate to a n d m o r e p e o p l e a r e n o w Wikileaks. expected to lose their existing coverage. Although Obamacare was a legislative victory and
Politics-Right/ Social Media/ Daily World/
73
Chicago on the Potomac: Obama 'Bundler' Accused of Fraud

(The Feed)
who released his list of bundlers, the financiers who Submitted at 4/2/2012 9:10:26 AM raise campaign money by Via Associated Press: soliciting high-dollar A major donor to President contributions from friends and Barack Obama has been accused associates. But that disclosure has of defrauding a businessman and not come without snags; his impersonating a bank official, campaign returned $200,000 last creating new headaches for month to Carlos and Alberto Obamas re-election campaign as Cardona, the brothers of a it deals with the questionable Mexican fugitive wanted on history of another top supporter. federal drug charges. . . The New York donor, Abake Yeah. Theyll pay back this Assongba, and her husband money just as soon as they raise contributed more than $50,000 to e n o u g h t o g e t r i d o f B i l l Obamas re-election effort this M a h e r . G r e g P o l l o w i t z year, federal records show. But This entry passed through the Assongba is also fending off a Full-Text RSS service if this is civil court case in Florida, where your content and you're reading it shes accused of thieving more on someone else's site, please read than $650,000 to help build a the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentmultimillion-dollar home in the only/faq.php#publishers. Five state a charge her husband Filters recommends: Donate to d e n i e s . O b a m a i s t h e o n l y Wikileaks. presidential contender this year
HBO Serves Up Trailer for Aaron Sorkins The Newsroom [VIDEO]

Christina Warren (Mashable!)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:26:36 PM
HBO has just launched the first trailer for the new Aaron Sorkin series, The Newsroom. HBO describes the series as a behindthe-scenes look at the people who make a nightly news program. That seems like a perfect fit for Sorkin whose has tackled the behind-the-scenes world of television before in Sports Night(about the making of a SportsCenter like program) and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip(about the making of a Saturday Night Live-esque sketch comedy).
Just looking at the trailer it looks like Sorkin is channeling his inner Paddy Chayefsky (screenwriter of the seminal Network) something Studio 60 fans know the Oscar-winner for The Social Network can do quite well. The Newsroom stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, a popular cable news anchor who finds his career in a tailspin after the college speaking gig goes off-the-rails and becomes viral online. Jane Fonda will appear in a recurring role as the CEO of the network. If we could make one casting
suggestion given the recent Keith Olbermann/CurrentTV unpleasantness, Sorkin and HBO should consider tapping Olbermann for a guest spot. The Newsroom will premiere on Sun., June 24 on HBO. More About: Aaron Sorkin, hbo, the newsroom, trailer For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Ephesians 4:2-3 (04-02-12)

(Verse of the Day)
Thoughts on Today's Verse... Effort, sweat, and dedication seem Submitted at 4/2/2012 2:00:00 AM to have become the profanity of Be completely humble and western Christianity. To our age gentle; be patient, bearing with of grace-abusers, the Holy Spirit one another in love. Make every reaches out with his truth and effort to keep the unity of the reminds us that relationships on Spirit through the bond of peace. earth, even those in Jesus' Church, E p h e s i a n s 4 : 2 - 3 ( N I V ) are going to require a lot of effort,
gritty love, personal sacrifice, and rigorous determination. If we read Jesus' prayer for unity in John 17, how could we not make every effort to keep his Body unified and our relationship with his people loving and patient? Since our salvation was purchased at the cost of Jesus' sweat and blood,
how can we balk when our best efforts are required to preserve the unity of his family? My Prayer... Dear Heavenly Father, forgive my impatience with others and lack of forgiveness for them. Stir your Spirit within me to curb my tongue, soften my heart, and extend more of an effort to others
who need your blessing. Please use me to be a peacemaker in your Kingdom, O Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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Social Media/
Two More Digital Leaders Join Mashable Connect

Jennifer Diamond (Mashable!)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:16:21 PM
Were excited to announce two new and inspiring speakers joining Mashable Connect, our largest conference of the year, which returns to Orlando, FL from May 3-5. Leslie Berland, SVP of digital partnerships and development at American Express, and Scott Havens, senior vice president of finance and digital operations at Atlantic Media Company, will talk about how digital has transformed their organizations. Coming from two very different companies, one a multinational corporation and the other an American magazine with a strong literary and cultural reputation, Berland and Havens will share their unique experience as digital leaders, and how theyve achieved success within their roles. Leslie Berland will speak about the digital transformation of American Express and the growth of its social media presence across many platforms. Youll also learn how social empowered American Expresss online community to define the companys strategies. This achievement, coupled with a
wide breadth of digital partnerships, has transformed American Expresss culture and presence in the digital space. Scott Havens will reveal the thought process behind The Atlantics digital-first strategy, which was adopted when the magazine faced declining revenue. Hell speak to the importance of aligning your brands core mission with a digital strategy and maintaining brand identity during online expansion. Both these speakers will offer practical advice to anyone who leads digital within their company. Their accomplishments speak to the universal challenges organizations face today. Mashable Connect is the conference you dont want to miss! Limited tickets are still available, so purchase them now before they sell out. Event Information Our annual destination conference, Mashable Connect, brings our community together for three days to connect offline in an intimate setting at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. Registration is now open.
