James "Captain Spaulding" Cutter
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Or any original characters you come up with; hitherto unknown members of the firefly family? Disgruntled relatives of past victims? Let your imagination go wild!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/q2-DEc7MSAo/viewtopic.php
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Mar. 28, 2013 ? Poor children who move three or more times before they turn 5 have more behavior problems than their peers, according to a new study by researchers at Cornell University and the National Employment Law Project. The study is published in the journal Child Development.
Moving is a fairly common experience for American families; in 2002, 6.5 percent of all children had been living in their current home for less than six months. Among low-income children, that number rose to 10 percent. In addition, in 2002, 13 percent of families above poverty moved once, but 24 percent of families below poverty moved. Research has shown that frequent moves are related to a range of behavioral, emotional, and school problems for adolescents.
Using national data on 2,810 children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal, representative study of children born in 20 large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000, researchers sought to determine how frequent moves relate to children's readiness for school. Parents were interviewed shortly after the birth of their children, then again by phone when the children were 1, 3, and 5; in-home assessments were done when the children were 3 and 5. The study also looked at the children's language and literacy outcomes, as well as behavior problems reported by mothers.
The study found that 23 percent of the children had never moved, 48 percent had moved once or twice, and 29 percent had moved three or more times. Among children who moved three or more times before age 5, nearly half (44 percent) were poor; poverty was defined based on the official federal threshold. Moving three or more times was not related to the children's language and literacy outcomes.
But children who moved three or more times had more attention problems, anxiousness or depression, and aggressiveness or hyperactivity at age 5 than those who had never moved or those who had moved once or twice. These increases in behavior problems occurred only among poor children, the study found, suggesting that frequent moves early in life are most disruptive for the most disadvantaged children.
"The United States is still recovering from the great recession, which has taken a major toll on the housing market," notes Kathleen Ziol-Guest, postdoctoral associate at Cornell University, who led the study. "As housing markets have collapsed across communities, highly mobile low-income families have moved in search of work and less expensive housing.
"The findings in this study suggest that the housing crisis and its accompanying increase in mobility likely will have negative effects on young children, especially poor children."
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Y4-8E5yDj7Y/130328080229.htm
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AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? The U.N. refugee agency says a riot has broken out at a refugee camp for Syrians in Jordan after some of the refugees were told they could not return home.
Ali Bibi, a UNHCR liaison officer in Jordan, says it's unclear how many refugees were involved in Thursday's melee at the Zaatari camp. The riot broke out after some Syrians in the camp tried to board buses to go back to their country.
He says Jordanian authorities refused to let the buses head to the border because of ongoing clashes between the rebels and President Bashar Assad's forces in southern Syria, just across the border from Jordan.
Bibi says there were no immediate reports of injuries.
He says Jordanian authorities promised to organize the refugees' return home at another time.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-syrian-refugees-riot-camp-jordan-111430759.html
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Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Time: 9:00 a.m. ? 12:00 p.m.
Registration from 9:00-9:30 a.m.
Program from 9:30-12:00 p.m.
Location: Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors
6330 San Vicente Boulevard,
Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90048
BHGLAAR & SCMA Members: $35.00
Non-Members: $40.00
Click here to see the flyer?and complete details.
?? BHGLAAR & SCMA Members: $35.00 ?? Non-Members: $40.00Topics for the 2013 Real Estate Mediation Institute:
Divorce Trusts, Short Sales, Landlord/Tenant, and more cutting edge
real estate issues. This presentation is intended for both real estate
professionals and mediators who want to expand their client database
and ensure their clients (divorcing or not) are appropriately advised.
Panelists Include:
Source: http://www.scmediation.org/2nd-annual-real-estate-mediation-institute/
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FILE - A Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 photo from files showing Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky talking to the media after losing his case against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich as he leaves the High Court in London. United Kingdom police have said that Berezovsky has been found dead Saturday March 23, 2013.(AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)
FILE - A Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 photo from files showing Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky talking to the media after losing his case against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich as he leaves the High Court in London. United Kingdom police have said that Berezovsky has been found dead Saturday March 23, 2013.(AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)
LONDON (AP) ? How do you burn through billions?
The unexplained death of Boris Berezovsky, whose body was found Saturday inside his upscale English home, has refocused attention on the fantastic wealth racked up by Russia's ruthless oligarchs ? and their propensity for spending it. Berezovsky, 67, had once been considered Russia's richest man ? but by this January, a British judge was wondering whether the tycoon would be able to pay his debts.
Police say Berezovsky's death is unexplained but that there was no evidence of anyone else being involved. His lawyer said the oligarch had been in "a horrible, terrible" emotional state. The tycoon had survived several assassination attempts, including a 1994 car bomb in Moscow, and there was speculation as to whether his death was natural, part of a conspiracy or a suicide.
To understand how one man could lose so much money, it helps to see how he made it in the first place.
___
FOUNDATIONS OF A FORTUNE
Berezovsky, a mathematician, made his fortune in the 1990s during the catastrophic privatization of the Soviet Union's state-run economy. That era was marked by hyperinflation, contract killings and rampant corruption. As Russia's GDP crumbled, oligarchs leveraged their ties to ruthless criminals and crooked officials to tear off huge chunks of the country's assets for themselves, draining resources and stripping factories to build fabulous fortunes.
Berezovsky ? whose interests ran from automobiles to airplanes to aluminum ? was one of this dark period's primary beneficiaries. He became a political operator in Russian President Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, trading on his connections to rack up assets estimated by Forbes to be worth roughly $3 billion in 1997.
"No man profited more from Russia's slide into the abyss," author Paul Klebnikov wrote in a critical profile of Berezovsky titled "Godfather of the Kremlin."
Eventually, the abyss began threatening Berezovsky as well.
The tycoon had been instrumental in orchestrating the accession of Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, but when the new leader and Berezovsky began to clash, his political cover disintegrated. Berezovsky then fled the country in 2000, eventually claiming political asylum in Britain.
___
LIVING LARGE IN LONDON
How much money Berezovsky really had ? and how much he was able to take with him from Moscow ? remains shrouded in uncertainty. Rich Russians at the time routinely stashed their money in labyrinthine offshore trusts or held assets under the names of associates or family members. Many deals weren't even put into writing.
What's clear is that the 1998 Russian financial crisis, coupled with Berezovsky's spectacular fall from political grace, had a big impact on his bottom line. Forbes estimated his post-Moscow fortune in the hundreds of millions. Rival oligarch Roman Abramovich testified in court that Berezovsky had been down to his last $1 million when he fled Russia.
If Berezovsky were strapped for cash, he didn't show it. He rode around London in a reinforced Maybach limousine and was often seen huddled with business contacts in the exclusive hotels that line London's Hyde Park. His string of oversize mansions in England, France and the Caribbean suggested he was a cut above the average millionaire.
Russian officials seemed to believe that Berezovsky had plenty of cash on hand, trying ? with mixed success ? to claw back some of the exile's assets. Charges are still pending against him in relation to the alleged embezzlement of some $13 million from Russia's now-defunct SBS-Agro bank. Berezovsky had also previously been convicted in absentia of bilking hundreds of millions of rubles from the airline company Aeroflot and the carmaker AvtoVaz.
___
THE BILLS PILE UP
Berezovsky often expressed a fondness for Britain's legal system, despite his frequent and expensive encounters with it. A search of British court records throws up roughly three dozen judgments ? libel, fraud, divorce, breach of contract ? involving the tycoon in some way.
Berezovsky sued a business associate over a fraudulent loan. Other business associates sued him over a botched oil deal. Berezovsky sued Forbes over an unflattering profile. He sued Russian television for suggesting he had a hand in the poisoning death of ex-Russian KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko. His second wife sued him for a divorce. His girlfriend sued him for a house he'd promised her. He sued the wife of his long-time partner, Badri Patarkatsishvili, in a complicated dispute over how to split the man's assets after his death.
The sums involved were staggering. The loan deal was worth $5 million. His second divorce settlement in 2011 reportedly cost him 100 million pounds (about $154 million at the time). Patarkatsishvili's assets could be worth hundreds of millions more. The biggest lawsuit of all, against Abramovich for breach of contract and blackmail, was for a mind-boggling $5.6 billion.
Berezovsky lost the lawsuit against Abramovich last year and the judge involved stopped just short of calling him a liar. He was stuck with tens of millions of pounds in legal bills.
___
A FORTUNE FALTERS
Whatever the extent of Berezovsky's wealth, his expensive divorce, Patarkatsishvili's death and his paper mountain of litigation left it much reduced.
In 2008, Berezovsky was forced to sell the Darius, a 110-meter (360-foot) -long custom-built yacht that many believed was an attempt to compete with an even larger ship, the Eclipse, being built for Abramovich.
Earlier this month, the Times of London reported that Berezovsky was downsizing his art collection, selling off his homes, firing staff and closing his office in London's upscale Mayfair district.
In a January ruling in a dispute between Berezovsky and his ex-girlfriend Helena Gorbunova, High Court Judge George Mann wrote that the oligarch's fortune appeared to have been spread thin.
"On the evidence, Mr. Berezovsky is a man under financial pressure," he said.
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Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, salutes the crowd, upon his arrival to Karachi airport, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ended more than four years in self-exile Sunday with a flight to his homeland, seeking a possible political comeback in defiance of judicial probes and death threats from Taliban militants. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, salutes the crowd, upon his arrival to Karachi airport, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ended more than four years in self-exile Sunday with a flight to his homeland, seeking a possible political comeback in defiance of judicial probes and death threats from Taliban militants. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, center, surrounded by guards, upon his arrival to Karachi airport, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ended more than four years in self-exile Sunday with a flight to his homeland, seeking a possible political comeback in defiance of judicial probes and death threats from Taliban militants. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, center, nominated for Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, waves as he arrives to brief members of the media in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pakistan's election commission has chosen a former high court chief justice Khoso nominated by the country's outgoing ruling party to serves as caretaker prime minister in the run up to a historic national election this spring. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistani police officers stand guard outside the room of Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, not pictured, nominated for Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pakistan's election commission has chosen a former high court chief justice Khoso nominated by the country's outgoing ruling party to serves as caretaker prime minister in the run up to a historic national election this spring. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, nominated for Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, talks to media in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pakistan's election commission has chosen a former high court chief justice Khoso nominated by the country's outgoing ruling party to serves as caretaker prime minister in the run up to a historic national election this spring. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) ? Former President Pervez Musharraf returned home Sunday hoping to make a political comeback despite Taliban death threats and looming arrest warrants. But judging by the lackluster crowd at the airport to greet him, his biggest challenge could be his waning popularity.