Held in a unique location away from everyday distractions, Mashable Connect is a rare and valuable opportunity to be surrounded by digital leaders across industries. Youll spend time with Mashables passionate and influential community, hear from top speakers who will provide insight into the the
technologies and trends that are shaping the next era of digital innovation, and get to spend time with the Mashable team. To keep Mashable Connect as intimate as possible, only a limited amount of tickets are available. You can see our full agenda of topics and speakers here. A Look
Back at Last Years Mashable Connect 1. Mashable Connect Race Powered by Gowalla Team members check in to a race location at Magic Kingdom during the Mashable Connect Race powered by Gowalla. Click here to view this gallery. Supporting Sponsors Sponsorship Opportunities A limited number of sponsor opportunities are available for Mashable Connect. This is an excellent opportunity to get in front of Mashables passionate and influential audience. Contact sponsorships@mashable.com for opportunities. More About: digital, disney world, education, mashable connect For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Daily World/ Technology/
75
London threatened with bus strikes in run-up to Games

Dick Murray (Evening Standard - News)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:07:05 AM
More than 24,000 London bus workers are to ballot for strike action in a row over bonus payments for working during the Olympics. Unite the union is demanding 500 each but the private sector bus operators have not offered anything. Nine out of ten staff voted to support a formal ballot for walkouts, in a pre-strike ballot result declared this afternoon. Voting for the full strike ballot will begin in the coming weeks with the result at the end of the month. Unite expects overwhelming support for the strike call which could see a series of 24-hour walkouts from next month. The union will either target the individual 15 operators one at a time or order a London-wide stoppage.
Unite regional secretary, Peter Kavanagh said: "Bus workers have voted to overwhelmingly support an industrial action ballot. The London bus is an iconic symbol for London and bus workers will be on the frontline dealing with the extra congestion and helping passengers find their way around London. "Despite the significant extra pressure, the operators are refusing to recognise the contribution bus workers will be making to the success of the Olympics. "Every other transport worker in London is getting a payment, with the exception of the bus workers. London bus operators are doing passengers and their workers a huge disservice by refusing to engage with the union. It is a massive error of judgement." The union warned that the equivalent of over 9,000 double decker busloads of extra bus passengers will descend on London for the Olympics which
will run from 27 July to 12 August, putting a massive strain on London bus workers. The Paralympics run from 29 August 9 September. London Underground staff have been offered 850 for extra work and changed shifts during the Games; Network Rail staff 500 while Docklands Light Railway employees top the list with up to 2,500 each. Unite wrote to London bus operators in December giving them a deadline of 29 February, to complete negotiations with the union to discuss an Olympic payment of 500. Unite said the operatrs are refusing to meet with the union. The turnout was 49.6 per cent. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
HCL intros trio of Android 4.0 tablets aimed at Indian classrooms

Edgar Alvarez (Engadget)
MyEduTabs are being bundled with bonus educational content, including free NCERT books and HCL, previously known for an extra SD card on the former. launching those budget-friendly The trio is set to hit the shelves MiLeaps, is now getting ready to later this month in India, with the take its low-cost approach to the ME U1 priced at 7,999 rupees tablet market. Earlier today, the (approximately $162), while the Indian outfit announced a trifecta K-12 and HE are 11,499 and of ICS-packed slates, all of which 9,999, respectively. a r e a i m e d s q u a r e l y a t t h e [Thanks, Rakesh] education sector. Aside from HCL intros trio of Android 4.0 running the freshest version of tablets aimed at Indian classrooms Android, these 7-inch (800 x 480) originally appeared on Engadget slates feature an unspecified on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:21:00 1GHz CPU alongside 1GB of EDT. Please see our terms for use RAM, 4GB of internal storage of feeds. Permalink Wizard (expandable via microSD) as well Journal| IBNLive| Email this| as full and mini-USB ports. Comments Additionally, the K-12 and HE
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Daily World/ Politics/
More pupils get free meals as families struggle

Anna Davis (Evening Standard - News)
they dont like what is on offer. One primary school teacher told researchers: There are times that Submitted at 4/2/2012 9:08:07 AM meals are good but others when One in three education staff said they are mostly unappetising. there has been a rise in free school There are occasions when the meals at their school in the past portion size is very small and five years, with most putting it there have been times when down to the recession and parents portions have run out. losing their jobs. Another said: Young children Meanwhile the price of meals for often get very small portions and children who pay for food has limited choice. Children who increased, while the amount of come with packed lunches eat a food they get has gone down, lot more. according to a survey by the A secondary teacher said: There Association of Teachers and seems to be a lot of carbohydrates Lecturers. on offer each day. There are Results of the survey found that usually chips, pasta and rice 62 per cent of teachers said school available, while vegetables and meals are now more expensive, salad dont seem to be on offer. with parents being forced to spend As the meals are cooked in-house, up to 50p a day more for food. the choice is limited to what our Only 60 per cent of teachers said cook is able to make in large they thought the price of meals quantities. was value for money. And 10 per Mary Bousted, general secretary cent of teachers said children who of the ATL, said: It is no surprise qualify for free meals did not that, in the current economical actually eat them, mainly because climate, there has been an