His return comes as Pakistan is poised to transition from one democratically elected government to another ? a first for a country that has experienced three coups since its 1947 inception. After years on the margins of Pakistani politics, Musharraf is seeking to rebuild his image, hoping to capitalize on an electorate frustrated with five years of rising inflation, rolling blackouts and security problems.
Musharraf, a four-star general who was chief of the army, took power in a 1999 coup and his military-led regime steered the country for nearly a decade until he was forced to step down in 2008 as president. Confronted with mounting criticism and widespread protests after he tried to dismiss a popular chief justice, he left facing impeachment by the newly elected parliament.
He later left the country and has been living between London and Dubai ever since.
The former Pakistani strongman had promised to return to his homeland many times before. He finally followed through, boarding a plane in Dubai with supporters and journalists and flying to the southern port metropolis of Karachi, the largest city in the nation.
Stepping out of the terminal, surrounded by police and supporters, he portrayed himself as a savior seeking to return the country to the prosperity and stability that supporters say marked his presidency.
"I have come back for you. I want you to get back the Pakistan that I had left when we used to feel proud in ourselves," he said.
Musharraf represents a polarizing force that could further complicate Pakistan's attempt to hold parliamentary elections on May 11. The country passed another milestone Sunday when the election commission appointed a caretaker prime minister to run the government ahead of elections, a step that is designed to promote electoral independence.
Musharraf's supporters, including elements of the military and members of Pakistan's influential expatriate communities, consider him a strong leader whose voice could help stabilize the country. Nostalgia for Musharraf's days in power was evident among members of the crowd who turned out to see him at the airport.
"At that time, we had employment. We had jobs. There was peace. It was 100,000 times better than today," said Muhammed Iqbal from Karachi.
Musharraf is fondly remembered by many people in this city of 18 million people where he heavily backed the Muttahida Quami Movement ? the city's dominant political party.
But Musharraf's welcoming party, estimated at between 1,000 and 2,000, was small compared with the hundreds of thousands of people who thronged this same terminal when Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan or the tens of thousands who turned out Saturday night for a rally in Lahore for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Supporters threw rose petals and enthusiastically waved flags emblazoned with pictures of Musharraf and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, but their energy did not mask their numbers.
"If he claims nationwide support, that would be a joke," said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. "I have never seen such a misplaced optimism about oneself."
Musharraf was whisked out of the airport inside an armored vehicle, surrounded by a phalanx of police and paramilitary security forces. It was a reminder of the security threats Musharraf faces.
The former general angered many militants with his decision in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to back the U.S. in its invasion of Afghanistan and cut off ties with the Taliban. Militants as well as many other Pakistanis saw him as carrying out the American agenda in Pakistan.
Militants were further infuriated with Musharraf when he decided in 2007 to raid a mosque in Islamabad that had become a center for militants opposed to the U.S. Pakistani officials said 102 people, mostly supporters of the mosque, died in the week-long operation.
The Pakistan Taliban vowed to kill him in a video released on Saturday. One of the featured speakers in the video ? former Pakistan Air Force officer Adnan Rashid ? was convicted of helping plot an assassination attempt against Musharraf back in 2003 when a suicide bomber tried to ram his vehicle. Rashid was imprisoned, but he escaped during a jail break orchestrated by the Taliban. In the video, he said Musharraf should surrender himself to the Taliban or prepare to be hit again.
"The mujahedeen of Islam have prepared a death squad to send Pervez Musharraf to hell," Rashid warned.
A serious security threat prompted the Pakistani police to cancel a rally that supporters had wanted to hold for Musharraf Sunday afternoon near Jinnah's mausoleum. And organizers at the airport repeatedly asked his boisterous supporters to move away from the front of the terminal so Musharraf could go outside to greet people.
The former president plans to spend a few days at a hotel in Karachi, where he and his team will hash out their plan for the upcoming election, said spokeswoman Saima Ali Dada. He will then travel to Islamabad. Meanwhile, his legal team will meet to decide the best way to respond to the charges against him.
Musharraf has been implicated in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, as well as the killing of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch nationalist leader who died in August 2006 after a standoff with the Pakistani military. In another case, he's accused of illegally removing a number of judges, including the chief justice of the supreme court.
His return to Pakistan was made easier when a court in Sindh province where Karachi is located granted him preemptive bail, which essentially meant he could not be arrested immediately upon landing. But he must appear before a court within 10 days, and there is no guarantee that he won't be arrested in the future.
Human Rights Watch has called on the Pakistani government to prosecute him for abuses he is alleged to have committed during his time in office.
Regardless of his political future, Musharraf appeared happy to be back on Pakistani soil.