increase in the uptake of free school meals. One London teacher, Kim Knappett, from Forest Hill Primary School, told the ATLs conference in Manchester that many children would go hungry during the Easter holidays. She said many parents who had as little as 1 a day to spend on food were not spending it on items of nutritional value but often spent it on chips or doughnuts. The ATL surveyed 503 teachers, lecturers and support staff working in primary and secondary state schools and academies in England last month. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
'A Conservative Coup d'Etat'

James Fallows (Politics : The Atlantic)
The Right holds the majority in the House and uses it, as is morally their right. But in the Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:36:47 AM Senate we see the minority How do our current political filibustering any legislation struggles look from outside? Here emanating from the majority, is a note from a reader in Holland, regardless of how conservative in response to The Hill's (never that proposal is fundamentally. It corrected) headline about the 51- strikes me as nothing more than a 47 "defeat" of a bill in the Senate: s c o r c h e d e a r t h p o l i c y , a n d The reader says: profoundly undemocratic. This is I really think this is much more not a loyal opposition; it is a important than many people rejection of the legitimacy of the realise. elected majority. What this headline "Senate And the reporting from the defeats Democrats' measure to kill S u p r e m e C o u r t h a s b e e n off 'Big Oil' tax breaks, 51-47" profoundly shocking - with demonstrates once again, and the conservative justices spouting tea news coming out of the PPACA party/talk radio talking points Supreme Court hearings this week about broccoli and cell-phone also shows, is that we are mandates, and non-existent witnessing what is effectively a CONSERVATIVE page 77 conservative coup d'tat.
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CONSERVATIVE
Cornhusker Kickbacks. Scalia's 'originalism' is being demonstrated to be fundamentally hollow and partisan. I am not an American and do not live in the US. But what is happening in the world's most important and powerful democracy is shocking and frightening in the absolute, and does concern the rest of the world. I am optimistic by nature, and when it comes to America I have long been in the " resilience-ism" rather than the "decline-ism" camp. From what I've seen around the world I know that every society has problems, and few have the advantages America still does. From what I have learned of American history -- and lived through! -- I realize that it's normal rather than exceptional for people to think that things are falling apart. When it comes to governing institutions, I also know that for much of its history - say, the century from Dred Scott roughly until the 9-0 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education-the Supreme Court was one more arena for the bare-knuckles partisan politics extended from government's other two branches. Still... in recent history we have seen the sequence of: - The 5-4 ruling in Bush v. Gore, which 12 years ago was shocking not so much in its outcome as for the naked "results-orientation" of the five-member majority. (If you have forgotten: the ruling specified that it should not be used as precedent for any other decision, and was issued under
circumstances that made it effectively impossible for the losing party to appeal.) For all of their esteem as the "swing" members of the court, the reputations of both former Justice Sandra O'Connor and current swingman Anthony Kennedy should forever be diminished by their having made up the majority. As John Paul Stevens said at the end of his memorable dissent: ...[T]he majority of this Court can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land. It is confidence in the men and women who administer the judicial system that is the true backbone of the rule of law. Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today's decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law. - The 5-4 ruling in Citizens United, which two years ago revealed either a willed indifference or a genuine ignorance about the realities of politics through its assumption that unlimited corporate money would not have a distorting effect. As Dahlia Lithwick has pointed out, for the first time in a very long while, no one on today's Court has ever run for public office, one of many signs of their
insulation from the real world they are ruling on. All are products of either Harvard or Yale law school. All have lifetime jobs, with health insurance. Stephen Colbert immediately saw what was hilarious about the Citizens United ruling, but Justices Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy decided not to. Though it's tasteless to point it out, the Bush v. Gore ruling gave us two members (Roberts and Alito) of the Citizens United majority. - The 5-4 tone of questioning in last week's Obama health care case (counting the mute Justice Thomas as an opponent, as everyone assumes he will be), which reinforced what John Paul Stevens called "the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout this land." More details on the tone of questioning in an followup soon. For now, please see Andrew Cohen and Jonathan Cohn, or Jeffrey Toobin about the radical activism of today's "conservative" Justices. Among the implications: life tenure for federal justices, especially for the Supreme Court, has got to go, since it makes the appointment process a crudely cynical actuarial contest. (Locus classicus: Clarence Thomas, age 43 when appointed, so if he watches his weight he could plausibly end up spending most of his life as a sitting though silent Justice.) Eventually a sufficiently ruthless party will nominate Justices while they're still taking