Soon after he landed, Musharraf tweeted: "Thrilled to be back home."
___
Associated Press writers Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Zarar Khan in Islamabad contributed to this report.
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Getty ImagesThe Giants and receiver Victor Cruz still haven?t worked out a new contract.? As a result, the Giants need to restrict the restricted free agent from hitting the open market.
Co-owner John Mara said Monday that the team will apply a highest possible tender, which would give the Giants a first-round pick as compensation if the Giants can?t or won?t match any offer Cruz corrals elsewhere.? In turn, Cruz will be eligible to sign a one-year, $2.879 million contract.
In three NFL seasons, Cruz?s total salary has been $1.31 million.
Via Mike Garafolo of USA Today, Mara said that the removal of the poison pill device from the current labor deal gives the Giants ?a little more comfort? in this regard.
Still, the new CBA also took away the ability to obtain a first-round and third-round pick as compensation, which would have given the Giants even more comfort.
The absence of the poison-pill provision means only that another team can?t use a device that would, for example, make the full amount of a six-year, $72 million deal fully guaranteed if Cruz plays six or more games at MetLife Stadium or some other characteristic that would be satisfied easily if the Giants are the team on the other side of the deal.? Another team with plenty of 2013 cap space could still put together a heavily front-loaded deal that keeps the Giants from matching.
Then, the Giants would have to scramble to restructure contracts ? or gladly accept the first-round pick as compensation.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Sarah Palin has a new book coming, this time about Christmas.
The former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor has a deal with HarperCollins for "A Happy Holiday IS a Merry Christmas," scheduled for November. HarperCollins announced Monday that the book will criticize the "over-commercialism" and "homogenization" of Christmas and call for a renewed emphasis on the religious importance.
"Amidst the fragility of this politically correct era, it is imperative that we stand up for our beliefs before the element of faith in a glorious and traditional holiday like Christmas is marginalized and ignored," Palin said in a statement released through her publisher. "This will be a fun, festive, thought provoking book, which will encourage all to see what is possible when we unite in defense of our faith and ignore the politically correct Scrooges who would rather take Christ out of Christmas."
Financial terms were not disclosed. Palin was again represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who negotiated deals for Palin's "Going Rogue" and "America by Heart." Both books were released by HarperCollins.
According to the publisher, the book will advocate "reserving Jesus Christ in Christmas ? whether in public displays, school concerts (or) pageants. Palin also "will share personal memories and traditions from her own Christmases and illustrate the reasons why the celebration of Jesus Christ's nativity is the centerpiece of her faith."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sarah-palin-writing-book-christmas-222653405.html
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There?s a new wrinkle in SideCar?s ongoing battle with local authorities in Austin. Just a day after announcing that it?s offering free transportation to SXSW Interactive attendees, the ride-sharing startup has decided to take the city?s transportation department to court.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1VY1cS3tfuQ/
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Mar. 9, 2013 ? Even though a newly recognized cardiomyopathy, which mainly impacts women, is typically treatable, Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy can also be deadly when compounded by other co-morbidities, such as heart failure, according to a study being presented March 9 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions.
This condition, formally known as Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) and informally known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, has abrupt onset of symptoms and is characterized by a distinctive left ventricular (LV) contraction profile. Ninety percent of the time, this condition affects women, who are usually middle aged and older, and the condition usually is triggered by a stressful event.
"Although TTC is typically reversible and considered to have favorable clinical outcomes, we have identified an important subset of patients, particularly those with severe heart failure and hypotension, who can have a substantial mortality risk," says the study's lead author Scott W. Sharkey, MD, a research cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and a physician at the Minneapolis Heart Institute? at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. "It's also important that physicians are aware this is not a rare a condition, as it is present in nearly 10 percent of women who present to the hospital with suspected heart attacks."
MHIF researchers reviewed 250 TTC patients who presented to the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital between 2001 and 2012. Then, they segregated those TTC patients presenting with particularly severe heart failure and very low pressure, or hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 100 mm Hg), who required supportive treatment.
They found that severe hypotensive heart failure occurred in 45 patients. In this subset, 9 female patients died in-hospital despite aggressive treatment intervention, representing the only TTC-related hospital deaths in the 250 patient cohort.
Therefore, Sharkey and his colleagues concluded that TTC is not necessarily a benign condition. Severe hypotensive heart failure of severity necessitating vasopressor and/or intra-aortic balloon pump occurs in nearly 20 percent of patients. Also, all TTC-related hospital deaths occurred in the hypotensive heart failure subgroup with an overall mortality of 3.5 percent.
Importantly, triggering physical stressors related to severe co-morbid non-cardiac conditions (8) or advanced age (1) were present in all 9 non-survivors, Sharkey notes.
"Unfortunately, there are not any guidelines or criteria to instruct diagnosis and treatment of these patients at this time," says Sharkey. "Therefore, this study could be a starting point for this process, as it provides a more complete profile of the clinical spectrum of TTC and provides useful guidance for the effective management of these acutely ill patients."