their LSATs. As with equal representation for all states in the Senate, real-world circumstances have changed so dramatically in the past 230+ years that the practical-minded drafters of the Constitution would never have suggested that the details of their scheme should be applied, unaltered, in the 21st century. When the Constitution was written, the life expectancy for men, at birth, was barely into the late 30s -- and even men who reached age 40 could expect on average to live only into their mid 60s. Limiting terms on the federal bench to 15 years -- or 18, or 20, in line with what would have been foreseeable at the Constitution's drafting -- would avoid the lottery -and-longevity factor in today's jurisprudence. More to come. For now thanks to this and other readers for their observations. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/04/aconservative-coup-detat/255261/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
Why It's Good That the Rush Limbaugh Boycott Failed

Conor Friedersdorf (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 10:58:02 AM
The only way to beat the broadcaster is to persuade his listeners he's wrong, not force him off the air while leaving his avid audience in place. Reuters As one of Rush Limbaugh's staunchest critics, it was satisfying to see him acknowledge, after calling Sandra Fluke a slut and prostitute, that his words were indefensible. Perhaps the episode caused some listeners to rethink the esteem in which they hold the talk-radio host. Had it caused them all to do so I'd be celebrating his demise: What a wonderful thing it would be, for the right and America alike, if conservatives demanded more decency and intellectual honesty from their favorite broadcasters. But the campaign against his advertisers? It has reportedly failed to bring about his ouster from the airwaves. That's a disappointment to some of his WHY page 78
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Taxpayers on the hook for antisoda lobbying campaigns
WHY
critics. They insist his broadcast isn't "in the public interest." Any means to its end is fine by them. To me, pressuring advertisers to abandon a popular broadcast is a mistaken approach. A shortcut. Rob Bluey (Hot Air Top Picks) lobbying with federal grant passage of the tax hike. The community. An exercise in coercion rather money. She implied it was Philadelphia Inquirer reported last This isnt the first time the antiSubmitted at 4/2/2012 12:10:26 PM than persuasion. I'm glad it failed. appropriate for communities to month: soda campaign has faced I don't want him to go out that posted at 1:10 pm on April 2, s p e n d t h e m o n e y o n s u c h T h e A m e r i c a n B e v e r a g e criticism. In Philadelphia, the city way. 2012 by Rob Bluey activities at least until A s s o c i a t i o n i n 2 0 1 1 h i t spent $2.4 million on ads Members of Congress are turning Congress prohibited it last year. Philadelphia and several other attacking soda. That was enough My dislike of boycotts is general. u p t h e h e a t o n t h e O b a m a Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and cities with requests for records on money to add 52 police officers, Public discourse is most likely to administration for doling out B r e t t G u t h r i e ( R - K Y ) s e n t how federal money was used to 54 firemen, 57 paramedics, 58 thrive when advertising dollars flow to mass-media programs millions of dollars in grant money Sebelius a follow-up letter asking craft anti-soda messages. teachers or 88 EMTs. New Yorks that was used to attack soda and, f o r c l a r i t y a n d s e e k i n g a n The requests in Philadelphia P o u r i n g o n t h e P o u n d s based only on the size of their in some case, lobby for higher investigation. Rep. Aaron Schock yielded several 2010 e-mails from campaign used grotesque pictures audience, for once advertisers face boycotts based on content, it taxes. (R-IL) pressed Sebelius for Department of Public Health and misleading information that As part of President Obamas answers at a recent hearing: officials describing the urgency of even the citys chief nutritionist becomes difficult to broadcast stimulus, the Centers for Disease At least five grant recipients getting advertisements out before called into question. The city anything that any interest group finds offensive. What remains is Control and Prevention provided Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii Iowa the Council soda-tax vote. received $15.5 million in federal grants to communities for a and the county of St. Louis, In one e-mail to an advertising funding for its anti-obesity efforts. p r o g r a m m i n g t h a t a v o i d s variety of anti-obesity measures, Missouri used the money to a g e n c y e x e c u t i v e , G i r i d h a r Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) controversial subjects whenever including advertisements. The secure support for legislation. Mallya, Health Department recently introduced a bill to possible. Contested ideas that funding is part of a $230 million S e v e r a l o t h e r s , i n c l u d i n g director of policy and planning, counter this growing trend of anti- might benefit from the crucible of initiative called Communities Delaware, Missouri, Nevada, New recommended focusing print and obesity ads. DesJarlais legislation public discourse are excluded Putting Prevention to Work. In York and Philadelphia, lobbied online ads on the harms of sugar- would prohibit the use of federal from it. Dissent from widely held social norms becomes impossible. many cases, the funds were used for the introduction of legislation. sweetened beverages. money for advertisements And society is shaped not by to attack American-made products An even larger number We may also want to target a t t a c k i n g s o d a . persuasion, but by whoever is like Coke and Pepsi. Philadelphia, Cook County (IL), m e d i a i n c e r t a i n C o u n c i l This entry passed through the Now lawmakers want to know King County (WA), Jefferson districts, he wrote, noting the Full-Text RSS service if this is most adept at eliciting in others a sense of grievance. why some communities, including County (AL), Delaware, Nevada, date of the Council vote. your content and you're reading it the city of Philadelphia, appear to N e w Y o r k a n d C h i c a g o The documents really speak for on someone else's site, please read Boycotts inevitably result in have used the federal funding to reportedly used the money to t h e m s e l v e s , s a i d C h r i s the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- terrible incentives. When it comes to Rush lobby for new taxes on those lobby for tax increases. G i n d l e s p e r g e r , A m e r i c a n only/faq.php#publishers. Five Limbaugh in particular, the best products. In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Beverage Association spokesman. Filters recommends: Donate to outcome, however unlikely, During a recent congressional Nutter has personally led a At a time when the city claims to Wikileaks. would be maturation, contrition hearing, Health and Human campaign to tax soda products. lack resources, the city spends for his transgressions against Services Secretary Kathleen Documents showed how the city millions on attack ads instead of accuracy and decency, and a Sebelius was asked to explain the u s e d a f e d e r a l l y f u n d e d on programs that would have a determination to use his administrations position on advertising campaign to press for m e a n i n g f u l i m p a c t o n t h e impressive talents more responsibly. Barring that, it would be wonderful if so many listeners WHY page 79
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Santorum in USA Today: I have a plan not just to repeal, but also to replace Obamacare
Tina Korbe (Hot Air Top Picks)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:30:48 AM
WHY
posted at 12:30 pm on April 2, 2012 by Tina Korbe Ever since Democrats rammed Obamacare through Congress, Republicans have repeated the slogan, Repeal and replace. Yet, the replace element of that piece has never been particularly clear. What, exactly, is the Republican plan for health care reform? As a conservative, it seems to me perfectly legitimate to just say, Repeal. Its not necessarily the role of the federal government to guarantee access to affordable health care for all Americans, even if we as a society agree that such access should be a shared priority. A fourth federal entitlement program isnt the only or the optimal way to meet citizens health care needs. Nevertheless, the CW suggests that its always better to be for something than to merely be against something. Broadly speaking, Republicans are for free -market-based health care reform. The specifics of such reform, though, vary from Republican to Republican. Today, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum laid out his specifics in
were persuaded of his pathologies, or attuned to recognizing them, that steadily shrinking ratings resulted in diminished influence and perhaps even cancellation. But forcing him off the air without denting the demand for an op-ed in The USA Today: The contrast with ObamaCare his program is no victory at all, My plan offers a better way to could not be starker. ObamaCare for it leaves unaddressed and combine fiscal responsibility and prohibits health savings accounts, undiminished the flawed thinking health care reform. Americans and turns the insurance industry and impulses responsible for his should have access to high- into a federally controlled public popularity. quality, affordable health care utility. My plan would allow all Where would those pathologies with health care decisions made Americans to shop around and get be funneled next? by patients and their physicians, their health insurance on the open It's hard to tell. not bureaucrats. market just like they buy other Persuading a demagogue like Limbaugh to reform, or else Our wise Founding Fathers didnt kinds of insurance. give the government control over Santorum also advocates health s h o w i n g h i s l i s t e n e r s w h y your health. The government has care liability reform to address supporting him is an error in done little right these past few rising costs caused by frivolous judgment, is thought to be a hopeless task by most of his years, and President Obama wants lawsuits. to inflict this incompetence on As Santorum states, his plan critics, who've stopped thinking of your personal life. contrasts sharply with Obamacare Dittoheads as rational actors open Under my plan (see my website in that its not an idea for a new to persuasion. While some of for more details), Americans will federal program: Its a plan to them are beyond persuasion, be able to buy health insurance return the freedom to decide many are reasonable people who'd with pre-tax dollars, or continue questions of health care to complicate their ideas about the to receive insurance through their individuals. Its a mark of how host if exposed to the right employer. All licensed insurance widely accepted the idea of a arguments, especially if they p l a n s w o u l d b e e l i g i b l e . welfare state has become, though, came from the conservatives who Companies would be encouraged that presidential candidates are see Limbaugh's flaws but keep to compete over state lines, and expected to present a plan to quiet about them for a variety of Americans would have a choice increase access to affordable reasons. A man who gets neither constructive nor harsh but of different plans and premiums, health care at all. just like with auto and home This entry passed through the accurate criticism from folks who insurance. Health insurers could Full-Text RSS service if this is share his ideology is bound to offer high-deductible plans with your content and you're reading it perform less well in the public lower premiums combined with on someone else's site, please read arena than he otherwise might, health savings accounts, or more the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- and to bring discredit on the traditional managed care or fee- only/faq.php#publishers. Five causes he purports to champion. for-service plans. Low-income Filters recommends: Donate to individuals would get tax credits Wikileaks. so they could buy the same kind of health care as other Americans.