To raise additional awareness and improve care of these patients, he adds that guidelines would be helpful at this time, in order to standardize diagnosis and treatment across varied healthcare settings.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google will pay a $7 million penalty to settle a multistate investigation into the Internet search leader's collection of emails, passwords and other sensitive information sent over wireless networks several years ago in neighborhoods scattered around the world.
The resolution will close a joint investigation by attorneys general in about 30 states, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person asked not to be identified because the settlement isn't expected to be announced until early next week.
The $7 million will be shared among all the states, the person said. Google's revenue this year is expected to surpass $61 billion. At that pace, Google brings in an average of $7 million in revenue per hour.
The case dates back to 2010 when Google Inc. revealed that company cars taking street-level photos for its online mapping service also had been vacuuming up personal data transmitted over wireless networks that weren't protected by passwords. Google blamed the snooping, which started in 2007, on an overzealous engineer who installed an intrusive piece of software on equipment that the company said was only supposed to detect the location of wireless networks.
That explanation didn't placate outraged privacy watchdogs or government regulators in the U.S. and other countries who opened investigations into the company's surveillance of Wi-Fi networks that were operating mostly in homes and small businesses.
The multistate inquiry in the U.S. initially was being led by Connecticut, which is now part of an executive committee overseeing the matter.
A spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen declined to say whether Google had agreed to a settlement. The investigation is still "active and ongoing," Jepsen spokeswoman Susan Kinsman said Friday.
Google has maintained it didn't break any U.S. laws by grabbing information sent over open networks, but has repeatedly apologized for a breach of online etiquette. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., issued another note of contrition when contacted Friday.
"We work hard to get privacy right at Google," the company said. "But in this case we didn't, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue."
The $7 million will represent the largest sum that the Google has paid so far in the various U.S. investigations into the so-called "Wi-Spy" matter. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission fined Google $25,000 for impeding its investigation. The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission both decided not to penalize Google after looking into the Wi-Fi data-gathering.
Google has committed other privacy gaffes that have gotten it into trouble with the FTC. In the most expensive episode so far, Google last year faced allegations that it had been secretly tracking the online activities of Web surfers using Apple Inc.'s Safari browser. Without acknowledging any wrongdoing, Google paid a $22.5 million fine to the FTC in that case.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks opened higher on Wall Street, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to new highs, after the government said unemployment claims fell last week.
The Dow rose 38 points, or 0.3 percent, to 14,334 as of 9:52 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor's 500 gained two points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,543. The Nasdaq composite advanced three points to 3,225.
The market got a boost after the Labor Department reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell by 7,000 last week, driving the four-week average to its lowest in five years. The drop is a positive sign ahead of Friday's employment report.
The Dow barreled through a record high Tuesday and added to those gains Wednesday. The index is on track for its fifth straight gain.
Investors have been buying stocks on optimism that employers are slowly starting to hire again and that the housing market is recovering. Growing company earnings are also encouraging investors to get into the market.
The Dow is 9.4 percent higher this year and the broader S&P 500 is up 8.2 percent.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose four to 1.98 percent from 1.94 percent.
Among stocks making big moves:
? PetSmart fell $4.67 to $61.88 after the company reported its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. Profits for the pet store chain rose but its forecast for this year disappointed investors.
? Pier 1 Imports fell 91 cents to $22.36 after the home decor company issued an earnings forecast that was below Wall Street analysts' estimates.
? Supermarket chain Kroger rose $1.14 to $3.59 after the company's fourth quarter profit handily beat Wall Street expectations.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-open-higher-unemployment-claims-fall-145927609--finance.html
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In this photo of Tuesday, March 5, 2013, a young boy listens to music by sharing an earphone with his mother while riding a New York subway. Add cranked-up earphones to the list of health dangers Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants New Yorkers to quit. City health officials plan to warn young people with a public service campaign that they risk hearing loss from listening to music at high volume on personal music players. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this photo of Tuesday, March 5, 2013, a young boy listens to music by sharing an earphone with his mother while riding a New York subway. Add cranked-up earphones to the list of health dangers Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants New Yorkers to quit. City health officials plan to warn young people with a public service campaign that they risk hearing loss from listening to music at high volume on personal music players. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Add cranked-up earphones to the list of health dangers Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants New Yorkers to avoid.
The city Health Department said Wednesday it plans to warn young people they risk hearing loss from listening to personal music players at high volume.
Officials envision a $250,000 social media and marketing campaign. The department's fundraising arm says it has raised $70,000 in donations so far. The plan was first reported by the New York Post.
Other health groups have launched similar efforts.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says excessive noise has caused permanent hearing damage in 1 out of 8 children and teens, and about 1 in 6 adults under age 70.
Bloomberg previously cracked down on smoking, trans fats, salt and large, sugary drinks.
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Cardinals attend the last general audience of Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on Feb. 27.
Photo by Tony Gentile/Reuters
Mercurius had a problem in 532 AD. He had just been elected pope, but he had been named after a pagan God. So he did something that Catholics have become quite good at: making a novel act fit into a pre-existing tradition. Mercurius asked to be called John II, after Pope John who had been martyred at Ravenna in 526 after a fallout with the Ostrogothic king, Theodoric. If Christ renamed Simon as Peter, it eventually became settled that Peter?s successors should have a new name as well.