Rather than trying to organize Limbaugh boycotts, his critics outside conservatism would do better to use the frequent occasions when he discredits himself as an opportunity for persuasion. Ask his listeners and apologists, "Why do you continue to associate yourself with a guy who has acted in all these ways you'd never dream of behaving yourself?" Boycotts are won and lost on media savvy and the fervency of each side's supporters. Given metrics like those, any talk-radio blowhard could triumph. Whereas on logic, accuracy, and decency, Limbaugh cannot prevail. His opponents would do well to ensure that those metrics are ultimately determinative. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/04/why-itsgood-that-the-rush-limbaughboycott-failed/255328/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
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The Ed Morrissey Show: Duane Generalissimo Patterson & Postcards from Vacation
Ed Morrissey (Hot Air Top Picks)
Seattle. We want to encourage prayers for Marizelas family, and also try to reach anyone in the Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:00:47 PM area who knows where Marizela posted at 1:00 pm on April 2, might be and ask them to contact 2012 by Ed Morrissey the police. Today, on the Ed Morrissey The search has its own website Show (3 pm ET), well take a now, Find Marizela, for the latest look at the past week with Duane in the efforts to bring Marizela Generalissimo Patterson of the home. There is also a fund for the Hugh Hewitt Show. Duane and I family to keep the search efforts will see how long my voice will going. Be sure to check there and hold out I got laryngitis over at Michelles site for further the weekend and catch up on developments, and keep the all of the latest political stories. family in your prayers. All of this and more and stay Americas Most Wanted is now tuned for a preview of tonights on the case, too. Hugh Hewitt Show. Michelle has a new update on the The Ed Morrissey Show and its case on the one-year anniversary: dynamic chatroom can be seen on Exactly one year ago today, my the permanent TEMS page. Be 18-year-old cousin Marizela sure to join us, and dont forget to (known affectionately to her keep up with the debate on my family and friends as Emem or Facebook page, too! Mei) Perez disappeared from Marizela Perez has been missing the University of Washington for a year. campus in Seattle. Marizelas case has a connection She is still missing. here at Hot Air, as she is the Those words form on the cousin of the Boss Emeritus, c o m p u t e r s c r e e n w i t h Michelle Malkin. Michelle is disembodied disbelief. But my trying to spread the word through heart is screaming: Facebook and Q13Fox/KCPQ in SHE IS STILL MISSING. WHY,
DEAR GOD, WHY?!!!!! The not-knowing is every parents worst nightmare. It brought normal life to a standstill for Marizelas parents, Edgar and Jasmin. And yet, they have to keep living and working and praying for their only daughter. Because that is what they must do. Their strength and dignity through all the suffering has been an inspiration to me. There have been no new developments in Emems case. No word from the police or the medical examiners office. No activity on her bank accounts or social media accounts. And no response from the Google legal department to our request for help in January. Keep the prayers coming. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
GOP Convention to Be Held in America's Second -Most Pessimistic City

Garance Franke-Ruta (Politics : The Atlantic)
economic well-being in 2011, based on more than 80,000 interviews across the nation, Submitted at 4/2/2012 11:17:33 AM found the Tampa-St. PetersburgI n s e l e c t i n g T a m p a , t h e Clearwater, Fla., area to be Republican Party has chosen a surpassed in its total lack of city nearly rivaling Buffalo as a economic confidence only by h o m e t o t h e e c o n o m i c a l l y Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y. gloomy. Washington, D.C., by contrast, Mitt Romney holds a newser leads the nation as the most under a tree outside his campaign economically confident metro offices in Tampa. Reuters Well, area. Thirty-eight percent of D.C.that sounds like a fun time. area residents thought the T h e R e p u b l i c a n N a t i o n a l economy last year was improving, Convention nominating Mitt while 56 percent thought it was Romney (really, the GOP primary getting worse. Meanwhile, 70 is all over but the shouting) this percent of Tampa-area residents A u g u s t w i l l t a k e p l a c e i n thought the economy was getting A m e r i c a ' s s e c o n d - m o s t worse, according to the survey. e c o n o m i c a l l y p e s s i m i s t i c It's pretty standard for the host metropolitan area, according to a cities of the conventions to new poll from Gallup. That survey of perceived GOP page 81
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become characters in the coverage from them. To the extent that Tampa and its surroundings remain economically depressed by summer, full of struggling people and underwater mortgages, look for the RNC convention site to become an exhibit for the prosecution in the case again President Obama's stewardship of the economy that Romney and the Republicans will be making on the national stage in August. (Of course, there will also be room for plenty of Democratic pushback as rapid responders seek to contrast the inevitable lavish lobbyist- and industry-funded convention parties with the hard times just around the corner.) Either way, unromantic and sullen Tampa is looking like a smart political choice for the GOP