Today the name a pope chooses for himself is more than just a name?it?s a not-so subtle indication of the direction he hopes to lead his pontificate. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger announced that he was taking the name Benedict in 2005, he cited the example of the last pope named Benedict, along with another Benedict, the great patron saint of Europe and of scholars. Like the former pope, he hoped to be a voice of peace during a time of war, and like the saint, he was an intellectual, being the first pope to publish a scholarly book while in office.
So when the Vatican?s conclave ends, what name will the next Bishop of Rome likely choose? Here are some of the likely (and not-so-likely) names to appear on his list and what those names would signal.
Pope Benedict XVII: Well, you can guess this one signals continuity. A new Benedict would likely signal the continuation of Ratzinger?s theological legacy, and perhaps his focus on secularism and Europe. It could be chosen by men like Canada?s Cardinal Ouellet, a contributor to a Ratzinger-founded theological journal. Or it could be taken by someone like Sri Lanka?s Cardinal Ranjith, a close admirer of Benedict?s and a partisan in the cause of a more traditional Catholic Church. Then again, Benedict?s resignation is controversial enough among the cardinals that any one of them might hesitate to take it up.
Pope John XXIV: A cardinal of any theological stripe could take the most popular of papal names. Many saints, plus an apostle, had the name. But c?mon, everyone is going to think: liberal, modernizing, back to Vatican II the moment it is announced. John XXIII had an enormous personality and made it his mission to ?open the doors of the Church to the world.? He died before the council was complete, and a variety of theological schools of thought inside and outside the church have tried to attach themselves to his legacy. This is probably the most unpredictable name. But a new Pope John would at least give hope to those who want a ?new church.? Anyone could claim it, but it may especially fit the Italian Cardinal Ravasi or Ghana?s Cardinal Turkson.
Pope Leo XIV: A modern social-justice pope? Although it is impossible to reduce him to one thing, Pope Leo XIII was the author of a papal letter on social inequality and justice issues that criticized both industrial capitalism and communism. His leadership unleashed waves of Catholic thinking about economic justice. Today many third world cardinals blame Western nations and banking interests for the exploitation of their flocks. They may no longer be interested in elegant debates on secularism. They may want someone calling down hellfire on Western financial interests. Look to Cardinal Turkson, or Mexico?s Cardinal Carrera.
Pope Pius XIII: The gloves come off. The mask drops. Whatever showdown battle metaphor you like best, that?s what it is going to be like if the words Qui sibi nomen imposuit Pius are used to introduce the next pontiff. Going from a pope who was a member of the Hitler Youth to one who takes the name last used by a pope smeared as ?Hitler?s Pope? will be ... intense in the media. Within the Catholic Church, Pius XII is rather highly regarded, but the name still really belongs to Pope St. Pius X (1903-14), who basically fumigated the church for the heresy of ?modernism.? Although it could be taken by any cardinal who comes from especially humble beginnings, as Pius X did, the name will be perceived as the return of strong-handed traditionalism. Australia?s Cardinal Pell and possibly the above-mentioned Ranjith could take this name if they are especially bold.
Pope Boniface IX: Basically, everything said about Pius, but turned up till your ears bleed. It would be a gutsy man who took up the name of Boniface after Dante cast the imperious Boniface VIII into the Eighth Circle of Hell in Inferno.
John Paul III: Despite what looks increasingly like a rather inept and mismanaged reign, John Paul II was beloved in a way Benedict is not. He had a knack for the grand gesture. He was also dedicated to taking the papacy out into the world in an almost unprecedented way. It is easy to imagine an American like Dolan or O?Malley taking his name, if only for the public relations benefit.
My own wish is for a pope to revive a more ancient name and legacy. The church currently needs zeal for good order, internal justice, and a dash of drama. Rather than getting penned in by the simple binaries of traditional?modern, social?spiritual, long-retired names like Clement and Sixtus, or names waiting for their second chance like Soter and Marcus could restore the sense of otherworldliness and depth to the church. And there may be some use in those less-familiar legacies, too. In the ninth century, Pope Stephen VII had the body of his predecessor Formosus exhumed, dressed in papal vestments, and tried at the infamous ?Cadaver Synod? for perjury, for mishandling church offices, and being an illegal pope. In an age of spectacular immorality in the priesthood, and high offices of the church, let us have his like again. I have several ideas for candidates and cadavers.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=2b717b9c924d42e5105a1bfd3fefad09
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By Damilare Aiki
On Thursday 7th March 2013, 3Invest Limited ? one of Nigeria?s fast growing Real Estate and infrastructure investment companies will make a presentation on the challenges and opportunities of Nigeria?s Real Estate market, especially Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMES) to a team of UK experts seeking areas of business relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The event organised by UK-Nigeria Small and Medium Enterprise Project, UNSP?will kick off by 8 AM at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. It is?facilitated by ACIOE Associates with full endorsement from the Nigerian Ministry of Trade and Investment, the department of UK Trade and Investment and the British High Commission.