this cycle -- and like a city that will be especially grateful for the economic boon the political conventions inevitably provide. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/04/gopconvention-to-be-held-inamericas-second-most-pessimistic -city/255307/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
NAVY
'bots and hydrogen fuel cellpowered unmanned aircrafts, to name but a few. The Naval Research Laboratory opened the doors of the massive facility up to members of the media today, and Engadget was on-hand along with a moderate sized gathering of fellow reporters. Included in the tour were two simulated environments. The Tropical High Bay is designed to mimic rainforest terrain, with flowing water, fog and climate controlled temperature and humidity. The Desert High Bay is a bit let complex in its environmental simulation, limited to a sand pit,
rock way, and adjustable light, smoke and wind. Meanwhile, an on-site indoor pool is used to challenge aquatic vehicles. Testers demonstrated the Pectoral Fin Swimmer - an autonomous bot inspired by the biological movements of fish, in order to access areas not reached by more traditional propel driven robots. Also on hand was Lucas, a Brian Heater (Engadget) Mobile, Dexterous, Social (MDS) humanoid robot [ pictured above] Submitted at 4/2/2012 1:00:00 PM with a Segway base. The laboratory demonstrated how the All the fun of the desert and the robot was capable of reasoning in rainforest from the (relative) a simulated firefighting scenario - comfort of home? Sign us up. That's the promise offered by the admittedly awesomely named NAVY page 82
US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility
Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research(that's LASR, for you abbreviators out there), first announced last month. The robotics lab, housed in a $17.7 million building at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, offers up around 50,000 square feet, a portion of which is aimed at reproducing some of the Earth's more extreme ecosystems to test out naval robotics. The facility is home to firefighting robots, swimming NAVY page 81
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UK planning second snooping bill, proxy servers to sell out shortly

Daniel Cooper (Engadget)
time and duration of each message. The proposals will be officially unveiled on May 9th, as The UK Government revealed on part of the Queen's Speech, April Fools' Day that it's planning despite a similar bill being to offer law enforcement agencies o p p o s e d b y t h e c u r r e n t unprecedented access to private administration whilst it was in c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . B r i t i s h opposition. It has already drawn Cellphone operators and ISPs will bitter criticism from backbench be required to harvest packet data- members of the Government, civil - containing the parties to all calls, liberties advocates and privacy currently timetabled to be added e m a i l s a n d s o c i a l m e d i a experts, who believe the move is to the statute books by 2013, communication, as well as the f u n d a m e n t a l l y f l a w e d . I t ' s unless, you know, common sense
gets in the way. UK planning second snooping bill, proxy servers to sell out shortly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Guardian,(2)| Email this| Comments
NAVY
and, equipped with an extinguisher, was capable of putting out a very real fire on the floor of the facility. We'll have a more in-depth tour of the facility in the near future. In the meantime, check out a sneakpeek of what we saw in the gallery below. Gallery: US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility Continue reading US Navy
shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
Klout Star: Alexander Howard

Kameron Kitajima (The Official Klout Blog)
Submitted at 4/2/2012 12:23:50 PM
Tweet Our Klout Stars series highlights top influencers and how they got to where they are today. About: Alexander Howard is the
Washington Correspondent for OReilly Media, where he reports on technology, open government and online civics, from mobile technology to health IT to social media. He tells his mom that he writes about how the Internet affects government, and vice versa. Howard was born in upstate
New York, moved to Philadelphia in the mid-80s and went to Colby College in Maine, where he studied biology, sociology and built his first webpage in 1995. Howard remain intrigued by technological change and quite KLOUT page 83
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KLOUT
taken with ideas, good cooking, the great outdoors, notable books, big black dogs and media of all kinds. More on his background and biography can be found on his personal blog. 1. How did you get started in social media? I started interacting with people online in 1992, using a bulletin board system (BBS) and a modem in my high school computer room. Ive been logging on ever since, though the computers and connection speeds I use now have thankfully dramatically improved over the past two decades. While I built any number of webpages in the 2000s, Id place my start with social media when I started experimenting with blogs in 2004, after Blogger.com launched. The big departure point, however, was when I was hired as an assistant editor at WhatIs.com in the beginning of 2006 and started blogging, podcasting, and writing about nearly every aspect of enterprise IT professionally. I joined Facebook that year and Twitter in March 2007, out of professional and personal interest. My approach initially was to try to be helpful, thoughtful, interesting, and relevant, including many links. That turns out to be a solid strategy. 2. What role does social media play in your current job or industry? Here, Id refer to two interviews Ive given, with Zach Braiker and Elisa Gabbert: In general, social media (or collaborative technology, as some
now prefer in the enterprise world) is deeply woven into the fabric of both my work and personal life. On the IT journalism side, I use social media to find sources, provide live coverage of events, gauge sentiment, distribute content, track news and fact-check stories. When Im not focused on work, I use social media to stay in touch with friends, family, former colleagues and classmates, find out whats happening around whatever city Im in or check on the status of events or government services. Basically, I try to use the various platforms to get smarter and tap into the zeitgeist around events or ideas. In 2012, Im still enjoying exploring and experimenting with what the right approach to each platform, from blogging to Twitter to having family, friends and subscribers on Facebook and Google+ to tumbling or staying LinkedIn to my professional network or sharing video on YouTube. 3. What does influence mean to you? Who influences you the most online? Influence means that someones work, opinion or perspective matters to me in a given context, professional or personally. My fathers influence, for instance, has resulted in me deeply caring about good writing. My uncles have inspired me to be a better outdoorsman. My publisher has encouraged me to focus on substance and work on stuff that matters. Influence means that
what you say or do has a substantive impact upon the world, from simple outcomes like someone clicking on a link or sharing content with their network to world-changing examples, passing a historic bill into law, starting or ending wars, or inspiring a young scientist to work on inventing a cure for a disease or a device. http://klout.com/ ?source=blog&creative=AHoward #/TimOReilly In terms of who influences me, who Im following on Twitter or circling is a start. Individually, Id i n c l u d e p e o p l e like@MarcAmbinder,@SusannaF ox,@TimOReilly,@SteveSilberm an,@baratunde,@acarvin,@alexis madrigal,@TimBerners_Lee,@Br ainPicker,@MarkKnoller,@rmack ,@ethanz,@mathewi,@JayRosen _NYU,@palafo,@TimOBrien,@ NYT_JenPreston,@glitchfield,@ NiemanLab,@participatory,@zep horia,@evgenymorozov,@patrick meier, and@ahier. I could list dozens upon dozens of other people. And thats just on Twitter. My latent network of email and phone contacts is much broader and deeper and its not an influence graph I want to map out online. 4. What advice do you have for someone who wants to take their online presence to the next level? First, understand why you want to do that and in the service of what cause. Are you a musician or artist? A writer or editor? A government or industry executive? Are you a parent that
wants to connect with other fathers or mothers? An athlete who needs sponsors to support training? A nonprofit that wants to change the world but depends upon donations? Do you make things and want to find buyers or other makers? Are you a politician that wants to get elected? Or, once elected, to serve the interests of the people you represent? Each use case will have different context for what the next level of online presence means. In general, beware of snake oil and false promises. You can spend a lot of money on expensive websites, snazzy mobile apps and integrated media campaigns across search and social advertising platforms and still not accomplish your strategic purpose. As with any community, listen first to see what conventions for a given platform exist before you dive in. On Twitter, I highly recommend staying away from any services that promise more followers. Twitter monitors accounts that use them and may suspend or penalize accounts that have done so in the future. Cover the basics. Fill out your bio, putting your real name in so youre searchable and linking to an informative landing page will help enormously, no matter what social network youre on. So will integrating all of your social media and online accounts into your email, your blog, website, or other social networks. Taking it to the next level
online is tied to who you are offline. Theyre not so different these days. That said, being interesting and gaining influence online isnt so different from other media or platforms. Online, you have less time to grab peoples attention in fast moving social streams. That forces brevity of thought and with on Twitter but you can write much more elsewhere. Posting pictures or relevant, topical stories is effective across platforms. Most people dont have lives that are inherently interesting, so youll need to pick your spots and be thoughtful about whats worth sharing. Stay away from the cliche of talking about your lunch, unless its a dispatch from a foreign country or a special event at an unusual restaurant (add that picture!) or if youre a chef, food critic or foodie that shares new discoveries. One effective method for growing an influential network relevant to a given topic is to follow hashtags or lists and then to reply or comment upon tweets, updates or posts by the supernodes in that community, resharing posts that are relevant to your intended audience. Ascribing authority in real-time search is both qualitative and quantitative. Its important to work on both angles. Connect with Alexander on Twitter at@digiphile KLOUT page 84
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