Impressed by 3Invest?s activities within the Nigerian Real Estate Market, especially through its Media and Advocacy Platforms, 3Invest has been selected to engage with UK experts in the areas of difficulties working with local contractors, potential areas of collaborating with small businesses, areas in which Nigeria?s Real Estate will benefit from UK technical support and how to do business with 3Invest.
Speaking regarding the invitation 3Invest Managing Director Ruth Obih, said they are humbled by this invitation and will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all aspects of the Real Estate development circle receive adequate attention. ?For us, it is a call to service. It is testimony that Nigeria?s Real Estate is attracting the right attention. If you recall, the theme for Real Estate Unite Conference and Awards 2012 is ?Jumpstarting Nigeria?s Real Estate for Global Investment?, since then, we have seen appreciable foreign interests in our market and this is another feather in the cap. We can only give our best.?
3Invest invites actors within Nigeria?s Real Estate Market to this event. For details and invite, contact Yemi on 08099991603 or email pr@3investmedia.com.
Date: Thursday 7th March 2013
Time: 8 AM
Venue: Four Points by Sheraton, Plot 9/10 Block 2 Oniru Chieftancy Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sponsored Content
Tags: 3Invest, 3Invest Limited, Ruth Obih
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Last year's Looxcie 2 was a disappointment. The idea of turning a Bluetooth headset into a video camera is interesting, but if you can't point the camera in the right direction it doesn't work very well. If the video quality isn't particularly good, that's another problem. This time around, Looxcie abandons the Bluetooth headset idea and focuses on making a great wearable camera?with much better results. The Looxcie HD Explore may not double as a headset, but with 720p video at 60fps, 1080p video at 30fps, and a variety of included mounts including a hat clip, this $329.99 (direct) camera is a great way to record things from your own point of view.
Design and Mounting Options
The Looxcie HD is a plain gray plastic rectangle measuring 1.4 by 1.9 by 3.8 inches and weighing 2.6 ounces, a little bit larger than a disposable lighter and equipped with a prominent battery that sticks out on one of the sides to give it a trapezoidal profile. The battery covers the microSD card compartment, which accepts a card readily but doesn't let you remove it without some very tricky prying, because the installed card sits flush against a little dip in the case that lets you insert the card in the first place.
The butt of the Looxcie HD holds a removable rubber panel that covers a micro USB port and a three-way power switch that lets you turn the camera off, turn it on and set it to Wi-Fi, or turn it on and disable Wi-Fi. The front holds the small lens and pinhole microphone, flush against a flat, smooth face. Besides those details, the only distinguishing features of the camera itself are a pair of rows of small, rectangular holes to let it snap securely into the included hat clip.
The camera comes with a stick-on helmet mount, a clamp-on bike mount, and a hat clip, which are necessary if you don't want to hold the Looxcie HD awkwardly while you use it. This is a mounted camera, and it's not intended to be held like point-and-shoot cameras. The helmet mount consists of a stick-on panel that you can put on a helmet or any smooth, rigid surface, and the bike mount consists of a clamp that goes over handlebars. Both mounts have a solid notch where a universal Looxcie HD holder fits securely; put the Looxcie HD in the foam ring of the holder, tighten the clamp, then slide it into either mount's notch.
The hat clip is a simple clip with a two-jointed arm that connects to a C-shaped bracket that holds the camera securely with both the aforementioned holes and two hook-and-loop straps. The hat clip is probably meant for use with the camera above the clip, but I found it worked just as well with the camera below the clip, placed right in front of one of my eyes to ensure it was pointed at whatever I was looking at. Wearing the clip this way offered me the added benefit of feeling like a cyborg.
If the three mounts aren't enough for you, you can buy additional mounts from Looxcie like a vented helmet mount, a windshield mount, and a tripod mount for $25 to $40. You can also get add-on wide-angle, macro, zoom, and fisheye lenses for $20 to $25 (with the wide-angle and macro lenses available together as a $20 pack). I didn't test any of the optional accessories, but the Looxcie HD and its included accessories were enough to evaluate the camera itself.
Interface, Performance, and Conclusions
While you can record just by pressing the Record or Instant Clip buttons on the Looxcie itself (the latter snapping a quick 30-second clip), most of the camera's features must be accessed through the Looxcie iOS and Android apps. The app turns your phone into a mobile viewfinder, which refreshingly has only a split second of lag and displays the video very smoothly. The app lets you change resolution settings between 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps, 48fps, and 30fps. You can change the lighting mode to adjust for white balance, and even stream video online through Looxcie's live broadcast feature. You can also buffer video to continually capture and discard footage, then hit the Instant Clip button on the camera or in the app to save a 30-second instant replay video. You can change the settings by connecting the Looxcie HD to your computer and running the Looxcie software, but it's much more convenient to change settings (especially lighting) while you shoot.
The Looxcie app uses Wi-Fi to connect to the Looxcie HD, so if you broadcast it'll have to be over your mobile data plan. This means livestreaming video can be tricky, but it also means you can broadcast video to the Internet from anywhere with a $330 camera and a smartphone instead of a satellite van and a camera crew.
Video quality is relatively clear and smooth, but some noticeable tearing occurs when the camera is moved quickly back and forth at 1080p at 30fps. A walk down the street and through a park showed details in signs, trees, and walkways. 720p video at 60fps looks much smoother, but tearing can occasionally occur with fast lateral motion. While it's lower resolution, you should probably record in 720p at 60fps most of the time, simply because the video seems so much cleaner and blur-free. This is ostensibly an action camera, after all, but even walking around and panning through the PCMag Labs looks better at 60 fps.
The Looxcie HD is a comprehensive action camera and livestreaming system that lets you record anything from sports action to just walking around, and its smartphone app is extremely useful. The Looxcie HD has improved leaps and bounds over the Looxcie 2, and is a great choice for shooting action from a first-person perspective. If you don't have a smartphone, though, it's more limited. While you can record without a smartphone, it means you can't see what the camera is seeing, change the settings on the fly, or stream video. If you want first-person video without the need of a smartphone (and don't need helmet or bike mount support), Pivothead Video Recording Eyewear offers a more streamlined setup at the cost of video quality. If you don't want to spend three digits on a wearable camera, the MeCam is far harder to use and the video doesn't look nearly as good, but it's $50 and you can pin it onto your clothes.
More Camcorder Reviews:
??? Looxcie HD Explore
??? MeCam
??? Zoom Q2HD Handy Video Recorder
??? Panasonic HC-V700
??? Panasonic HC-V700M
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/7sjHvBUNpVo/0,2817,2416069,00.asp
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LONDON (AP) ? Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday over an apparent stomach infection that has ailed her for days, a rare instance of ill health sidelining the long-reigning monarch. Elizabeth will have to cancel a visit to Rome and other engagements as she recovers, and outside experts said she may have to be rehydrated intravenously.
Buckingham Palace said the 86-year-old queen had experienced symptoms of gastroenteritis and was being examined at London's King Edward VII Hospital ? the first time in a decade that Elizabeth has been hospitalized.
"As a precaution, all official engagements for this week will regrettably be either postponed or cancelled," the palace said in a statement. Elizabeth's two-day trip to Rome had been planned to start Wednesday. A spokeswoman said the trip may be "reinstated" at a later date.
The symptoms of gastroenteritis ? vomiting and diarrhea ? usually pass after one or two days, although they can be more severe in older or otherwise vulnerable people. Dehydration is a common complication.
The illness was first announced Friday, and Elizabeth had to cancel a visit Swansea, Wales, on Saturday to present leeks ? a national symbol ? to soldiers of the Royal Welsh Regiment in honor of Wales' national day, St. David's Day. She instead spent the day trying to recover at Windsor Castle, but appears to have had trouble kicking the bug.
A doctor not involved in the queen's treatment said that if medical officials determined that she is losing too much fluid, she would be rehydrated intravenously.
"Not everyone can keep up with oral hydration so it is pretty routine to go to hospital and have a drip and wait for the thing to pass and keep yourself hydrated," said Dr. Christopher Hawkey of the University of Nottingham's faculty of medicine and health sciences.
Britain's National Health Service says that the two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults are food poisoning and the norovirus, a common winter vomiting bug which typically afflicts between 600,000 and 1 million Britons each year. British health guidelines advise that people with the norovirus avoid work for at least two days.
"It's very infectious and strikes in winter because people are indoors and it spreads more easily," Hawkey said.
Elizabeth has ruled since 1952 and is Britain's second-longest serving monarch, beaten only by Queen Victoria in terms of the number of years spent on the throne.
Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, 91, has had several hospital stays, but Elizabeth has rarely let sickness get in the way of her still-busy schedule.
About five months ago, she cancelled an engagement due to a bad back. The spokeswoman, who demanded anonymity because palace rules do not let her go on the record, said the last time Elizabeth was hospitalized was in 2003 for a knee operation.
The queen has undertaken a number of engagements over the past week. On Tuesday, she met the new archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at Buckingham Palace, and on Thursday she presented a host of British Olympians, including track and field star Jessica Ennis, with honors during an investiture ceremony.
Ingrid Seward, the editor of the Britain's Majesty Magazine, said that the queen "probably agreed to be hospitalized in order to get better quickly."
"Everybody will want to be wishing her a speedy recovery," she told Sky News television.
That includes British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose office said he passed on his best wishes to the queen.
___
Online:
Britain's National Health Service on gastroenteritis: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gastroenteritis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-queen-hospitalized-over-stomach-illness-163931604.html
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N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) ? The head of Chad's military has announced on state television that Chadian troops deployed in northern Mali killed Moktar Belmoktar, the international terrorist responsible for the attack on a natural gas plant in Algeria that resulted in the death of dozens of foreigners. The French military, which is leading the offensive in northern Mali, says it cannot confirm the information.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Zakaria Ngobongue read a statement saying Chadian soldiers on Saturday had destroyed a jihadist base in the Adrar and Ifoghas mountains of North Mali, killing Belmoktar.
The purported death of Belmoktar comes a day after Chad's president said their troops killed Abou Zeid, the other main al-Qaida commander in the region, a claim the French also said they could not confirm.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/head-chadian-army-claims-troops-kill-belmoktar-204108959.html
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